
Ask HN: Should You Do Something Extra to Get a Job? - strugglebus
Hey HN,<p>I&#x27;ve been interviewing&#x2F;applying for about 5 months now and I figure it&#x27;s time to start re-evaluating HOW I am applying.<p>I watched a TED talk of a guy who read a companies IPO prospectus and created a website that included four new feature ideas. He clearly went above and beyond in the interview process to get the job. Is that how people are getting hired these days?<p>Anyone have any other examples? Maybe ones less time intensive? ;)
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PaulHoule
Time intensive is the point. You can amortize the effort over multiple job
applications so it is OK. If you can be the person who is doing something
creative rather than watching TV then that can help you win.

I wouldn't get hung up on any particular application. I've seen cases where I
overprepared for an interview and wound up being rejected because of my gender
or other stupid reasons.

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gjvc
Any activity which demonstrates tenacity, creativity, intellect, generosity,
or any combination thereof will immediately raise your profile amongst the
field of candidates.

You don't need a TED talk for inspiration :-)

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tboyd47
Anybody who is making a TED talk clearly has resources and skills that put
him/her over and above the majority of candidates, so I'd take that example
with a grain of salt.

If you're putting out your resume and not getting any responses at all, then
you either don't have a complete resume (not listing enough keywords) or you
don't have enough years of experience.

