Ask HN: Ways to stand out as a software engineer applying for a job?

Here are some ways to stand out that aren't too standard.

- Put your anti-resume on GitHub. Instead of a list of wins, show your failures and what they taught you. Add a few small projects with clear writeups. Explain why you’re excited about the company in plain language.

- Use their product and write down what’s broken. Keep a log of every bug, awkward flow, or confusing moment. Put it in a repo and add ideas for how you’d fix things.

- Rebuild part of their product. Pick a feature and make a simple version of it. In the README, explain your choices and what you’d change if you were on their team.

- Write up a short memo on something they could improve. Could be load time, dev onboarding, or testing. Keep it technical but tight — just a few things they could try.

- Build something useful for their team. Doesn’t have to be big. Could be a script, a dev tool, or a bug fix. Even better if it’s something they didn’t ask for.

- Send a repo instead of a cover letter. Make the README your pitch. Keep it short and real — no fluff. Link out to projects, feedback, and anything you’ve built for them.

- Email someone on the team (CTO, Head of Engineering). Doesn’t have to be the founder. Just say you made something for them, show the link, and ask if it’s helpful.

Have any of these worked for you? Or do you have any other ideas? I'm curious to hear.

I think this thread might be relevant to the current tech job market.