Hack Your Way to a New Job – How Participating in a Hackathon Can Help Your Career

You may have many reasons for attending a hackathon. Maybe you want to learn a new API, create a new app to sell, or just win prizes. But have you ever thought about hackathons as a way to get a new job?

Many IT companies set up hackathons as a way to identify and recruit technology talent. While this can be a turnoff for those who are attending for other reasons—especially when the companies spend more time pitching themselves than allowing developers to explore new technology—it can be helpful to those who are also interested in exploring the job market.

How can you decide which hackathons to attend? Here are five questions to ask yourself:

1. Who is hosting the hackathon?

If your intent is to meet and impress hiring managers and potential team members, single-company hackathons are your best bet. That company is probably using the event to scope out talent. Hackathons hosted by technology organizations don’t always allow corporate representatives to attend.

2. What technology is the hackathon exploring?

If you’re looking for work, find a hackathon that addresses a topic you feel passionate about, such as healthcare. Employers are looking for passionate, engaged employees, so they’ll be looking for developers who are invested in their work.

3. What type of event is it?

Hackathons tend to fall into three categories:

• Micro-accelerator or startup weekends, designed to teach the skills you need to run a business in a short period of time.
• Vertical hackathons, which are specific to a certain technology or industry.
• Generic hackathons, where participants build things for the sake of building things.

4. How are teams formed?

Your success in networking and proving yourself could be affected by what type of team you’re on. If it’s a competitive hackathon, your team will only be as good as the weakest team member. Teams can be assigned by the organizers, formed by the participants ahead of time or organized at the event. Try to get yourself on a team that has skills and ability similar to yours.

5. Are there rewards beyond prizes?

Some people attend hackathons because they enjoy winning cash or technology rewards. But some are looking for a little more—like being invited to demo their project at a major tech event. See if the hackathons you’re interested in offer experiences that can be worthwhile to your career. And even if no recruiters are there, you can network with other developers.

If the hackathon route is not right for you, and you’re ready to look for your next great job opportunity, call the recruiting team at Triumph. We’re always ready to match the right talent with the right job.