Anything that makes you stand above the crowd of job seekers and get noticed is (almost) always a smart move. Do you think Instagram is thinking "no, this girl is clearly an idiot?"
No, they're clearly going to notice her and give her consideration that she wouldn't otherwise get. They're probably thinking "nice initiative" even if they've seen this type of application before.
I think a few of you are being too cynical about this being overdone. Getting a new career is a highly competitive race and doing anything that gets you noticed (and on the top of Hacker News) is always going to be a win for your career.
I agree with Mystalic and I commend the effort and the really cool site she built. I hope she gets the job -
As a side, I hope hiring companies realize that many of their applicants are die-hard fans and advocates...
I have applied to two companies before that I was fiercely loyal to going into the process. After the process I was completely turned off to both of them. One offered me a job and one did not - I didn't take the job from the one that did.
The application and interview process was so bad with both of them it left me completely disenchanted. I have not used products from either company since those experiences - I completely lost my taste for their respective brands.
Conversely, I had another very positive experience with a different company that I was equally loyal to. The application and interview process was excellent. I didn't end up getting the job but I walked away with even greater respect for the company.
Bottom line for me...You can learn just about everything you need to know about a company through the application process.
Someone once sent us a cover letter stating he was eager to work with "the experts at our famous company". This might help when trying out for Google, or any other actually famous company, but when you're asking for a job at an unknown company (we, of course, knew that we were nowhere near famous - yet), it makes you sound ignorant.
To write an effective resume you need to keep the audience in mind. The hiring manager will base about 95% of the decision on the answer to one question: What have you built?
Answers to questions such as "What are your skills?", "What is your philosophy?", and "What is your passion?" mostly just get in the way and waste the reader's time.
A flashy appeal for a job like this one might get the attention of Instagram, but they will not base their hiring decision on that. If the portfolio, which in this case includes the resume itself, isn't impressive work, they will pass.
Showcase your actual work well and present it in the most impressive possible light and employers will take notice even if you don't buy a domain name for every company to which you're applying.
The hiring manager will base about 95% of the decision on the answer to one question: What have you built?
I think this is approximately as true as "Customers make purchasing decisions approximately 95% based on product quality and 5% on those trivial details like marketing."
By all means, build stuff. But after having achieved some level of building stuff, the returns are far greater in attractively marketing the stuff you have build versus continuing to build more stuff, on a ROI per-hour-invested basis.
I mean, clearly she can build stuff, right? There's a portfolio. It has stuff in it. Achievement Unlocked: Stuff Got Built. That portfolio could have one extra 100x100 thumbnail that no decisionmaker is going to click on anyway, or, this site could exist. Do you think the thumbnail will matter more than this site existing? That strongly does not match my experience with how people approach decisions in the real world.
P.S. Takeaway for all engineers in the room: if you have three projects on Github and don't have one of these sites built yet, you will have far better returns on time building a site like this than you will doing another OSS project, and you will have still better returns doing actual networking rather than hoping someone on the Internet will stumble across your hidden potential and give you a shot.
Kudos to her for putting herself out there, but she's misunderstood what the point of this kind of application is.
When you make a grab for a job like this, you underscore the fact that employers don't always know that there is something that can be improved - and that someone should be hired to do it.
I vaguely recall someone writing an application for 37signals, where he made some redesigns for the site that he thought were needed. (He made them - actions speak louder than words; deeds are better than words; show, don't tell.) In other words: "You need to improve these things - guess what, I can fix those problems for you." It must be what every start-up dreams of at night.
This is what these applications are intended to be about. Again, kudos for putting herself out there (I shudder at the thought of putting myself in the spotlight of the internet with my identity displayed and available for public mockery). But the application itself is very vague and will do little to convince the guys at Instagram to hire her.
I mean, who the hell wouldn't have an interest in working at Instagram? You are not a unique snowflake to have that desire - and it makes the attempt to convey passion less persuasive.
But hey: the site currently has 70 points on the front page of Hacker news, and a lot of new people now know her name. It's inconceivable that there is any "bad publicity" to come of this, so she can't really fail, regardless of what happens from now on.
At this point, there's nothing innovative or quirky about "active applications." Especially if they're rather mediocre.
EDIT: After looking through the whole thing, I have to revise my opinion. It doesn't even qualify as mediocre -- copy and design are surprisingly awful. Large quantities of pseudo-charming nonsense ("I'm vehement about creating kick-ass interactions", "i can write a mean agile spec,
and i’m comfortable working in a highly iterative environment", the complete section outlining why she's supposedly great for the gig) and completely interchangeable self-promotion. Active applications can be interesting if they're actually tailored to the company in question; this particular instance can't be bothered to make any meaningful connection to Instagram. Well, except for the domain name.
The design is surprisingly awful? What? I can only assume you're talking about the graphics and layout (unless we talk about 'attitude design' now or something). I thought that part of the site was excellent (original and pretty), although I didn't care for the content admittedly (except the word 'vehement' cracked me up, and 'LOL - I'm Funny').
Don't want to sound rude, but the lens ("I made this") has pretty bad type work. Kerning is off, the curve is not right (http://i.imgur.com/tpDqv.png). The drop shadow is also strange. Overall, there's not enough attention to detail.
So HN: Why does this get voted up because of the hustle and for her actually "doing something", and yet there are Rate My Startup posts of actual somethings that go unnoticed on a daily basis?
Check out the "new" and "ask" pages to help some of those people who've put a lot of effort into their executions by giving them more exposure.
Not to move this more towards Reddit, but it would be nice if there were a separate tab for rating startups. That seems like such an important aspect of HN, I'd like it to be called out more. And upvotes on that get double karma or something.
I want to work at Instagram myself because I love increasing entropy in the universe.
And yes, I'd say that to their faces: it can be very irritating to see pictures that already are not stellar, being from mobile phone cameras, further trod on by software.
I think this is a prime example of "too much telling not enough showing." While I dig Netta's moxie and possibly would even hire her as a community manager, there isn't much here that wows me. Less than 200 Instagram photos and a lackluster design portfolio don't back up the passion and talent that she claims.
I agree. I think any employer would be flattered with such a targeted application.
But I think it could be better if she listed benefits she could bring Instagram, rather than her personality traits. She does link to a very nice resume that has more content.
Minor nit: "my differences only make me that much more unique."
Unique is an absolute state. One is unique or not; there is no more/less about it. Per the dictionary usage guidelines, think about using something like: "rare, distinctive, unusual, remarkable, or other nonabsolute adjectives".
Sorry. This is my wife's pet peeve, and it has been drilled into my brain.
Reminds me of something Merlin Mann often says about prioritizing: Having multiple priorities is like saying you have more than two arms. You are either crazy or you are lying.
The resumé is very difficult to read and took a bit of a nosedive into the generic in its attempt to look unique with the crescent shaping.
Also, as a UX designer the design/layout/grammar(?) of the resumé is a head scratcher - lack of capitalization is no longer a style choice and just made everything harder to read, the most important bits of information: name and contact information are ... sideways.
You don't mind hiring someone who clearly has her sights set on a different company? To the extent that she even registered a domain name professing her personal interest in said company?
While I like the initiative, I'm a little worried that someone who says she's a UX designer wouldn't have considered that most Mac users do not run their browsers full-screen, so there's a horizontal scroll bar for anything less than a 1024 width (I think it's 1024). That's not a good UX!
most Mac users do not run their browsers full-screen, so there's a horizontal scroll bar for anything less than a 1024 width
Sure most Mac users don't run full-screen but no Macs from the past few years have native displays limited to under 1024 pixels wide. Even without maximizing, most people (in my experience with running stats on this stuff) run at > 1024. Without pulling out my data, I found a browser width of around 1100-1150 pixels to make up the lion's share of my users.
I hate to be the debbie downer here. I love her ambition and ability to market herself, but when you are attempting to sell yourself as a visual & UX designer shouldn't your design be original?
[+] [-] Mystalic|15 years ago|reply
No, they're clearly going to notice her and give her consideration that she wouldn't otherwise get. They're probably thinking "nice initiative" even if they've seen this type of application before.
I think a few of you are being too cynical about this being overdone. Getting a new career is a highly competitive race and doing anything that gets you noticed (and on the top of Hacker News) is always going to be a win for your career.
[+] [-] crasshopper|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Titanous|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sportsTAKES|15 years ago|reply
As a side, I hope hiring companies realize that many of their applicants are die-hard fans and advocates...
I have applied to two companies before that I was fiercely loyal to going into the process. After the process I was completely turned off to both of them. One offered me a job and one did not - I didn't take the job from the one that did.
The application and interview process was so bad with both of them it left me completely disenchanted. I have not used products from either company since those experiences - I completely lost my taste for their respective brands.
Conversely, I had another very positive experience with a different company that I was equally loyal to. The application and interview process was excellent. I didn't end up getting the job but I walked away with even greater respect for the company.
Bottom line for me...You can learn just about everything you need to know about a company through the application process.
[+] [-] unknown|15 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] yannickmahe|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] faramarz|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mrshoe|15 years ago|reply
Answers to questions such as "What are your skills?", "What is your philosophy?", and "What is your passion?" mostly just get in the way and waste the reader's time.
A flashy appeal for a job like this one might get the attention of Instagram, but they will not base their hiring decision on that. If the portfolio, which in this case includes the resume itself, isn't impressive work, they will pass.
Showcase your actual work well and present it in the most impressive possible light and employers will take notice even if you don't buy a domain name for every company to which you're applying.
[+] [-] patio11|15 years ago|reply
I think this is approximately as true as "Customers make purchasing decisions approximately 95% based on product quality and 5% on those trivial details like marketing."
By all means, build stuff. But after having achieved some level of building stuff, the returns are far greater in attractively marketing the stuff you have build versus continuing to build more stuff, on a ROI per-hour-invested basis.
I mean, clearly she can build stuff, right? There's a portfolio. It has stuff in it. Achievement Unlocked: Stuff Got Built. That portfolio could have one extra 100x100 thumbnail that no decisionmaker is going to click on anyway, or, this site could exist. Do you think the thumbnail will matter more than this site existing? That strongly does not match my experience with how people approach decisions in the real world.
P.S. Takeaway for all engineers in the room: if you have three projects on Github and don't have one of these sites built yet, you will have far better returns on time building a site like this than you will doing another OSS project, and you will have still better returns doing actual networking rather than hoping someone on the Internet will stumble across your hidden potential and give you a shot.
[+] [-] taylorbuley|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] geoffw8|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] crasshopper|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kmfrk|15 years ago|reply
When you make a grab for a job like this, you underscore the fact that employers don't always know that there is something that can be improved - and that someone should be hired to do it.
I vaguely recall someone writing an application for 37signals, where he made some redesigns for the site that he thought were needed. (He made them - actions speak louder than words; deeds are better than words; show, don't tell.) In other words: "You need to improve these things - guess what, I can fix those problems for you." It must be what every start-up dreams of at night.
This is what these applications are intended to be about. Again, kudos for putting herself out there (I shudder at the thought of putting myself in the spotlight of the internet with my identity displayed and available for public mockery). But the application itself is very vague and will do little to convince the guys at Instagram to hire her.
I mean, who the hell wouldn't have an interest in working at Instagram? You are not a unique snowflake to have that desire - and it makes the attempt to convey passion less persuasive.
But hey: the site currently has 70 points on the front page of Hacker news, and a lot of new people now know her name. It's inconceivable that there is any "bad publicity" to come of this, so she can't really fail, regardless of what happens from now on.
[+] [-] r00fus|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cdr|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] crasshopper|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] apl|15 years ago|reply
EDIT: After looking through the whole thing, I have to revise my opinion. It doesn't even qualify as mediocre -- copy and design are surprisingly awful. Large quantities of pseudo-charming nonsense ("I'm vehement about creating kick-ass interactions", "i can write a mean agile spec, and i’m comfortable working in a highly iterative environment", the complete section outlining why she's supposedly great for the gig) and completely interchangeable self-promotion. Active applications can be interesting if they're actually tailored to the company in question; this particular instance can't be bothered to make any meaningful connection to Instagram. Well, except for the domain name.
[+] [-] Tycho|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dchest|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] reason|15 years ago|reply
Check out the "new" and "ask" pages to help some of those people who've put a lot of effort into their executions by giving them more exposure.
[+] [-] kenjackson|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nir|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] edw519|15 years ago|reply
AFAIC, automatic interview line. It says so much:
- She understands the ugly stuff needed to get to the pretty stuff.
- She's willing to do the ugly stuff.
- Her work is more important than her ego (I think).
- She "gets it". (Somehow I don't imagine a poser would have ever thought of putting it quite this way.)
[+] [-] crux_|15 years ago|reply
The startup world is what it is, and getting that message across will help her immensely in finding a job.
[+] [-] brown9-2|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Tichy|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|15 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] alex_carlill|15 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] alex_carlill|15 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] davidw|15 years ago|reply
And yes, I'd say that to their faces: it can be very irritating to see pictures that already are not stellar, being from mobile phone cameras, further trod on by software.
[+] [-] kariatx|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nopal|15 years ago|reply
I'm not sure whether her design is "good" or whether her other attributes line up with what they're looking for, but A+ for effort, nonetheless.
[+] [-] warrenwilkinson|15 years ago|reply
But I think it could be better if she listed benefits she could bring Instagram, rather than her personality traits. She does link to a very nice resume that has more content.
[+] [-] cabacon|15 years ago|reply
Unique is an absolute state. One is unique or not; there is no more/less about it. Per the dictionary usage guidelines, think about using something like: "rare, distinctive, unusual, remarkable, or other nonabsolute adjectives".
Sorry. This is my wife's pet peeve, and it has been drilled into my brain.
[+] [-] pavel_lishin|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Samuel_Michon|15 years ago|reply
http://www.43folders.com/2009/04/28/priorities
[+] [-] splish|15 years ago|reply
Also, as a UX designer the design/layout/grammar(?) of the resumé is a head scratcher - lack of capitalization is no longer a style choice and just made everything harder to read, the most important bits of information: name and contact information are ... sideways.
[+] [-] billclerico|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tommy_mcclung|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] statictype|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Lewisham|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] petercooper|15 years ago|reply
Sure most Mac users don't run full-screen but no Macs from the past few years have native displays limited to under 1024 pixels wide. Even without maximizing, most people (in my experience with running stats on this stuff) run at > 1024. Without pulling out my data, I found a browser width of around 1100-1150 pixels to make up the lion's share of my users.
[+] [-] fara|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|15 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] mccon104|15 years ago|reply
Both this page and her portfolio are blatant "adaptations" of inspectelement's html5 single page portfolio design http://inspectelement.com/html5portfolio/
The top bar, color choices, structure, font, her "logo" for her portfolio, the contact me portion... all of that comes straight from the template
edit: added "contact" part
[+] [-] faramarz|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] alantrrs|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] madh|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] crasshopper|15 years ago|reply
The www allows for image, audio, code, and video, as well as text. Why are resumes still pretending to be paper (pdf / doc)?
[+] [-] hbz|15 years ago|reply