Latest / The Tech Career Podcast with Fexingo: Engineering Jobs, Interviews, and FAANG Career Strategy / How FAANG Engineers Build Their Personal Brand on GitHub
Transcript
- Lucas: If you're a software engineer who's applied to a FAANG company in the past two years, there is a very good chance a recruiter looked at your GitHub profile before they ever looked at your resume. Luna: I've heard that before, but I'm not sure most engineers actually believe it. They treat GitHub like a code dump. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a missed opportunity. I came across a really concrete example recently — a Google engineer named Priya who built a small open-source library for handling CSV files in Go. It's not revolutionary code. But she documented it like a product. Lucas: She had a clear README with a usage example, a link to a blog post explaining why she built it, and even a contribution guide. That project got her noticed internally and externally. It became a talking point in her promo packet. Luna: A CSV library? That sounds like something a hundred people have built before. What made hers stand out? Lucas: The packaging. The code was solid, but the story around it mattered more. She framed it as 'handling messy real-world CSVs' — with edge cases for encoding, missing fields, large files. She also maintained a consistent commit history for over a year. That signals reliability. Luna: So it's not just about the code quality — it's about showing you can see a project through. Lucas: Right. And honestly, that's what recruiters and hiring committees look for. They want evidence of sustained effort, not just a burst of activity before an interview. Luna: I imagine a lot of listeners are thinking: 'Great, but I don't have time to maintain a side project for a year.' Is there a lower-effort version? Lucas: Yeah, you don't need a year-long streak. But you do need at least a few months of consistent activity. A single commit a week — even just fixing a typo in your README — keeps your profile alive. And you can contribute to existing projects instead of starting your own. Lucas: Actually, before we go deeper, I want to mention something real quick. This conversation is exactly why we love making this show — because we get to dig into the practical tactics that actually move the needle for engineers. And if you've gotten something out of these episodes, a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. You can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Even a small amount makes a difference in keeping the podcast ad-free and focused on substance. Luna: Yeah, it really does. And we appreciate every single person who chips in. Now, you were saying about contributing to existing projects — that's a smart way to build a presence without inventing something from scratch. Lucas: Exactly. Pick a popular open-source project you already use — say, React or TensorFlow — and start with documentation fixes. They're low risk, they teach you the codebase, and they show up on your profile. Luna: What about the README? You mentioned Priya's was really good. What does a standout README actually look like? Lucas: A standout README answers four questions in the first paragraph: What is this? Why would I use it? How do I get started? Who is it for? Most READMEs just describe the code. The best ones sell the problem. Lucas: Priya's README started with: 'csvutil handles the messy CSV files that real data scientists deal with — inconsistent quoting, BOM markers, huge files.' That's immediately useful. Luna: It's almost like writing a mini landing page for your project. Do recruiters actually read READMEs, or just scan the stars? Lucas: Both. Stars are a quick signal, but a good README gets you a second look. I've talked to recruiters at Google and Amazon who say they open the README to gauge communication skills. Code can be copied; clear writing is harder to fake. Luna: That's a really good point. So let's say someone has a decent profile but no big projects. What's a concrete first step they can take this week? Lucas: This week: pick one existing project — could be a homework assignment, a script you wrote for work — and write a proper README for it. Then make one contribution to an open-source project. A documentation fix, a bug report, anything. Lucas: Then next week, do it again. After a month, you'll have four commits and a cleaned-up profile. That's enough to differentiate you from the majority of applicants who have zero recent activity. Luna: And I assume you should also pin the best repos to the top of your profile? Lucas: Absolutely. Pin three to six repos that tell a story. Maybe the CSV library shows your Go skills, another repo shows your Python work, and a third shows you can write. Don't pin forks of popular projects — that just looks like you're padding. Luna: What about the bio section? I see a lot of engineers leave it blank or put a joke. Lucas: Don't leave it blank. Write one sentence about what you're interested in. 'Backend engineer focused on distributed systems' or 'Building tools for data scientists.' It helps recruiters categorize you instantly. Lucas: And if you have a personal blog or a Twitter where you talk tech, link it. That cross-platform presence builds credibility. Luna: So we're talking about personal branding, but without the cringe of posting inspirational quotes on LinkedIn. Lucas: Exactly. GitHub is a technical platform — your work speaks louder than your opinions. The best personal brand on GitHub is a record of consistent, thoughtful contributions. Luna: And for engineers who are worried about privacy or their employer not approving open-source work? What's the advice there? Lucas: Check your employment contract. Most tech companies allow open-source contributions as long as they're personal time and not competing. If you're worried, contribute to documentation or bug reports — that's almost never restricted. Lucas: Also, you can use a separate GitHub account for personal projects. Just make sure it's linked from your resume and LinkedIn. Luna: I want to circle back to Priya's story. You said her CSV library helped her promo packet. How exactly did that work? Lucas: At Google, your promo packet includes a section for 'community impact.' Open-source contributions count. She was able to point to the GitHub stars, the issues filed, and the fact that two other teams at Google started using her library. That's concrete evidence of influence. Lucas: It also showed she could build something outside her immediate team responsibilities. That's a strong signal for senior-level promotions. Luna: So it's not just about getting hired — it's about leveling up once you're inside. That's a powerful motivator. Lucas: Exactly. And the best part is, you can start today. You don't need permission, you don't need a budget. Just a GitHub account and a willingness to write one good README. Luna: Alright, I'm convinced. I'm going to update my own profile this weekend. Lucas: Do it. And if you do, let us know how it goes. We might do a follow-up episode with listener success stories.