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Learn
  • Learn And The Power Of Community
  • Intro
    • learn-co-curriculum/welcome-to-learn-verified
    • learn-co-curriculum/your-first-lab
    • learn-co-curriculum/environment-setup
  • Intro to tic tac toe
    • matz-readme
    • what-is-a-program?
    • hello world
    • Intro to irb
    • Reading-error-messages
    • Data-types
    • variable
    • Variable-assignment lab
    • String interpolation
    • Interpolation-super-power
    • Welcome to tic tac toe
    • Array
    • Tic tac toe board
    • Intro to methods
    • Puts print and return
    • Intro-to-tdd-rspec-and-learn
    • Methods and arguments
    • Say hello (lab)
    • Methods-default-arguments
    • ttt-3-display_board-example
    • ttt-4-display-board-rb
    • Intro-to-cli-applications
    • Greeting-cli
    • cli-applications in Ruby
    • Ruby-gets-input
    • Tic tac toe move
    • Truthiness-in-ruby-readme
    • booleans
    • conditional (if)
    • ttt-6-position-taken
    • ttt-7-valid-move
    • rspec-fizzbuzz
    • Looping-introduction
    • Loop
    • while-and-until-loop
    • Tic Tac Toe Turn lab
    • looping-while-until lab
    • Tic Tac Toe Play Loop (lab)
    • Tic Tac Toe Current Player (lab)
    • Intro to ruby iterators
    • Nested Arrays
    • Boolean Enumerators
    • Search Enumerators
    • Tic Tac Toe Game Status
    • tic-tac-toe
  • OOP tic tac toe
    • intro to oop
    • Intro-to-classes-and-instances
    • Classes-and-instances-lab
    • Instance-methods
    • Instance-methods-lab
    • Object Attributes
    • object-attributes-lab
    • Object Initialization
    • Object-initialize-lab
    • oop barking dog lab
    • Procedural-vs-oop
    • oop tic tac toe
  • Git and github
    • Intro to Version Control
    • Git Repository Basics
    • Git-basics-quiz
    • Forks-and-clones
    • Git Remotes and Github
    • Git Remotes and Github Codealong
    • Thinking Ahead: GitHub as Career Differentiator
    • Github Pull Requests
    • Git Collaboration
    • Git-collaboration-quiz
    • Git Basics Quiz
  • HTML
    • A-quick-tour-of-the-web
    • The-web-is-made-of-strings
    • What-makes-the-web-possible?
    • html-introduction
    • Your first-html-tag-lab
    • Nested-tags-and-attributes
    • Well-formed-html-document-lab
    • HTML elements types overview
    • Researching-HTML-elements
    • Separation-of-content-and-presentation
  • CSS
    • Introduction-to-css
    • introduction-to-css-code-along
  • Procedural Ruby
    • Regex-what-is-a-pattern
    • Regex-basics
    • Regex-lab
    • Regex-match-scan-grep-methods
    • learn-co-curriculum/method-arguments-lab
    • Method-scope
    • Return Values Lab
    • Debugging-with-pry
    • Method-scope-lab
    • Truthiness-code-challenge
    • If Statements Lab
    • Case-statements
    • Case-statements-quiz
    • Logic and Conditionals Quiz
    • Ternary Operators and Statement Modifiers lab
    • Looping Lab
    • looping-quiz
    • learn-co-curriculum/looping-times
    • countdown-to-midnight lab
    • Array introduction
    • Using Arrays
    • Array-CRUD-lab
    • Array-methods
    • Array-methods-lab
    • Square array lab
    • Collect and Return Values
    • Collect Lab
    • Badges and Schedules Lab
    • Oxford comma lab
    • Deli counter lab
    • Reverse Each Word Lab
    • Yield-and-blocks
    • Each Lab
    • Return from Yield Statements
    • My All? Lab
    • My Find Lab
    • Cartoon Collections Lab
    • Enumerators Code Challenge
    • Prime? Lab
    • Sorting
    • Sorting Lab
    • Introduction to Hashes
    • Using Hashes lab
    • Ruby-symbols
    • Hash iteration
    • Hash Iteration Lab
    • Hash Iteration with Collect
    • Intro to Nested Hashes
    • Building Nested Hashes
    • Building Nested Hashes Lab
    • Nested Hash Iteration
    • Nested Hashes Lab
    • Multitype Collections Lab
    • Iterating over Nested Hashes Codealong
    • Other Hashes Codealong
    • Hashes Manipulation Lab
  • OOP Ruby
    • OO Ruby Video: Object Orientation Overview
    • Object Accessors
    • Instance Variables lab
    • Video Review: Object Properties
    • Meowing Cat
    • Intro to Object Orientation - Ruby
    • oo basics lab
    • OO Basics with Class Constants
    • Self
    • OO School Domain lab
    • OO Counting Sentences lab
    • Class Variables and Methods
    • Class Variables and Methods Lab
    • Remembering Objects
    • Puppy Lab
    • Advanced Class Methods
    • Advanced Class Methods Lab
    • Video Review: Object Models
    • OO Email Parser lab
    • OO Anagram Detector lab
    • OO Cash Register lab
    • Intro to Object Relationships
    • Belongs to Object Lab
    • Has Many Object
    • Has Many Object Lab
    • Collaborating Objects Review
    • Collaborating Objects Lab
    • OO My Pets
    • oo kickstarter lab
    • OO Banking lab
    • Has Many Objects Through
    • Has Many Objects Through Lab
    • Intro to Inheritance
    • Intro to Inheritance Lab
    • Super
    • Super Lab
    • Intro to Modules
    • Intro to Modules Lab
    • Mass Assignment
    • Mass Assignment and Metaprogramming
    • Mass Assignment Lab
    • Custom Errors lab
    • OO Triangle lab
  • Scraping and project
    • Gems and Bundler
    • Scraping
    • Scraping Lab
    • Kickstarter Scraping Lab
    • Video Review: Object Orientation and Scraping
    • OO Ruby Object Orientation Video Review
    • Music Library CLI
    • Video Review: Music Library CLI
    • Tic-tac-toe with AI project
    • Student Scraper
    • CLI Data Gem Portfolio Project
    • CLI Data Gem Walkthrough
    • CLI Data Gem Walkthrough: Creating a CLI Scraper Gem
    • Common Anti-Patterns in CLI Data Gem
    • Student Example 1: Refactoring CLI Gem
    • Student Example 2: Refactoring CLI Gem
  • SQL
    • What is SQL
    • SQL Intro and Installation
    • SQL Database Basics
    • SQL Databases and Text Editors
    • SQL Data Types
    • SQL Inserting, Updating, and Selecting
    • Basic SQL Queries
    • SQL Aggregate Functions
    • SQL Aggregate Functions Lab
    • SQL Bear Organizer Lab
    • Edgar Codd and Table Relations
    • Table Relations
    • SQL JOINS
    • SQL Complex Joins
    • SQL Join Tables
    • Grouping and Sorting Data
    • SQL Joins Review Lectures
    • SQL Crowdfunding Lab
    • SQL Library Lab
    • Pokemon Scraper Lab
  • ORM And Active record
    • Why an ORM is Useful
    • Mapping Ruby Classes to Database Tables
    • Mapping Classes to Tables Lab
    • Mapping Database Tables to Ruby Objects
    • Mapping Database Rows to Objects Lab
    • Updating Records in an ORM
    • Updating Records in an ORM Lab
    • Preventing Record Duplication
    • ORMs Lab: Bringing It All Together lab
    • Dynamic ORMs
    • Dynamic ORMs with Inheritance
    • ActiveRecord Mechanics
    • Translating from ORM to ActiveRecord
    • Intro to Rake
    • Mechanics of Migrations
    • Writing Our Own Migrations
    • Migrations and Active Record Lab
    • ActiveRecord CRUD Lab
    • Advanced Finding Lab
    • ActiveRecord Associations
    • ActiveRecord Associations Lab
    • ActiveRecord Associations Lab II
    • ActiveRecord Associations Video Review
    • ActiveRecord Associations Video Review II
    • Video Review: Aliasing ActiveRecord Associations
    • Video Review: Blog CLI with ActiveRecord and Associations
  • Rack
    • How the Internet Works
    • Increasing Layers of Abstraction
    • Inspecting the Web with Rack (lab)
    • The HTTP Request
    • Dynamic URL Routes
    • Dynamic Web Apps with Rack (lab)
    • Rack Responses Lab
    • Rack Routes and GET Params Lab
    • HTTP Status Codes
    • Dynamic URLs and Status Codes Lab
    • Video Review: How The Web Works, Pt 1
    • Video Review: How the Web Works, Pt 2
  • Html
    • How the Web Works
    • Site Planning
    • HTML Fundamentals
    • HTTP Status Codes
    • video review how the web works pt 1
    • How the Web Works, Part 2: Overview
    • Setting Up a New Site
    • Document Structure
    • Text Formatting
    • HTML Tables
    • Html-images
    • HTML Links
    • Html backing-up changes
    • HTML Validation
    • Quiz - HTML Fundamentals
    • Dev Tools Super Power
    • HTML Lists
    • Html issue bot 9000 (lab)
    • HTML Forms and Iframes
    • HTML Map and Contact Form Code-along
    • HTML5 Media
    • HTML5 Video Embed Code-Along
    • HTML5 Semantic Elements
    • HTML5 Semantic Containers Code-along
    • HTML5 Quiz
  • CSS
    • CSS Fundamentals
    • CSS Styling Code Along
    • My Little Rainbow
    • CSS Kitten Wheelbarrow
    • CSS Graffiti Override Lab
    • CSS Issue Bot 9000
    • Your first deployment
    • The Box Model
    • Layout Types
    • Float
    • Clearfix
    • Centering
    • Column Structure
    • CSS Columns Code Along Exercise (lab)
    • Box Model & Page Layout
    • Using Z Index
    • Positioning
    • ZHW Shoes Layout (lab)
    • Zetsy (lab)
    • CSS Box Style Code Along
    • Animal Save (lab)
    • Building Responsive Sites
    • Intro to Responsive Media
    • CSS Media Queries
    • Working with Responsive Type
    • Responsive layout
    • The Viewport Property
    • Responsive Features Code-Along (lab)
    • Bootstrap Introduction
    • Bootstrap Code-Along
    • Bootstrap Grid System
    • Grid Layout Code-Along
    • Bootstrap Navbar Code-Along
  • Sinatra
    • What is Sinatra?
    • Sinatra From Scratch
    • Using the Shotgun Development Server (lab)
    • Sinatra Basics
    • Sinatra Hello World Basics (lab)
    • Routes in Sinatra
    • Sinatra Routes Lab
    • Intro To MVC
    • Sinatra MVC File Structure (lab)
    • Sinatra Views: Using ERB
    • Sinatra Views (lab)
    • Sinatra Basic Views Lab
    • Sinatra Views Lab II
    • Intro To Capybara
    • Dynamic Routes in Sinatra
    • HTML Forms and Params
    • Passing Data Between Views and Controllers in Sinatra
    • Sinatra Forms Lab
    • Sinatra Yield Readme
    • Integrating Models Sinatra Code-along
    • Sinatra MVC Lab - Pig Latinizer
    • Sinatra Basic Forms Lab
    • Sinatra Forms
    • Nested Forms Readme
    • Sinatra Nested Forms Lab: Pirates!
    • Lab Review-- Sinatra Nested Forms Lab: Pirates
    • Sinatra Nested Forms Lab: Superheroes!
    • Sessions and Cookies
    • Mechanics of Sessions
    • Sinatra Basic Sessions Lab
    • Using Sessions
    • Sinatra and Active Record CRUD
    • Sinatra Activerecord Setup
    • Sinatra ActiveRecord CRUD
    • User Authentication in Sinatra
    • Sinatra Sessions Lab - User Logins
    • Securing Passwords
    • Secure Password Lab
    • Sinatra Authentication- Overview
    • RESTful Routes
    • Restful Routes Basic Lab
    • Sinatra ActiveRecord Associations: Join Tables
    • Using Tux in Sinatra with ActiveRecord
    • ActiveRecord Associations in Sinatra
    • Sinatra Multiple Controllers
    • Sinatra and Active Record: Associations and Complex Forms
    • Sinatra Playlister (lab)
    • Welcome to NYC Sinatra! (lab)
    • Building a Site Generator, Part 1- Overview
    • Building a Site Generator, Part 2- Overview
    • Fwitter Group Project
  • Rails
    • Welcome To Rails
      • Rails Application Basics
      • Rails Static Request
      • Rails Hello World Lab
      • Rails Model View Controller
      • Intro to Rails- Overview
    • Intro to REST
    • Active Record Models and Rails
    • ActiveRecord Model Rails Lab
    • RESTful Index Action Lab
    • Rails Dynamic Request
    • Rails Dynamic Request Lab
    • Rails URL Helpers
    • Rails URL Helpers Lab
    • Rails form_tag
    • Rails form_tag Lab
    • Create Action
    • Create Action Lab
    • Index, Show, New, Create Lab
    • Edit/Update Action
    • form_for on Edit
    • Strong Params Basics
    • form_for Lab
    • Rails Generators
    • CRU with form_for Lab
    • Resource and Scaffold Generator
    • Rails Blog scaffold
    • Todo mvc assets and managing lists
    • Rails Forms Overview
    • ActiveRecord Validations
    • ActiveRecord Validations Lab
    • Validations in Controller Actions
    • Validations In Controller Actions Lab
    • Validations with form_tag
    • Validations with form_for
    • DELETE Forms and Requests
    • Testing in Rails
    • Validations with form_tag
    • CRUD With Validations Lab
    • Join the Fun rails
    • Activerecord lifecycle reading
    • Displaying Associations Rails
    • Active Record Associations Review
    • Forms And Basic Associations Rails
    • Forms And Basic Associations Rails Lab
    • Basic Nested Forms
    • Displaying Has Many Through Rails
    • Displaying Has Many Through Rails Lab
    • Has Many Through Forms Rails
    • Has Many Through Forms Rails Labs
    • Has Many Through in Forms Lab Review- Overview
    • Deep Dive into Nested Forms- Overview
    • Layouts And Templates in Rails
    • Rails Layouts And Templates Lab
    • Simple Partials
    • Simple Partials Lab
    • Partials with Locals
    • Partials with Locals
    • Refresher on MVC
    • Refactoring Views With Helpers
    • Refactoring Views With Helpers Lab
    • Model Class Methods
    • Optimal Queries using Active Record (lab)
    • Routing And Nested Resources
    • Nested Resource Routing Lab
    • Modifying Nested Resources
    • Modifying Nested Resources Lab
    • Namespaced Routes
    • Namespaced Routes Lab
    • Todomvc 2 lists have items
    • TodoMVC 3: Mark Items Complete
    • Todomvc 4 refactoring with partials and helpers
    • Todomvc 5 deleting items
    • Introduction to Authentication and Authorization
      • Cookies and sessions
      • Cookies and Sessions Lab
      • Sessions Controller
      • Sessions Controller Lab
      • Login Required Readme
      • Login Required Lab
      • Using has_secure_password
      • Has_secure_password lab
      • Authentication- Overviewn
      • OmniAuth
      • Omniauth Lab
      • Omniauth review lecture in todomvc
      • Authentication and authorization recap and gems
    • Rails Amusement Park lab
    • How to Find Gems
  • JavaScript
    • Intro to JavaScript
      • JavaScript Data Types
      • JavaScript Data Types Quiz
      • JavaScript Variables
      • JavaScript Comparisons
      • Conditionals
      • Logical Operators
      • Functions
      • Intro to Debugging
      • Intro to Testing
      • JavaScript Basics Quiz
    • Scope
      • Scope chain
      • JavaScript Practice Scope Lab
      • Lexical scoping
      • Errors and Stack Traces
      • Hoisting
    • Arrays And Objects
      • Objects
      • JavaScript: Objects and Arrays Quiz
      • Object Iteration
      • JavaScript Logging
      • Traversing Nested Objects
      • Filter
      • Map
    • Functions Revised
      • First-Class Functions Lab
      • First-Class Functions
      • First-Class Functions Practice
      • First-Class Functions Practice Lab
    • OOP
      • Creating Objects
      • Object Methods and Classes
      • Using Prototypes
      • Using Classes in Javascript
      • JavaScript This Walkthrough
      • This Code-along
      • Bind, Call, and Apply Readme
      • Bind, Call, Apply Lab
      • Object Relations
      • Association Methods in Javascript
      • Class Relations Lab
      • JavaScript Closures and Higher Order Functions
      • Closures Lab
      • JavaScript Arrow Functions
      • Daily Lunch Lab
    • DOM
      • Introduction to the DOM
      • Introduction to the DOM Lab
      • More on the DOM
      • Creating and Inserting DOM Nodes
      • The DOM Is a Tree
      • Listening to Nodes
      • Modify HTML With jQuery
      • Modifying HTML Lab
      • jQuery Selectors
      • Document.ready
      • Acting On Events Lab
      • DOM Quiz
    • Templates
      • Introduction to CSS
      • CSS Quiz
      • CSS Libraries
      • CSS Libraries Lab
      • Intro to Templates
      • Template Engines
      • Template Engines Lab
      • Advanced Templating
      • Advanced Templating Lab
    • Asynchronous JavaScript
      • Intro to XHR Code Along
      • Hitting APIs Lab
      • Advanced AJAX Lab
      • AJAX and Callbacks
      • AJAX and Callbacks Lab
      • REST Refresher
      • REST Quiz
      • Fetch
      • JavaScript fetch() Lab
      • Intro to Mocha
      • Testing with Spies
      • Testing with Mocks and Stubs
  • Rails and JavaScript
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On this page
  • 10 Tips to Get or Keep Your GitHub Ready for Job Seeking (and Bonus Tips to Make it Unstoppable)
  • Tips for a Strong GitHub Profile
  • Bonus Tips
  1. Git and github

Thinking Ahead: GitHub as Career Differentiator

PreviousGit Remotes and Github CodealongNextGithub Pull Requests

Last updated 5 years ago

10 Tips to Get or Keep Your GitHub Ready for Job Seeking (and Bonus Tips to Make it Unstoppable)

Github isn't just a repository for code — it’s another part of your online presence, and arguably the most specific tool a hiring manager has (without talking to you) to understand how you’ll stack up as a candidate. Based on numerous feedback sessions with employers we know that your GitHub profile will be a critical step in their assessment of you as a candidate.

Note: Sometimes when graduates leave the program, they stop receiving attribution >for their Git commits (i.e. the link between their computer and their GitHub account becomes severed). This can happen for a variety of reasons. To ensure the commits you make on your computer are associated to your GitHub profile, follow the steps below:

  1. Open your .

  2. In your terminal, run the command git config user.email.

  3. Verify that the email in your terminal matches the email(s) listed in your GitHub profile.

If you don't see an email when you run the command above, follow the "Your Identity" section in the .

If you see an email when you run the command above but it's not listed in your GitHub profile, so that you receive the proper attribution for your work.

If you notice that your repository already has commits that aren't attributed to you, you can follow to update the attribution for each commit. In order to find the old email, you can run git log in the repository. Since this action is "destructive", make sure you clone down a separate copy of your repo into a separate folder on your computer before you update the attributions. This way you'll have another copy of the original repo in case something goes wrong.

In addition to ensuring that you are authoring all your repos on GitHub properly per the steps above, the following will make sure you stand out as a candidate...

Tips for a Strong GitHub Profile

1. Pin Projects to the Top of Your Profile

  • Highlight your most impressive, large and/or recent projects (this can include Flatiron Schools projects, and solo projects) at the top of your GitHub page. The first thing an employer should see is what you’ve been working on most recently (your current skill set).

  • Having small projects is okay, but try to make them diverse. Having projects using different languages or technologies will show that you possess a variety of skills.

  • You can do this through the ‘Customize your pins’ link.

  • These should be projects you have created - NOT completed labs!

2. Add Project Descriptions and Tags

  • EVERY Flatiron School project (and future projects) should have a detailed description, which can be added/edited in the project repo.

  • Descriptions should include a few sentences about functionality, languages and/or major tools used. Be concise while explaining what the project is about. Include the project’s purpose and highlights.

  • They should also include a link to a live site (at one point or another every final project should be hosted).

  • If your live site is buggy, make sure to video a demo of yourself using the project before the site comes down. Add that instead of a live link.

3. Add a README for Every Project

  • All projects should have a README attached (gifs are highly recommended), which can be added/edited in the project repo.

  • READMEs can include wireframes or videos demonstrating project design and/or functionality.

  • This differs from a description as it should be longer, and about project functionality.

  • For software engineering students: READMEs can also include links to live apps - if Front End and Back End are broken into separate repos, provide a link to the other relevant portion.

  • If you wrote a blog post about your project, link it here.

4. Fill out ALL Profile Information

  • Full Name

  • Bio (if nothing else, Student of {Your Field of Study})

  • URL (to something! blog, personal portfolio, etc. - preferably something with contact info)

  • Email (personal choice)

  • Company (Field of Study)

  • Location. Recruiters use search tools and filter out profiles based on location. Having this information on your profile makes it easy for them to find you.

  • Picture (professional: think LinkedIn)

5. Commit Often

  • Does your GitHub account show that you are actively building/coding?

  • Make consistent (daily) contributions to your Github profile. Think GREEN BOXES! Your daily activity will show potential employers your level of activity each day, week, month - and commits should be frequent! Employers look for this.

  • One employer shared this: A flurry of activity and then a decline to nothing is bad; a flurry of activity during the bootcamp and then sustained progress will distinguish you from 80% of bootcamp grads.

6. Contribute to Open Source Projects

  • This shows that you can work well with a community, you know how to dive into large codebases/datasets and can adapt to different coding/programming standards.

  • Having pull requests/issues/reviews visible on your profile makes you stand out.

7. If You Fork Code, Actually Work on It

  • Create meaningful contributions to other people’s code. If you want to note a fork to return to later, delete the fork, but star the repo it came from.

  • Your GitHub should communicate that you can build purposeful, meaningful apps/projects and features.

  • Companies are interested in what you are capable of creating, not that you completed a lesson; avoid arbitrarily pinning forked Learn.co lessons.

8. Focus on Project Structure and Organization

  • In regards to architecture and design, make sure it is easy to figure out where to go in the project to locate the various functional areas and layers.

  • Use relevant and well-known design patterns/file structures (don’t go out on a crazy limb).

9. Have Clean, Easy-to-Read Code on Your GitHub

  • Functions should be responsible for one thing in general.

  • Keep your code modular and DRY (‘Don’t Repeat Yourself’).

  • Keep methods small and create chunks you can reuse in different places as well as stack in different orders.

  • Stay away from ‘copy and paste.’

10. Ensure your Contributions Chart Reflects Your Activity

  • Show potential employers that you are serious, committed and continually developing your technical skills by having an active, consistently populated Contributions chart (they are looking at this).

  • You are responsible for ensuring your contributions are properly authored and showing up publicly in your Contributions chart. Follow the steps above at the beginning of this lesson to ensure that you are properly authoring your contributions.

Bonus Tips

Software Engineering:

Are There Tests?

  • Building out tests is impressive — especially at a junior level.

Are There Comments on Code?

  • In a great code base, you’ll see a line about each code before writing the method, giving a description of what it does.

  • On your next big project start adding in comments - this will prepare you for working on a common code base at your future developer gig, and demonstrate to employers that you’re ready to collaborate effectively.

Data Science

  • While data projects are, by their nature, exploratory, with lots of sketching and exploratory data work, the final product - especially something that sits atop your resume as the first thing you are asking a hiring manager to look at - needs to be clear and clean.

  • Move intermediate/cutting room floor analysis to a separate workbook so it can be accessed at a later date.

  • Include many more markdown cells that describe the approach you are taking and bring the reader along in the analysis.

  • Compare model outputs in charts or tables to articulate why you selected the model that you did.

Check out this >Extra tip: While you can't embed a Youtube link (i.e. a project demo video) to a >README in GitHub, you can include a thumbnail using the code at the very bottom of >. >Adding a youtube thumbnail is not required, but looks snappy. :)

to ensure you understand how GitHub counts contributions (for example: forks to a commit do not count towards contributions).

for tips on how to write testable code and why it matters.

(not an ipynb) that's an exemplar of leading with ideas.

email settings in Github
First-Time Git Setup Guide
add the email to your profile
the directions here
guide to writing a kick-ass README
this article
Read this
Check out this article
Here is one writeup