A hackathon can seem like a quick sprint to solve a particular problem, but the value of participation is much greater than that description suggests. By encouraging participants to connect with like-minded team members, some of whom may have different perspectives, and helping them find out about career opportunities with the companies that are supporting the event, hackathons provide rich opportunities for participants to sharpen their skill-sets and prepare for the future.
“A hackathon is a great place to network, test your skills, and gain valuable experiences which can be added to your CV,” notes Alan Wong, managing director of Kelly Services Hong Kong and PERSOLKELLY Consulting. The company is a global leader in workforce solutions, and a partner organisation of the Classified Post Hackathon, which will take place 17 to 19 November at the Hong Kong Science Park.
Most hackathon participants are focused on winning, but Wong believes the wider experience of putting coding skills to use, engaging in teamwork, and solving a specific problem, will enrich the profiles of job- seekers, and provide talking points during job interviews. “The hackathon will be a great place for participants to broadening their horizons, which is why we have chosen to be one the Classified Post Hackathon sponsors,” Wong says. “Our aim is to help young participants see the true value of joining a hackathon, and offer them tips on how they can use the experience when they are applying for jobs in the future,” he says.
As employers increasingly look beyond pure academic achievements when they interview candidates, Wong says intense problem-solving environments like hackathons demonstrate the participant has passion, commitment, and the resilience to see a project through to completion. While hackathons seem to be highly technical challenges, they also require team members to test their organisational and time-management skills as they work towards a set deadline.
Along with coding and software development skills, participating teams need people who can formulate a business plan, conduct research, strategise, and manage projects. During the preliminary stages, with just a few minutes allocated to explain a concept, or how a solution works to the judging panel, communication and presentation skills are put under the spotlight. Wong says technical skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving abilities, critical thinking, commitment, and motivation top the “wish list” of soft skills that employers are looking for.
Even when the hackathon is over, and participants have caught up on their lost sleep, Wong believes there are still benefits to be harvested from taking part in the event. He says the ability to reflect on the experience and consider individual strengths and weaknesses offers an opportunity to identify where improvements can be made, and skills can be further developed. “Participants can identify qualities that can be included in a CV, or used as talking points to make job interviews more dynamic,” says Wong. “Candidates can also highlight skills that match a potential employer’s values.” Wong recommends summarising achievements and key learning areas in two or three sentences on CVs, and then choosing a good time to introduce them into an interview as short stories or reflections. “Employers often care not only your hackathon ranking and your score, but also about what you learned and how you would do things differently,” Wong says.
To further extend the benefits of participating in the Classified Post Hackathon, Wong advises that participants should seize any opportunities to network with individuals representing the organising and sponsoring companies. Participants should make time to do this, even if they are busy. The same people could potentially be future employers, Wong notes, adding that by meeting them, however briefly, and obtaining their contact details, which means there will be fresh opportunities to maximise networking opportunities, he says.
