About a month ago, I wrote a brief post about starting a new job. In it, I tipped my hat to StackOverflow Careers, for connecting me with my new employer. Yesterday, I received a package from FedEx. I was puzzled, since I didn’t recall ordering anything recently. But upon opening it, I discovered a nice StackOverflow-branded portfolio, pen and card with The Joel Test on it. In the pocket was a version of my profile printed on high-quality paper.
I appreciate the gesture, and thank StackOverflow Careers and the StackExchange team not only for the portfolio (which I’ve already replaced my previous portfolio with), or for creating a great site for connecting developers with employers that value developers, but for the whole collection of Q & A sites that make software development (and many other fields of endeavor) easier to learn.
I’ve used StackOverflow’s job stuff several times and gotten some very good hires with it. Excellent signal to noise for an employer.