How do you use GitHub to source and assess technical talent?

Start by searching for GitHub repositories and users relevant to your needs. Utilize GitHub's advanced search to filter by language, topic, location, stars, and forks. For example, to find a Python developer skilled in machine learning, search for repositories with "python" and "machine learning" keywords and sort by stars or forks. You can also find users by matching keywords and locations. This yields a list of potential candidates active in your domain.

I love GitHub for sourcing technical talent. In addition to the methods mentioned, I highly recommend trying out GitHub UserSearch by Irina Shamaeva. The Topics section (Browse Popular Topics), Trending projects and Top GitHub Users By Country, and even exploring repositories within specific companies are fantastic for uncovering passionate specialists in specific areas. In my sourcing practice, I also actively use filtering by stars (stars:>500), followers (followers:>100), and number of repositories (repos>10) - these are excellent indicators of a developer's engagement and impact. GitHub truly is a treasure trove for finding technical talent, and I wish the comment format allowed me to share all my sourcing techniques.

1. We can use advanced search queries to filter results based on location, programming language. 2. we can also apply X-ray search by typing site:github.com "Data Engineer" inurl: repositories. 3. We can Integrate GitHub with our Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to seamlessly incorporate GitHub profiles into recruitment workflow

Start by using GitHub's advanced search features to find repositories and users that match your criteria. Use keywords related to the skills and technologies you're looking for. Filter results by location, programming language, number of followers, or stars. Tools like OctoHunt can enhance this process by allowing you to search for developers based on specific technologies and locations. You can also use X-ray search techniques, such as typing "site:github.com 'Data Engineer' inurl:repositories" into Google.

To use GitHub for sourcing and assessing technical talent: Search Repositories: Look for candidates by exploring popular repositories or projects related to your technology stack. Review contributors' profiles for relevant skills and experience. Evaluate Code Quality: Assess the quality of candidates' code by reviewing their contributions, pull requests, and code reviews. Focus on coding style, problem-solving abilities, and documentation. Check Activity: Gauge engagement and activity levels by examining the frequency and consistency of contributions and interactions within the GitHub community. Review Projects: Look at personal or open-source projects to understand their areas of expertise and the impact of their work.

A glance at GitHub might tell you a candidate’s username, current employer, location, and email. Followers: The number of followers a developer has on GitHub indicates skill and reputation within the Open Source community. Contributions: This is where you can see the contributions that a developer has made to other projects. Repositories: The repositories section contains the open-source development projects the developer is hosting on GitHub and projects they’ve copied ("forked"). Forking: "Forking" someone’s repository creates a copy of it. This allows the forker to modify the original code and use it for their own projects. A large amount of activity indicates that a developer has created (or is working on) a popular project.

Once you've identified potential candidates, dive deeper into their profiles. Look at their repositories, contributions, and activity level. Check their pinned repositories, which often showcase their best or most relevant work. Use the OctoHR Chrome extension to get additional insights about a user's profile, including their most used programming languages and whether they're open to job opportunities. OctoHR can also provide email addresses, making it easier to reach out to promising candidates.

Analiso o perfil do GitHub de cada candidato para entender sua experiência e áreas de especializa??o. Verifico a diversidade de projetos, frequência de commits, e a consistência na contribui??o ao longo do tempo. Examino links para portfólios pessoais, blogs ou outros perfis de redes sociais profissionais (como LinkedIn) fornecidos no perfil do GitHub.

It is possible you do not have a technology background; of course, you can familiarise yourself with the basics, but when you are hiring across multiple stacks and frameworks, the best case in this is to have it reviewed by a colleague in tech who specialises in it.

Evaluating a candidate's technical skills can be challenging, especially for non-tech specialists. However, as tech recruiters, it's part of the thrill! To make this easier: 1. Familiarize with Basic Coding Concepts: Even if you're not a developer, understanding basic coding principles and common programming practices can be invaluable. 2. Leverage Peer Reviews: Look at how the community interacts with the candidate’s work. Comments, pull requests, and issues can provide insights into the quality of their code. 3. Use Automated Tools: Platforms like CodeClimate or SonarQube can assess code quality objectively, offering valuable insights even for those less familiar with coding.

Exploro os repositórios para avaliar a organiza??o e a clareza do código, aderência às melhores práticas de desenvolvimento e uso adequado de controle de vers?o. Verifico a documenta??o do projeto, incluindo README, documenta??o do código e presen?a de comentários. Analiso o uso de testes automatizados, cobertura de testes e metodologias de desenvolvimento adotadas (por exemplo, TDD - Desenvolvimento Orientado a Testes).

Evaluate the quality and complexity of their code contributions. Look at the frequency and consistency of their commits using tools like the GitHub Original Streak extension. Check their contributions to open-source projects, which can indicate their collaborative skills and community involvement. Use tools like CoderStats to get a more comprehensive view of a developer's coding activity across different platforms. The GitHub User Rank extension can help you understand how a developer compares to others in terms of language proficiency.

GitHub Actions are goldmines! Look for workflows utilizing CI/CD tools (Jenkins, CircleCI) or testing frameworks (JUnit, Jest) to assess a candidate's experience with automated pipelines and continuous delivery practices. Explore workflow complexity, error handling, and security integrations to gauge their grasp of DevOps principles.

Effective candidate engagement on GitHub combines strategic messaging with follow-up: 1. GitHub Messaging: While GitHub may not seem the conventional platform for job offers, its direct messaging feature can be a unique way to connect. However, LinkedIn or public emails might be more suitable for formal job propositions. 2. Other Contact Channels: Utilize the contact information provided on GitHub profiles, like email, LinkedIn, or Twitter links, to reach out in a more traditional manner. Remember, finding one public contact can often lead to discovering others :^) 3. Personalization: Ensure your message is personalized, highlighting specific aspects of the candidate's work and aligning them with opportunities at your company.

Here is an example message to send a potential candidate on github: "Hi [Candidate Name], [Your Name] here, a Talent Sourcer at [Your Company]. I was scouring GitHub for top talent, and your project, [Project Name], truly impressed me. Particularly, the [Specific aspect] showcased your strong skills in [Relevant skill 1] and [Relevant skill 2]. We're currently building a killer team for [Job Title] at [Your Company]. Your expertise in [Mention relevant skills from their profile] aligns perfectly with our needs. Would you be interested in a brief chat next week to discuss the role and how your skills could contribute? Learn more about us: [Company Website Link]. Looking forward to hearing from you! Best regards"

We, the recruiters often go with the regular avenues available for sourcing. In fact we forget that every recruiter in the market out there has the access to those basic sources like job portals. However, using tools like GitHub which is an open source platform for coders, where the coders can write codes on some open challenges, can get guidance from other members of the group, build their repositories, etc. Exploring and using such tools that are available for free, would make you unique and would be a differentiator from the existing recruiters in the market. Not just the GitHub, there are many different tools to be explored rather 100% dependency on these job portals which eventually making them costlier too year on year.

Once you've identified promising candidates, it's time to reach out. Personalize your message by referencing specific projects or contributions you found interesting. While GitHub has a messaging feature, it's often better to use LinkedIn or email for formal job propositions. Use the contact information provided on their GitHub profile, or leverage tools like OctoHR to find their email address. Ensure your message highlights how their skills align with the opportunities at your company.

Envio uma mensagem direta no GitHub ou utilizo outras informa??es de contato fornecidas no perfil para iniciar a conversa. A mensagem inclui elogios específicos ao trabalho do candidato e detalhes sobre a oportunidade disponível, destacando como suas habilidades se alinham com os requisitos do cargo. Ofere?o uma breve descri??o do processo de recrutamento e os próximos passos, incentivando o candidato a responder e agendar uma entrevista inicial.

In addition, consider using external tools such as developerdb, octohunt, Seekout to enhance your candidate sourcing efforts on GitHub. Additionally, you can always use X-ray search. Example: site:github.com "block or report" -inurl:tab -inurl:repositories Toronto Java Another useful tool is OctoHR, a Chrome extension that enhances GitHub by adding additional candidate information such as their LinkedIn profiles or resumes, making it easier to assess their skills and experience. By leveraging these tools alongside GitHub's native features, you can identify top candidates who demonstrate strong code quality, collaboration skills, and a commitment to best practices.

I am sure most of us know how to scout talent on Github. But let me share a unique way of sourcing talent on GitHub, which I recently happened to learn: If you are looking for candidates from India who have Kubernetes with Java skillset, we can use "README" feature, which allows the search to go and find candidates who have used these skills in their public files. Simple search: site:github.com in:readme "Java" "Kubernetes" "India" DM me if you have know any new sourcing techniques on Github or want to learn :)

Realizo busca de repositórios que permita o compartilhamento de vagas. é importante ficar atento as regras da comunidade para fechar a issue ou mantê-la atualizada.

Las comunidades Open Source dentro de Github son una auténtica mina de oro. Son un gran lugar para encontrar personas apasionadas por la tecnología e interesadas en colaborar con los demás. Pero ten siempre en cuenta que no todo el mundo tiene tiempo para colaborar en estos proyectos.

Remember that GitHub is just one part of a comprehensive sourcing strategy. Combine GitHub insights with other platforms like LinkedIn for a more complete picture of a candidate's profile. Be respectful of developers' time and contributions. Avoid spamming or sending generic messages. Consider using additional tools like Talent Signals or GitHub Profile Fedepot to further enhance your sourcing efforts. Always stay updated on GitHub's terms of service and respect user privacy. By leveraging GitHub and these specialized tools effectively, you can identify top technical talent, assess their skills more accurately, and engage with them in a meaningful way.