No offense, but the only advice I've learned from all these "how to hire programmers" article, as a programmer, is that it doesn't make a damn bit of difference, because every person hiring as their own idea of what works. The best thing <i>I</i> can do to get hired somewhere is be myself.<p>For every person who says not to bother with a resume, there is another person who wants them.<p>For every person who denounces certain terms on a resume, another person is looking for them.<p>For every person who thinks "experienced with" means "you can write a book on the subject", someone else things "you've used it in production."<p>White board tests are necessary. They are useless. Example code is critical. No, just showing projects. Gotta see open source contributions. No, show what your code accomplished.<p>You need schooling. You don't need schooling. Degrees don't matter (though, try to get a visa without one). Self-taught rules.<p>Ask them to write a FizzBuzz program. Reverse FizzBuzz. FizzBuzz is silly and doesn't matter.<p>Throw out half the resumes so you only hire the lucky ones. Have them work for you for 90 days/1 month/2 weeks/1 week/1 day/1 project.<p>My advice: ask them whether they prefer green or purple. Whether they prefer the number 34 or the letter X. Take them out to lunch and see if they know the name of the waiter/waitress. Then get your mother's opinion on them. Then play a game of Magic: The Gathering with them, and if they win, roll a d20 to see if they can beat the AC of the job. That method has never failed me.<p>So yeah. Looking for work? Be smart. Be yourself. Because if you resort to playing games and being someone else, you're going to end up working for someone who thinks you are something/someone you are not. If you can't get the job because your resume was too plain/too fancy for the person doing the hiring, it's probably for the best.<p>Edit: To be clear, this isn't a direct response to the original article, but rather, to these types of articles in general.