Open source and job hunting: new ways to get hired in a competitive market

The current IT market is unpredictable. If you are new to the market, it will be difficult to attract the attention of companies and startups. Fresh talent may have difficulty finding a new job, especially when trying to get a job in a remote location 💼.

There are multiple reasons behind this, including the emergence of artificial intelligence models such as GPT-4 and increased competition due to market dynamics.

How can I increase my chances of getting hired? Open source can be used effectively. Open source can help you explore new opportunities and learn new skills.

In this guide, learn how to use open source to improve your job search prospects. Let’s get started.

What is open source software?

“Open source” refers to something publicly available whose design can be modified and shared. As we get more involved with the technical aspects of open source, there is a growing interest in “open source software.”

Therefore, open source software refers to publicly available source code that anyone can modify, enhance, or inspect for learning purposes. Source code is what allows the software to work as intended. However, the average user will never see the code and probably won’t even know if it exists at all.

As a programmer, you are interested in source code because by changing, adding to, or modifying source code, you can change the behavior of an application or program to make it better for the end user.

Many companies follow an open source model. In this way, the community can add value to the project. It also paves the way for job seekers like you to have the opportunity to work on source code.

Open source employment statistics outlook

Before we dive into how to land a job using open source, let’s look at some statistics.

According to the 2022 Open Source Jobs Report , the situation looks favorable for open source contributors. Notable statistics in the report include:

• 86% of managers want open source talent on their teams.
• Almost 46% of managers want to increase open source adoption.
• 93% of recruiters find it difficult to successfully hire candidates with open source experience.

These statistics speak volumes about how important open source work has become. Learning how to open source can increase your chances of getting hired.

Open source jobs are jobs offered by open source projects. For these projects, you want to have developers familiar with open source workflows tweaking, improving, and creating new features and software for the hiring organization.

Advantages of open source in job hunting

Open source software offers benefits to organizations, including community-driven support, more flexible iterations, easier license management, and lower costs.

But what good does it do for you, especially when it comes to job hunting?

Contributing to open source provides an easy way to improve your skills in relevant technologies according to market demand.

Let’s take Web3 as an example. It’s being touted as the future of the internet. GitHub is full of unique Web3 open source projects. If you’re interested in Web3 technologies, you can start with projects like Solidity, Truffle, Metamask, and Solana. Apart from these, you can also join other Web3 projects that interest you. You can likewise find open source projects related to other technologies.

Once you start contributing, open source project managers will take notice of you. Since they are behind the project management, they can also see how code changes have affected the project. They will also notice how quickly they learn without help, i.e. their ability to learn things with minimal guidance.

If you’re not interested in coding, there are other ways to contribute. For example, if you love writing, check out the technical documentation for these projects. You can also contribute through your blog, which helps prospective employers evaluate your skills.

The biggest advantage of contributing to open source is the remote location. Remote work has become extremely popular during the pandemic. However, everything was resolved, and the company moved to the office. Since open source projects are primarily remote in nature, this approach increases your chances of getting remote work. You will also benefit from better returns and diverse opportunities.

Apply or receive an invitation

wonderful! You’ve started contributing to an open source project. From here, there are various ways to get noticed.

➡️ Keep contributing until someone on the project team contacts you for an interview.

➡️ Apply for job openings posted by companies. When applying, be sure to clearly state your contribution so people know what you can do for them.

➡️ Finally, if we don’t have any openings, please contact us via email, social media, or other appropriate medium.

If your contribution is exceptional, it will quickly attract the attention of developers. They understand your passion for the project and your ability to make significant changes with minimal help. Also, if your influence is equal to or greater than that of a full-time developer, your chances of getting hired increase many times. In these cases, they will contact you and try to get you on board.

YouTuber and open source contributor Harikirat Singh got a job following this method. He wanted to join Backpack , a Web3 company that has recently attracted significant investment. But I couldn’t get any clues to join them.

But Harikirat saw an opportunity when Backpack went from closed source to open source. He started contributing to the project. Then, after making some contributions, Backpack CEO Amrani Ferrante took notice of him. Amrani contacted Harkirat, and after some small talk, he signed Harkirat to work remotely. If you want to know more about it, check out his story here .

Another case study is by Josh Wulf. You have chosen the open source path to advance your career .

How can I contribute to open source?

Contributing to open source requires no special skills. However, you need to understand some concepts and platforms.

The first step is to learn the GitHub platform. To do so, you need to create a GitHub account. You’ll find lots of open source projects here. First, you can start any repository that interests you.

Next, you need to learn how open source projects work. Its main elements include:

✅ The open source structure includes the project’s main creators, maintainers, owners, contributors, and community members.

✅ Learn about project license types.

✅ Open source projects include README files that you must read to learn about the project. They typically include instructions for end users, but you may also find information useful as a contributor. Many open source projects also have CONTRIBUTING files dedicated to contributors to the project. The CONTRIBUTING file lists the steps necessary to start contributing to the project.

✅ Finally, check CODE_OF_CONDUCT which provides important points regarding the behavior of project participants.

Apart from these, please check the project documentation. Access walkthroughs, tutorials, and other guides.

You should also learn key open source concepts such as issue trackers, pull requests, mailing lists or discussion forums, and synchronous chat channels.

Once you understand all of the above, you need to find a project that you are passionate about. Preferably, it should be from the company you want to hire. However, that may only happen occasionally. Many open source projects have the potential to gain traction. If you want to participate in an open source project, be an active participant.

You can also filter projects based on the technology you want to work on, and filter out projects that you think will have the greatest impact. There are many ways to search for open source projects. These include GitHub Explore , First Timers Only , Open Source Friday, and more.

Key skills you learn when contributing to open source

There are many skills you learn when contributing to open source. These include:

• Improve your existing skills: Start contributing and learn more. This improves your existing skills, such as technical writing, coding, or specific technical skills.
• Improve your networking skills: Open source allows you to collaborate with a diverse range of people. It also provides networking options as you meet interesting people with similar interests.
• Knowledge sharing: Open source allows you to learn and teach others. As you gain experience, you will be able to coach others on how to succeed with open source.
• Learn interpersonal skills: By interacting with the community, you will learn various skills such as management and conflict resolution.

last word

Contributing to open source is one of the best ways to get noticed. Will it lead to recruitment? Well, that’s right. However, it may be different for everyone.

The best approach is to think of this as opening up new networking opportunities that could lead to interviews and chats. Now, it’s up to you how to convert this networking into a contract or a full-time job.

Once you make some contributions, you will also feel more confident. So don’t stop contributing. You will get your dream job in no time. And you too will make the world a better place.

Ultimately, it gives you a competitive edge over those who don’t contribute to open source. We teach important skills, both technical and interpersonal. You will also learn to collaborate with strangers and work in an agile environment where change occurs quickly.

Then check out our tips for hiring a WordPress developer for your business.