Part 1

How I landed my first 👨‍💻

• Joined Dell Technologies' Virtual Hack2Hire in Feb 2021—my first-ever hackathon.
• 1 week preparation & 48-hour virtual hackathon with on-the-spot interview.
• Shortlisted candidates get the chance to intern or work at Dell Technologies.
• Crowned champion & awarded permanent job offer as Software Engineer.

Tip #1:

Join hackathons. Lots of them.

• Provide hands-on experience in applying theoretical knowledge to solve real-world problems under time constraints & intense pressure.
• Winning (or even just participating in) a hackathon adds credibility to your resume.
• Projects built can become tangible portfolio pieces that demonstrate your capabilities to employers.
• Gain exposure to different emerging technologies & problem-solving ideas.

Tip #1:

Join hackathons. Lots of them.

• Many tech firms organize/sponsor hackathons to identify high-potential candidates & even extend job offers/interviews.
• Provide networking opportunities & direct interaction with industry professionals who often serve as mentors or judges.
• Experience presenting ideas & pitching solutions to judges which closely mirrors workplace scenarios.
• Best time to join them: University!

Part 2

🎢 journey to PayNet

“I bet it must've been an easy journey for you to find a job, Ray.”

• Applied to PayNet via LinkedIn's EasyApply,
• Got a phone interview call from HR a few weeks later for HR screening ...while I was doing laundry. 🫠
• Given a Devskiller take-home technical test to complete within 1 week.
• Invited for final round of interview with hiring manager & principal engineer.
• Received a call from HR on job offer ...while I was on vacation in 🇹🇭.

• Gone through full interview rounds (technical & culture-fit) with 3 companies (including PayNet).
• Each company coincidentally has different approaches to its hiring process—especially on technical assessment.
• Company A assigned take-home project that simulate real-work & practical problem-solving scenarios.
• Company B conducted live virtual coding interview using Codepad that dived deep into programming fundamental concepts & algorithms.
• Company C combines both live in-person technical test and culture-fit interview in one session.

Example of fundamental coding questions:

									
										var a = 10;
										
										function foo() {
											console.log(a); // (A)
											
											var a = function() {
												return 20;
											};
											
											console.log(a()); // (B)
										}
										
										foo();
										console.log(a); // (C)
									
								

Predict the outputs of (A), (B), and (C), and explain your reasoning.

Seems easy at first, right?

Examples of technical open-ended questions:

“What are your thoughts on TypeScript?
How does it improve overall developer experience (DX)?”

“When do you think is appropriate for a team to use a batteries-included framework?”

“How do you approach enforcing code quality and consistency in a large front-end team?”

Examples of culture-fit questions:

“Where do you see yourself in
5-10 years time?”

“Let's say you're on annual leave, but your colleagues needed your urgent help which only you can solve. What will you do?”

“Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult colleague.
How did you handle it?”

“What's one thing you value the most in a workplace culture, and why?”

Part 3

What is PayNet?

Part 4

Hiring 📈 & tips

Trend #1:

The Diminishing Degree Premium

• Degrees are still valuable & sought-after but terribly insufficient on its own.
• Many in-demand skills (cloud platforms, modern frameworks, AI, DevOps practices) are barely covered in academic settings.
• Demonstrated problem-solving and practical experience (e.g. certifications*, hackathons) are more valuable than theoretical or memorized knowledge.
• Internships, part-time work, and project-based experience are becoming essential.

Trend #2:

The Rise of Portfolios

• Portfolio, skills & project-based assessment preferred over pure algorithmic puzzles.
• Having a decent, active and well-maintained GitHub profile with hosted personal projects is a must.
• Bonus points for open-source contributions and technical/op-ed blog posts on LinkedIn, Dev.to etc.
• A personal portfolio website is a major plus, offering recruiters a one-stop view of your profile.
• Shifts from volume hiring to quality hiring, so V-shaped professionals are most in demand.

Trend #3:

The AI Fluency Factor

• The three domains that will see the greatest demand are data analytics and data science, AI and ML, and cybersecurity.
• Demand explosion for people who can integrate AI functionality into products via APIs and data science capabilities.
• Understanding AI capabilities is becoming baseline expectation across different IT roles regardless of seniority.
• Market saturation for basic skills i.e. web development, but still strong demand for specialized expertise.
• What value can you bring onto the table that AI can't?

Tip #2:

Resume & interview 101

• Avoid using the same resume/CV for all job applications.
• Use the STAR method.
• Walk the talk. Make sure you can proof what you claim to be/have.
• Show deep, practical understanding beyond surface-level concepts (e.g. best practices, core principles)—especially for senior roles.
• Focus on explaining your thought process rather than achieving the perfect solutions.