Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (September 2024)

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Hundreds of engineers, designers, product leaders, data scientists, security specialists, and other tech professionals worldwide post short “hire me” profiles in this monthly Hacker News hiring thread. Most highlight remote or flexible work preferences, a wide range of stacks (from AI/ML and LLMs to embedded, DevOps, frontend, fintech, and game development), and experience levels spanning new grads to veteran CTOs. The thread functions as an informal, skills-first talent marketplace where companies and founders can quickly scan for candidates who match specific technical needs or domains.

Overview

  • Thread is an “Ask HN: Who wants to be hired?” with hundreds of self‑descriptions from people seeking work.
  • Posts follow a common pattern: location, remote/relocation preferences, technologies, CV links, and brief “about me” blurbs.
  • Content is almost entirely one‑way listings; there is very little conversational back‑and‑forth.

Roles & Skill Sets

  • Strong concentration of software engineers:
    • Full‑stack web (very heavy on TypeScript/JavaScript, React/Next.js, Node.js, Python/Django/FastAPI, Ruby/Rails, PHP/Laravel, Go, Java, C#/.NET).
    • Frontend specialists (React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, design‑oriented “devsigners”).
    • Backend/platform/infra (Go, Rust, Python, Java, C/C++; microservices, Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS/GCP/Azure, SRE/DevOps/Platform engineering).
    • Data/ML/AI (NLP, LLMs, RAG, computer vision, MLOps, classical ML, data engineering, analytics).
    • Mobile and embedded (Android/Kotlin, iOS/Swift, React Native, Flutter, embedded C/C++, firmware, robotics, game consoles).
  • Also represented:
    • Product managers, technical product and program managers.
    • Designers (product, UX/UI, visual, web, design systems).
    • Security (AppSec, infra, blockchain security, red/blue teaming).
    • QA/automation engineers.
    • Data analysts, financial analysts, optimization/operations research specialists.
    • Tech writers, marketing/growth, strategy/architecture consultants, and non‑technical roles tied to tech.

Remote Work and Relocation

  • Majority explicitly prefer or require remote work; some will do hybrid or occasional travel.
  • Relocation willingness is mixed:
    • Many tied to current country/region; others open within EU, US, or specific cities.
    • A few require visa sponsorship; some highlight existing multi‑jurisdiction work authorization.

Seniority, Engagement Models, and Goals

  • Range from interns, juniors, and fresh grads to staff/principal, directors, VPs, CTOs, and founders.
  • Engagement types span full‑time employment, part‑time, contract/freelance, fractional CTO/architect, and consulting studios offering entire teams.
  • Common themes:
    • Desire for meaningful work (climate, healthcare, education, social impact).
    • Preference for small teams, startups, or high‑ownership roles (founding engineer, greenfield, zero‑to‑one).
    • Interest in AI/LLMs, distributed systems, dev tooling, and performance‑critical systems.

Meta Observations

  • One poster questions whether anyone actually gets hired through these threads; another responds positively but without detailed evidence.
  • Several people highlight open‑source projects, side products, and prior startup exits as signals of capability and initiative.