Vignesh Natarajan had often heard of hackathons, but never got to participate in one till he tried his luck at Save the Hacker last year. Those two days, he says, had a huge impact on his career.
Vignesh and his team developed an app that matches potential blood donors based on location, group and whether they have recently donated or consumed alcohol. “This is one of the first serious projects on my resume and it stands out because it was self-motivated, it uses a myriad of technologies and uses it right,” he said.
Many people like Vignesh have started showcasing their experience at hackathons as increasingly, employers find those kinds of skills valuable to their organisations.
Karthik Subramanian from Chennai Geeks, who has participated in and organised hackathons, said they provide an excellent networking platform. “I have found a number of unique internship opportunities with many start-ups through these events,” he said.
In terms of adding value to resumes, Mr. Subramanian says hackathons provide a platform for people to showcase their talents. “When companies see that you have reached a certain level at the Open Hack Day, Save The Hacker, or any other big hackathon, they know you are capable of quality work,” he said.
“Participating in these events will also motivate people to constantly update their Github profiles. This in turn provides companies with a lot of information on candidates’ abilities,” he added.
Companies too, are starting to use hackathons as a way to identify talent, develop new ideas, and build communities, both within and outside the company. According to K. Purushothaman, Senior Director, NASSCOM, companies are also using them to create a pipeline for recruitment.
“It is not just the start-ups and the smaller companies that are organising hackathons. Now, everybody is jumping on the bandwagon, since these events have become a way to ensure visibility and attract talent,” he said, adding that more people should look to participate in them as a way to get better exposure and learn how to validate their ideas.
Girish Mathrubootham, founder and CEO, Freshdesk, the company that organises Save The Hacker, said a hackathon in a candidate’s resume indicates initiative. “While we don’t recruit directly from Save The Hacker, there have been a few candidates working at other IT companies who have approached us after they participated in the event, and we have hired them,” he said.
While Chennai has not yet caught up with Bangalore in terms of the number of hackathons, there is a lot of talent in the city, Mr. Mathrubootham said. “For a techie, hackathons are a way to unwind, meet new people and innovate. In the space of 48 hours, they have to create a product from scratch. For people trying it for the first time, it helps them learn how to solve problems,” he added.
