For the lazy:<p><pre><code> javascript:$('div.code.plain').last().html('<form action=#>name:<input name="name"><br />email:<input name="email"><br />about:<input name="about"><br />urls:<input name="urls"><br /><p id="status"></p><button>submit</button></form>').find('button').click(function(){var f,o={};for (var k in f=$('form').serializeArray()) {o[f[k].name] = f[k].value};o.urls = o.urls.split(',');$.ajax({url:'/jobs/apply',type:"POST",data:JSON.stringify(o),contentType:"application/json; charset=utf-8",dataType:"json",error: function(d,s){$('#status').text(d.status)}});return false;})
</code></pre>
Or is that unsporting somehow? Downvotes suggest yes, but on the other hand it'd be pretty silly for someone to expose an API intending people <i>not</i> to write tools that use it.
I've seen job listings embedded in <meta> tags, in HTTP headers, all sorts of odd places. The trick is that some smart person stumbles on it by accident, posts it on their blog, then gets picked up by a major tech site.<p>It's fantastic publicity.
Literally the worst developers I've ever known are the sort that would eat this kind of thing up.<p>The worst developers in my opinion are those that appear highly proficient and effective until they're asked to actually produce something, then never produce anything of value whatsoever. They're infinitely worse than those who are clearly ineffective from the beginning. They're talented but immature; unwilling to do anything they don't see as a game; unable to see everyday tasks as games.
There is a billboard around Utah that has a base64 string on it, if you decode it, it reads "head /hi" and if you HEAD their domain/hi it says POST then some params about yourself to /apply.
neat idea. now if only every employer had the same standard REST api at an agreed upon URI, (like sitemap.xml) so you can mass-apply, mass-update resumes. on their side they can mass-flag, mass filter, prioritize.
Make a request to <i>any</i> zappos.com page and look at the response headers. Found this while checking out their site prior to flying out there.<p>They've got flair.
- This seems to almost invite abuse.<p>- Surely a better challenge would be to publish a brief but involved spec, then say "implement this API that returns your job application details." Then they can retrieve the job application from the applicants. Ideally, applicants also publish the source code somewhere, so they can see how you code.<p>- Oh wait, this is #1 on HN and getting tons of views. It has already worked out perfectly for them, and I should stop criticising. :)
I can imagine a time when this practice becomes so common that spambots start mass-applying, and then employers need to use a CAPTCHA to ensure that only humans are using their API.<p>CAPTCHAs on an API. Never thought I'd see the day...
We've been doing this at EDITD for a while too:<p><a href="http://editd.com/jobs/senior-engineer/" rel="nofollow">http://editd.com/jobs/senior-engineer/</a><p>(for example)
I think it's brilliant!<p>It shows creativity and maybe they will attract less applicants, but for sure applicants who are a fit to their company, their culture and someone with the right set of skills.