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

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overview of the Thread

  • Monthly “Who wants to be hired?” thread where individuals advertise availability.
  • Extremely wide range of seniority, tech stacks, and locations, with a heavy bias toward software engineering and related roles.

Roles and Skill Sets

  • Strong representation of:
    • Full‑stack and backend engineers (JS/TS, Python, Java, Go, Rust, Ruby, C#, PHP, Elixir, etc.).
    • Data/ML/AI engineers and scientists (PyTorch, TensorFlow, LLMs, NLP, computer vision, RAG, MLOps).
    • DevOps/SRE/Platform engineers (Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS/GCP/Azure, CI/CD, observability).
    • Mobile and desktop developers (iOS, Android, React Native, Swift/SwiftUI, Kotlin, C++/Qt).
    • Embedded / firmware / robotics / HPC / scientific computing specialists.
    • Product managers, technical product leaders, fractional CTOs, and engineering managers.
    • Designers: product/UX/UI, SaaS design, data-heavy UI, game and 3D visualization.
    • QA automation, technical writers, support/ops, data analysts, and non‑engineering roles (legal/HR, founder coaching).

Remote Work and Relocation

  • Majority explicitly prefer or require remote work; many have years of remote experience.
  • Some open to hybrid or on‑site if local; a minority explicitly prefer in‑person.
  • Relocation:
    • Many say “no” or “maybe/depends”.
    • Some are actively seeking relocation (e.g., to US, EU, Australia, Sydney, Africa, etc.), often requiring sponsorship.

Industry and Value Preferences

  • Frequent interest in:
    • Startups and early‑stage companies, “0→1” products, and small teams.
    • Mission‑driven work: climate, health, education, social impact, defense, scientific computing.
    • Avoidance of adtech, surveillance, questionable ethics, or low‑impact “BS” data science.
  • Several highlight experience in fintech, trading, healthcare, gaming, devtools, and infrastructure products.

Engagement Models and Compensation

  • Mix of full‑time, contract, part‑time, and fractional roles (e.g., fractional CTO, advisor).
  • A few list explicit rates or salary targets; most defer to discussion.

Meta‑Discussion and Feedback

  • Some ask about “conversion rate” of these threads; one commenter reports successfully hiring via this channel but notes hiring is hard and response volume high.
  • Occasional peer feedback on how to improve posts (clearer resumes, concrete examples, better formatting or lighter sites).
  • A few posts mis‑categorized into the wrong HN thread; others point this out helpfully.