Mixing
Is it appropriate to show examples of my current work (code) in an interview?
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
For a job interview I'd like to show examples of my work (software development), but all this work is for my current company. Is it appropriate for me to show the interviewer the code or software functioning? Point #2 of http://blog.codinghorror.com/how-to-hire-a-programmer/ suggests keeping a portfolio, but am I allowed to use that work in my portfolio?
interviewing
asked Nov 12 '14 at 21:47
James N
13815
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
For a job interview I'd like to show examples of my work (software development), but all this work is for my current company. Is it appropriate for me to show the interviewer the code or software functioning? Point #2 of http://blog.codinghorror.com/how-to-hire-a-programmer/ suggests keeping a portfolio, but am I allowed to use that work in my portfolio?
interviewing
asked Nov 12 '14 at 21:47
James N
13815
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
For a job interview I'd like to show examples of my work (software development), but all this work is for my current company. Is it appropriate for me to show the interviewer the code or software functioning? Point #2 of http://blog.codinghorror.com/how-to-hire-a-programmer/ suggests keeping a portfolio, but am I allowed to use that work in my portfolio?
interviewing
asked Nov 12 '14 at 21:47
James N
13815
For a job interview I'd like to show examples of my work (software development), but all this work is for my current company. Is it appropriate for me to show the interviewer the code or software functioning? Point #2 of http://blog.codinghorror.com/how-to-hire-a-programmer/ suggests keeping a portfolio, but am I allowed to use that work in my portfolio?
interviewing
asked Nov 12 '14 at 21:47
James N
13815
asked Nov 12 '14 at 21:47
James N
13815
asked Nov 12 '14 at 21:47
James N
13815
asked Nov 12 '14 at 21:47
James N
13815
13815
suggest improvements |Â
suggest improvements |Â
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
What you can do is redact anything that isn't proprietary or classified from your portfolio and/or modify it to make it more generic.
What you have to be careful of is that you do not violate any agreements you've made with previous (or current) employers, either written or implied (the latter being for ethical not legal considerations).
One great rule of thumb is to ask yourself "is what I'm showing customer facing?" If it is, then you should generally feel free to share what the customer can see.
What you want to do in a portfolio is show how you can code or describe what you have coded. What you don't want to do is share anything that your employer doesn't want to share, i.e. anything proprietary.
Having said all this (and with all due respect to Jeff Atwood), in almost 30 years of software development, I've never kept a portfolio nor have I ever been asked for one, except for links to public websites that I've written. What I do maintain is an extensive list of software that I've written with descriptions of what it does and (insofar as is ethical) how it does. Most importantly, I describe the problem the organization was having and how my software solved it.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:05
Chris E
40.5k22129166
Thanks, I was also wondering about the prevalence of portfolio-keeping. For me to obfuscate any sensitive code and the business contents of the program would be such a pain that it'd probably be easier to create something from scratch.
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:17
Various times over the years I've done that too. I've written sample database driven websites that really are just examples that I could point to that I'm not completely full of crap. :)
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:19
@ChristopherEstep: The only way to truly know how good someone is at coding is to look at their code. Being a good coder is not the only thing that makes a good software developer and there are some great coders that I would never want to work with. Still, there is no substitute for judging coding ability than code.
– Eric
Nov 14 '14 at 2:58
We will have to agree to disagree then. So much of coding is subjective and judging coding is not all that different than judging art.
– Chris E
Nov 14 '14 at 4:23
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
2
down vote
If you have to ask, you are most likely "not allowed" if the work is not public-facing.
However, visual presentations can be very valuable in an interview setting especially if your work is of a GUI nature. Showing how your work "looks" conveys the sophistication of it and is an excellent springboard for in-depth discussion.
Here's where I get downvoted....
In pragmatic terms, there is very little risk in demo-ing the software or at least showing screenshots during an interview, as long as you do it on a computer that you bring with you (or in a presentation on the interviewer's computer where you delete the files afterwards).
What you DON'T want to do is to put these materials online or email them to anyone. That is the kind of thing that might comeback to bite you if your current employer finds out and has "the proof" in front of them.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:25
teego1967
10.3k42845
Nah, no downvotes. That's solid advice. I've shown screenshots on my iPad. It's a great presentation device for such things, they can share it with each other during the interview and there's no worry that they will leave your control.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:27
But then again, the interviewer might wonder what I'd be willing to show of their work if I interview for subsequent jobs ...
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:29
2
@JamesN, it depends on the sensitivity of the content. You have to use your judgement and assess if you're really giving away secrets or not. It is your risk to take. I've taken it and never had an issue.
– teego1967
Nov 12 '14 at 22:33
1
That's why it's key to not share trade secrets. I once shared some screenshots of an extremely complex silverlight app I did for a college. Yes, it was specific to the school but there was nothing proprietary in it. I didn't have any information there that wasn't customary or otherwise public. You have to use discretion but that's why having it on a device can help. Remember, they know that everyone shares information about what they do. The key is to not share secrets or proprietary information.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:35
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
-1
down vote
It's not inappropriate, it's a security breach.
There is no serious company that would allow you to share the code pieces with third party, or let you copy them. All your codework is belong to your employer, including "Hello World" applications.
If you do, you will be disqualified instantly.
The fact you said "My company is fine with that" won't matter. If you share someone else's code with them, you will be sharing their code with your next employer. Even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you, watching your previous employer's code will cause a feeling in interviewer's stomach, which means you are pretty much done.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 14:52
Necati Hakan Erdogan
37029
1
While I generally agree, there are certainly some exceptions. My company supports several open source projects (our own, and others we happen to use). I see no issues whatsoever sharing your contributions if they are in explicitly open source codebases, even if those contributions were made on company time. Presumably this is not the case for OP (assuming that would have been specified), but just wanted to point out that it is not always black and white.
– shenles
Mar 30 '17 at 16:38
Security breach? Nonsense. For the software that I'm working on security is of utter importance. Which means that if you had the source code (after removing half a dozen API keys), there is nothing you could do with it to hurt the company or our customers. That's how security works.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:07
"No serious company" - you don't seem to know how copyright works. It doesn't matter who sees the source code. There are plenty of organisations with access to significant parts of Windows or Microsoft Office source code. The point is that as long as Microsoft owns the copyright, there's nothing you can steal from them.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:09
And "even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you" - now you are getting ridiculous. If the CEO of my company allowed it, then it is 100% legal, ethical, and fine.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:12
Thanks for all the comments. @shenles, your comment is truly helpful. Though the point is not if it is legal or not, but the image it causes to the future employer. gnasher729, I am still sure that no company puts their source code to GitHub and say "We have the keys anyways", and skips security agreements with their employees. And my issue is not related with copyrights, but the contract between the employee and the employer. And I stated, I cant imagine myself opening a source code and say "Dont worry its totally legal", and expect to be hired.
– Necati Hakan Erdogan
Mar 30 '17 at 20:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
up vote
-1
down vote
Check if there is code that you have written completely, and ask your company whether you can show it to someone else. They say yes or they say no. If they say yes, then you can show it.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 18:13
gnasher729
71.2k31131222
suggest improvements |Â
StackExchange.ready(function ()
$("#show-editor-button input, #show-editor-button button").click(function ()
var showEditor = function()
$("#show-editor-button").hide();
$("#post-form").removeClass("dno");
StackExchange.editor.finallyInit();
;
var useFancy = $(this).data('confirm-use-fancy');
if(useFancy == 'True')
var popupTitle = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-title');
var popupBody = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-body');
var popupAccept = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-accept-button');
$(this).loadPopup(
url: '/post/self-answer-popup',
loaded: function(popup)
var pTitle = $(popup).find('h2');
var pBody = $(popup).find('.popup-body');
var pSubmit = $(popup).find('.popup-submit');
pTitle.text(popupTitle);
pBody.html(popupBody);
pSubmit.val(popupAccept).click(showEditor);
)
else
var confirmText = $(this).data('confirm-text');
if (confirmText ? confirm(confirmText) : true)
showEditor();
);
);
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
What you can do is redact anything that isn't proprietary or classified from your portfolio and/or modify it to make it more generic.
What you have to be careful of is that you do not violate any agreements you've made with previous (or current) employers, either written or implied (the latter being for ethical not legal considerations).
One great rule of thumb is to ask yourself "is what I'm showing customer facing?" If it is, then you should generally feel free to share what the customer can see.
What you want to do in a portfolio is show how you can code or describe what you have coded. What you don't want to do is share anything that your employer doesn't want to share, i.e. anything proprietary.
Having said all this (and with all due respect to Jeff Atwood), in almost 30 years of software development, I've never kept a portfolio nor have I ever been asked for one, except for links to public websites that I've written. What I do maintain is an extensive list of software that I've written with descriptions of what it does and (insofar as is ethical) how it does. Most importantly, I describe the problem the organization was having and how my software solved it.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:05
Chris E
40.5k22129166
Thanks, I was also wondering about the prevalence of portfolio-keeping. For me to obfuscate any sensitive code and the business contents of the program would be such a pain that it'd probably be easier to create something from scratch.
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:17
Various times over the years I've done that too. I've written sample database driven websites that really are just examples that I could point to that I'm not completely full of crap. :)
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:19
@ChristopherEstep: The only way to truly know how good someone is at coding is to look at their code. Being a good coder is not the only thing that makes a good software developer and there are some great coders that I would never want to work with. Still, there is no substitute for judging coding ability than code.
– Eric
Nov 14 '14 at 2:58
We will have to agree to disagree then. So much of coding is subjective and judging coding is not all that different than judging art.
– Chris E
Nov 14 '14 at 4:23
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
What you can do is redact anything that isn't proprietary or classified from your portfolio and/or modify it to make it more generic.
What you have to be careful of is that you do not violate any agreements you've made with previous (or current) employers, either written or implied (the latter being for ethical not legal considerations).
One great rule of thumb is to ask yourself "is what I'm showing customer facing?" If it is, then you should generally feel free to share what the customer can see.
What you want to do in a portfolio is show how you can code or describe what you have coded. What you don't want to do is share anything that your employer doesn't want to share, i.e. anything proprietary.
Having said all this (and with all due respect to Jeff Atwood), in almost 30 years of software development, I've never kept a portfolio nor have I ever been asked for one, except for links to public websites that I've written. What I do maintain is an extensive list of software that I've written with descriptions of what it does and (insofar as is ethical) how it does. Most importantly, I describe the problem the organization was having and how my software solved it.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:05
Chris E
40.5k22129166
Thanks, I was also wondering about the prevalence of portfolio-keeping. For me to obfuscate any sensitive code and the business contents of the program would be such a pain that it'd probably be easier to create something from scratch.
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:17
Various times over the years I've done that too. I've written sample database driven websites that really are just examples that I could point to that I'm not completely full of crap. :)
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:19
@ChristopherEstep: The only way to truly know how good someone is at coding is to look at their code. Being a good coder is not the only thing that makes a good software developer and there are some great coders that I would never want to work with. Still, there is no substitute for judging coding ability than code.
– Eric
Nov 14 '14 at 2:58
We will have to agree to disagree then. So much of coding is subjective and judging coding is not all that different than judging art.
– Chris E
Nov 14 '14 at 4:23
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
What you can do is redact anything that isn't proprietary or classified from your portfolio and/or modify it to make it more generic.
What you have to be careful of is that you do not violate any agreements you've made with previous (or current) employers, either written or implied (the latter being for ethical not legal considerations).
One great rule of thumb is to ask yourself "is what I'm showing customer facing?" If it is, then you should generally feel free to share what the customer can see.
What you want to do in a portfolio is show how you can code or describe what you have coded. What you don't want to do is share anything that your employer doesn't want to share, i.e. anything proprietary.
Having said all this (and with all due respect to Jeff Atwood), in almost 30 years of software development, I've never kept a portfolio nor have I ever been asked for one, except for links to public websites that I've written. What I do maintain is an extensive list of software that I've written with descriptions of what it does and (insofar as is ethical) how it does. Most importantly, I describe the problem the organization was having and how my software solved it.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:05
Chris E
40.5k22129166
What you can do is redact anything that isn't proprietary or classified from your portfolio and/or modify it to make it more generic.
What you have to be careful of is that you do not violate any agreements you've made with previous (or current) employers, either written or implied (the latter being for ethical not legal considerations).
One great rule of thumb is to ask yourself "is what I'm showing customer facing?" If it is, then you should generally feel free to share what the customer can see.
What you want to do in a portfolio is show how you can code or describe what you have coded. What you don't want to do is share anything that your employer doesn't want to share, i.e. anything proprietary.
Having said all this (and with all due respect to Jeff Atwood), in almost 30 years of software development, I've never kept a portfolio nor have I ever been asked for one, except for links to public websites that I've written. What I do maintain is an extensive list of software that I've written with descriptions of what it does and (insofar as is ethical) how it does. Most importantly, I describe the problem the organization was having and how my software solved it.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:05
Chris E
40.5k22129166
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:05
Chris E
40.5k22129166
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:05
Chris E
40.5k22129166
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:05
Chris E
40.5k22129166
40.5k22129166
Thanks, I was also wondering about the prevalence of portfolio-keeping. For me to obfuscate any sensitive code and the business contents of the program would be such a pain that it'd probably be easier to create something from scratch.
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:17
Various times over the years I've done that too. I've written sample database driven websites that really are just examples that I could point to that I'm not completely full of crap. :)
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:19
@ChristopherEstep: The only way to truly know how good someone is at coding is to look at their code. Being a good coder is not the only thing that makes a good software developer and there are some great coders that I would never want to work with. Still, there is no substitute for judging coding ability than code.
– Eric
Nov 14 '14 at 2:58
We will have to agree to disagree then. So much of coding is subjective and judging coding is not all that different than judging art.
– Chris E
Nov 14 '14 at 4:23
suggest improvements |Â
Thanks, I was also wondering about the prevalence of portfolio-keeping. For me to obfuscate any sensitive code and the business contents of the program would be such a pain that it'd probably be easier to create something from scratch.
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:17
Various times over the years I've done that too. I've written sample database driven websites that really are just examples that I could point to that I'm not completely full of crap. :)
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:19
@ChristopherEstep: The only way to truly know how good someone is at coding is to look at their code. Being a good coder is not the only thing that makes a good software developer and there are some great coders that I would never want to work with. Still, there is no substitute for judging coding ability than code.
– Eric
Nov 14 '14 at 2:58
We will have to agree to disagree then. So much of coding is subjective and judging coding is not all that different than judging art.
– Chris E
Nov 14 '14 at 4:23
Thanks, I was also wondering about the prevalence of portfolio-keeping. For me to obfuscate any sensitive code and the business contents of the program would be such a pain that it'd probably be easier to create something from scratch.
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:17
Thanks, I was also wondering about the prevalence of portfolio-keeping. For me to obfuscate any sensitive code and the business contents of the program would be such a pain that it'd probably be easier to create something from scratch.
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:17
Various times over the years I've done that too. I've written sample database driven websites that really are just examples that I could point to that I'm not completely full of crap. :)
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:19
Various times over the years I've done that too. I've written sample database driven websites that really are just examples that I could point to that I'm not completely full of crap. :)
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:19
@ChristopherEstep: The only way to truly know how good someone is at coding is to look at their code. Being a good coder is not the only thing that makes a good software developer and there are some great coders that I would never want to work with. Still, there is no substitute for judging coding ability than code.
– Eric
Nov 14 '14 at 2:58
@ChristopherEstep: The only way to truly know how good someone is at coding is to look at their code. Being a good coder is not the only thing that makes a good software developer and there are some great coders that I would never want to work with. Still, there is no substitute for judging coding ability than code.
– Eric
Nov 14 '14 at 2:58
We will have to agree to disagree then. So much of coding is subjective and judging coding is not all that different than judging art.
– Chris E
Nov 14 '14 at 4:23
We will have to agree to disagree then. So much of coding is subjective and judging coding is not all that different than judging art.
– Chris E
Nov 14 '14 at 4:23
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
2
down vote
If you have to ask, you are most likely "not allowed" if the work is not public-facing.
However, visual presentations can be very valuable in an interview setting especially if your work is of a GUI nature. Showing how your work "looks" conveys the sophistication of it and is an excellent springboard for in-depth discussion.
Here's where I get downvoted....
In pragmatic terms, there is very little risk in demo-ing the software or at least showing screenshots during an interview, as long as you do it on a computer that you bring with you (or in a presentation on the interviewer's computer where you delete the files afterwards).
What you DON'T want to do is to put these materials online or email them to anyone. That is the kind of thing that might comeback to bite you if your current employer finds out and has "the proof" in front of them.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:25
teego1967
10.3k42845
Nah, no downvotes. That's solid advice. I've shown screenshots on my iPad. It's a great presentation device for such things, they can share it with each other during the interview and there's no worry that they will leave your control.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:27
But then again, the interviewer might wonder what I'd be willing to show of their work if I interview for subsequent jobs ...
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:29
2
@JamesN, it depends on the sensitivity of the content. You have to use your judgement and assess if you're really giving away secrets or not. It is your risk to take. I've taken it and never had an issue.
– teego1967
Nov 12 '14 at 22:33
1
That's why it's key to not share trade secrets. I once shared some screenshots of an extremely complex silverlight app I did for a college. Yes, it was specific to the school but there was nothing proprietary in it. I didn't have any information there that wasn't customary or otherwise public. You have to use discretion but that's why having it on a device can help. Remember, they know that everyone shares information about what they do. The key is to not share secrets or proprietary information.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:35
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
2
down vote
If you have to ask, you are most likely "not allowed" if the work is not public-facing.
However, visual presentations can be very valuable in an interview setting especially if your work is of a GUI nature. Showing how your work "looks" conveys the sophistication of it and is an excellent springboard for in-depth discussion.
Here's where I get downvoted....
In pragmatic terms, there is very little risk in demo-ing the software or at least showing screenshots during an interview, as long as you do it on a computer that you bring with you (or in a presentation on the interviewer's computer where you delete the files afterwards).
What you DON'T want to do is to put these materials online or email them to anyone. That is the kind of thing that might comeback to bite you if your current employer finds out and has "the proof" in front of them.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:25
teego1967
10.3k42845
Nah, no downvotes. That's solid advice. I've shown screenshots on my iPad. It's a great presentation device for such things, they can share it with each other during the interview and there's no worry that they will leave your control.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:27
But then again, the interviewer might wonder what I'd be willing to show of their work if I interview for subsequent jobs ...
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:29
2
@JamesN, it depends on the sensitivity of the content. You have to use your judgement and assess if you're really giving away secrets or not. It is your risk to take. I've taken it and never had an issue.
– teego1967
Nov 12 '14 at 22:33
1
That's why it's key to not share trade secrets. I once shared some screenshots of an extremely complex silverlight app I did for a college. Yes, it was specific to the school but there was nothing proprietary in it. I didn't have any information there that wasn't customary or otherwise public. You have to use discretion but that's why having it on a device can help. Remember, they know that everyone shares information about what they do. The key is to not share secrets or proprietary information.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:35
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
If you have to ask, you are most likely "not allowed" if the work is not public-facing.
However, visual presentations can be very valuable in an interview setting especially if your work is of a GUI nature. Showing how your work "looks" conveys the sophistication of it and is an excellent springboard for in-depth discussion.
Here's where I get downvoted....
In pragmatic terms, there is very little risk in demo-ing the software or at least showing screenshots during an interview, as long as you do it on a computer that you bring with you (or in a presentation on the interviewer's computer where you delete the files afterwards).
What you DON'T want to do is to put these materials online or email them to anyone. That is the kind of thing that might comeback to bite you if your current employer finds out and has "the proof" in front of them.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:25
teego1967
10.3k42845
If you have to ask, you are most likely "not allowed" if the work is not public-facing.
However, visual presentations can be very valuable in an interview setting especially if your work is of a GUI nature. Showing how your work "looks" conveys the sophistication of it and is an excellent springboard for in-depth discussion.
Here's where I get downvoted....
In pragmatic terms, there is very little risk in demo-ing the software or at least showing screenshots during an interview, as long as you do it on a computer that you bring with you (or in a presentation on the interviewer's computer where you delete the files afterwards).
What you DON'T want to do is to put these materials online or email them to anyone. That is the kind of thing that might comeback to bite you if your current employer finds out and has "the proof" in front of them.
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:25
teego1967
10.3k42845
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:25
teego1967
10.3k42845
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:25
teego1967
10.3k42845
answered Nov 12 '14 at 22:25
teego1967
10.3k42845
10.3k42845
Nah, no downvotes. That's solid advice. I've shown screenshots on my iPad. It's a great presentation device for such things, they can share it with each other during the interview and there's no worry that they will leave your control.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:27
But then again, the interviewer might wonder what I'd be willing to show of their work if I interview for subsequent jobs ...
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:29
2
@JamesN, it depends on the sensitivity of the content. You have to use your judgement and assess if you're really giving away secrets or not. It is your risk to take. I've taken it and never had an issue.
– teego1967
Nov 12 '14 at 22:33
1
That's why it's key to not share trade secrets. I once shared some screenshots of an extremely complex silverlight app I did for a college. Yes, it was specific to the school but there was nothing proprietary in it. I didn't have any information there that wasn't customary or otherwise public. You have to use discretion but that's why having it on a device can help. Remember, they know that everyone shares information about what they do. The key is to not share secrets or proprietary information.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:35
suggest improvements |Â
Nah, no downvotes. That's solid advice. I've shown screenshots on my iPad. It's a great presentation device for such things, they can share it with each other during the interview and there's no worry that they will leave your control.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:27
But then again, the interviewer might wonder what I'd be willing to show of their work if I interview for subsequent jobs ...
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:29
2
@JamesN, it depends on the sensitivity of the content. You have to use your judgement and assess if you're really giving away secrets or not. It is your risk to take. I've taken it and never had an issue.
– teego1967
Nov 12 '14 at 22:33
1
That's why it's key to not share trade secrets. I once shared some screenshots of an extremely complex silverlight app I did for a college. Yes, it was specific to the school but there was nothing proprietary in it. I didn't have any information there that wasn't customary or otherwise public. You have to use discretion but that's why having it on a device can help. Remember, they know that everyone shares information about what they do. The key is to not share secrets or proprietary information.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:35
Nah, no downvotes. That's solid advice. I've shown screenshots on my iPad. It's a great presentation device for such things, they can share it with each other during the interview and there's no worry that they will leave your control.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:27
Nah, no downvotes. That's solid advice. I've shown screenshots on my iPad. It's a great presentation device for such things, they can share it with each other during the interview and there's no worry that they will leave your control.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:27
But then again, the interviewer might wonder what I'd be willing to show of their work if I interview for subsequent jobs ...
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:29
But then again, the interviewer might wonder what I'd be willing to show of their work if I interview for subsequent jobs ...
– James N
Nov 12 '14 at 22:29
2
2
@JamesN, it depends on the sensitivity of the content. You have to use your judgement and assess if you're really giving away secrets or not. It is your risk to take. I've taken it and never had an issue.
– teego1967
Nov 12 '14 at 22:33
@JamesN, it depends on the sensitivity of the content. You have to use your judgement and assess if you're really giving away secrets or not. It is your risk to take. I've taken it and never had an issue.
– teego1967
Nov 12 '14 at 22:33
1
1
That's why it's key to not share trade secrets. I once shared some screenshots of an extremely complex silverlight app I did for a college. Yes, it was specific to the school but there was nothing proprietary in it. I didn't have any information there that wasn't customary or otherwise public. You have to use discretion but that's why having it on a device can help. Remember, they know that everyone shares information about what they do. The key is to not share secrets or proprietary information.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:35
That's why it's key to not share trade secrets. I once shared some screenshots of an extremely complex silverlight app I did for a college. Yes, it was specific to the school but there was nothing proprietary in it. I didn't have any information there that wasn't customary or otherwise public. You have to use discretion but that's why having it on a device can help. Remember, they know that everyone shares information about what they do. The key is to not share secrets or proprietary information.
– Chris E
Nov 12 '14 at 22:35
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
-1
down vote
It's not inappropriate, it's a security breach.
There is no serious company that would allow you to share the code pieces with third party, or let you copy them. All your codework is belong to your employer, including "Hello World" applications.
If you do, you will be disqualified instantly.
The fact you said "My company is fine with that" won't matter. If you share someone else's code with them, you will be sharing their code with your next employer. Even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you, watching your previous employer's code will cause a feeling in interviewer's stomach, which means you are pretty much done.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 14:52
Necati Hakan Erdogan
37029
1
While I generally agree, there are certainly some exceptions. My company supports several open source projects (our own, and others we happen to use). I see no issues whatsoever sharing your contributions if they are in explicitly open source codebases, even if those contributions were made on company time. Presumably this is not the case for OP (assuming that would have been specified), but just wanted to point out that it is not always black and white.
– shenles
Mar 30 '17 at 16:38
Security breach? Nonsense. For the software that I'm working on security is of utter importance. Which means that if you had the source code (after removing half a dozen API keys), there is nothing you could do with it to hurt the company or our customers. That's how security works.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:07
"No serious company" - you don't seem to know how copyright works. It doesn't matter who sees the source code. There are plenty of organisations with access to significant parts of Windows or Microsoft Office source code. The point is that as long as Microsoft owns the copyright, there's nothing you can steal from them.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:09
And "even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you" - now you are getting ridiculous. If the CEO of my company allowed it, then it is 100% legal, ethical, and fine.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:12
Thanks for all the comments. @shenles, your comment is truly helpful. Though the point is not if it is legal or not, but the image it causes to the future employer. gnasher729, I am still sure that no company puts their source code to GitHub and say "We have the keys anyways", and skips security agreements with their employees. And my issue is not related with copyrights, but the contract between the employee and the employer. And I stated, I cant imagine myself opening a source code and say "Dont worry its totally legal", and expect to be hired.
– Necati Hakan Erdogan
Mar 30 '17 at 20:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
up vote
-1
down vote
It's not inappropriate, it's a security breach.
There is no serious company that would allow you to share the code pieces with third party, or let you copy them. All your codework is belong to your employer, including "Hello World" applications.
If you do, you will be disqualified instantly.
The fact you said "My company is fine with that" won't matter. If you share someone else's code with them, you will be sharing their code with your next employer. Even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you, watching your previous employer's code will cause a feeling in interviewer's stomach, which means you are pretty much done.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 14:52
Necati Hakan Erdogan
37029
1
While I generally agree, there are certainly some exceptions. My company supports several open source projects (our own, and others we happen to use). I see no issues whatsoever sharing your contributions if they are in explicitly open source codebases, even if those contributions were made on company time. Presumably this is not the case for OP (assuming that would have been specified), but just wanted to point out that it is not always black and white.
– shenles
Mar 30 '17 at 16:38
Security breach? Nonsense. For the software that I'm working on security is of utter importance. Which means that if you had the source code (after removing half a dozen API keys), there is nothing you could do with it to hurt the company or our customers. That's how security works.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:07
"No serious company" - you don't seem to know how copyright works. It doesn't matter who sees the source code. There are plenty of organisations with access to significant parts of Windows or Microsoft Office source code. The point is that as long as Microsoft owns the copyright, there's nothing you can steal from them.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:09
And "even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you" - now you are getting ridiculous. If the CEO of my company allowed it, then it is 100% legal, ethical, and fine.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:12
Thanks for all the comments. @shenles, your comment is truly helpful. Though the point is not if it is legal or not, but the image it causes to the future employer. gnasher729, I am still sure that no company puts their source code to GitHub and say "We have the keys anyways", and skips security agreements with their employees. And my issue is not related with copyrights, but the contract between the employee and the employer. And I stated, I cant imagine myself opening a source code and say "Dont worry its totally legal", and expect to be hired.
– Necati Hakan Erdogan
Mar 30 '17 at 20:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
up vote
-1
down vote
up vote
-1
down vote
It's not inappropriate, it's a security breach.
There is no serious company that would allow you to share the code pieces with third party, or let you copy them. All your codework is belong to your employer, including "Hello World" applications.
If you do, you will be disqualified instantly.
The fact you said "My company is fine with that" won't matter. If you share someone else's code with them, you will be sharing their code with your next employer. Even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you, watching your previous employer's code will cause a feeling in interviewer's stomach, which means you are pretty much done.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 14:52
Necati Hakan Erdogan
37029
It's not inappropriate, it's a security breach.
There is no serious company that would allow you to share the code pieces with third party, or let you copy them. All your codework is belong to your employer, including "Hello World" applications.
If you do, you will be disqualified instantly.
The fact you said "My company is fine with that" won't matter. If you share someone else's code with them, you will be sharing their code with your next employer. Even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you, watching your previous employer's code will cause a feeling in interviewer's stomach, which means you are pretty much done.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 14:52
Necati Hakan Erdogan
37029
answered Mar 30 '17 at 14:52
Necati Hakan Erdogan
37029
answered Mar 30 '17 at 14:52
Necati Hakan Erdogan
37029
answered Mar 30 '17 at 14:52
Necati Hakan Erdogan
37029
37029
1
While I generally agree, there are certainly some exceptions. My company supports several open source projects (our own, and others we happen to use). I see no issues whatsoever sharing your contributions if they are in explicitly open source codebases, even if those contributions were made on company time. Presumably this is not the case for OP (assuming that would have been specified), but just wanted to point out that it is not always black and white.
– shenles
Mar 30 '17 at 16:38
Security breach? Nonsense. For the software that I'm working on security is of utter importance. Which means that if you had the source code (after removing half a dozen API keys), there is nothing you could do with it to hurt the company or our customers. That's how security works.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:07
"No serious company" - you don't seem to know how copyright works. It doesn't matter who sees the source code. There are plenty of organisations with access to significant parts of Windows or Microsoft Office source code. The point is that as long as Microsoft owns the copyright, there's nothing you can steal from them.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:09
And "even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you" - now you are getting ridiculous. If the CEO of my company allowed it, then it is 100% legal, ethical, and fine.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:12
Thanks for all the comments. @shenles, your comment is truly helpful. Though the point is not if it is legal or not, but the image it causes to the future employer. gnasher729, I am still sure that no company puts their source code to GitHub and say "We have the keys anyways", and skips security agreements with their employees. And my issue is not related with copyrights, but the contract between the employee and the employer. And I stated, I cant imagine myself opening a source code and say "Dont worry its totally legal", and expect to be hired.
– Necati Hakan Erdogan
Mar 30 '17 at 20:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
1
While I generally agree, there are certainly some exceptions. My company supports several open source projects (our own, and others we happen to use). I see no issues whatsoever sharing your contributions if they are in explicitly open source codebases, even if those contributions were made on company time. Presumably this is not the case for OP (assuming that would have been specified), but just wanted to point out that it is not always black and white.
– shenles
Mar 30 '17 at 16:38
Security breach? Nonsense. For the software that I'm working on security is of utter importance. Which means that if you had the source code (after removing half a dozen API keys), there is nothing you could do with it to hurt the company or our customers. That's how security works.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:07
"No serious company" - you don't seem to know how copyright works. It doesn't matter who sees the source code. There are plenty of organisations with access to significant parts of Windows or Microsoft Office source code. The point is that as long as Microsoft owns the copyright, there's nothing you can steal from them.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:09
And "even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you" - now you are getting ridiculous. If the CEO of my company allowed it, then it is 100% legal, ethical, and fine.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:12
Thanks for all the comments. @shenles, your comment is truly helpful. Though the point is not if it is legal or not, but the image it causes to the future employer. gnasher729, I am still sure that no company puts their source code to GitHub and say "We have the keys anyways", and skips security agreements with their employees. And my issue is not related with copyrights, but the contract between the employee and the employer. And I stated, I cant imagine myself opening a source code and say "Dont worry its totally legal", and expect to be hired.
– Necati Hakan Erdogan
Mar 30 '17 at 20:09
1
1
While I generally agree, there are certainly some exceptions. My company supports several open source projects (our own, and others we happen to use). I see no issues whatsoever sharing your contributions if they are in explicitly open source codebases, even if those contributions were made on company time. Presumably this is not the case for OP (assuming that would have been specified), but just wanted to point out that it is not always black and white.
– shenles
Mar 30 '17 at 16:38
While I generally agree, there are certainly some exceptions. My company supports several open source projects (our own, and others we happen to use). I see no issues whatsoever sharing your contributions if they are in explicitly open source codebases, even if those contributions were made on company time. Presumably this is not the case for OP (assuming that would have been specified), but just wanted to point out that it is not always black and white.
– shenles
Mar 30 '17 at 16:38
Security breach? Nonsense. For the software that I'm working on security is of utter importance. Which means that if you had the source code (after removing half a dozen API keys), there is nothing you could do with it to hurt the company or our customers. That's how security works.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:07
Security breach? Nonsense. For the software that I'm working on security is of utter importance. Which means that if you had the source code (after removing half a dozen API keys), there is nothing you could do with it to hurt the company or our customers. That's how security works.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:07
"No serious company" - you don't seem to know how copyright works. It doesn't matter who sees the source code. There are plenty of organisations with access to significant parts of Windows or Microsoft Office source code. The point is that as long as Microsoft owns the copyright, there's nothing you can steal from them.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:09
"No serious company" - you don't seem to know how copyright works. It doesn't matter who sees the source code. There are plenty of organisations with access to significant parts of Windows or Microsoft Office source code. The point is that as long as Microsoft owns the copyright, there's nothing you can steal from them.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:09
And "even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you" - now you are getting ridiculous. If the CEO of my company allowed it, then it is 100% legal, ethical, and fine.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:12
And "even if you bring a legal document signed by CEO of your company with you" - now you are getting ridiculous. If the CEO of my company allowed it, then it is 100% legal, ethical, and fine.
– gnasher729
Mar 30 '17 at 18:12
Thanks for all the comments. @shenles, your comment is truly helpful. Though the point is not if it is legal or not, but the image it causes to the future employer. gnasher729, I am still sure that no company puts their source code to GitHub and say "We have the keys anyways", and skips security agreements with their employees. And my issue is not related with copyrights, but the contract between the employee and the employer. And I stated, I cant imagine myself opening a source code and say "Dont worry its totally legal", and expect to be hired.
– Necati Hakan Erdogan
Mar 30 '17 at 20:09
Thanks for all the comments. @shenles, your comment is truly helpful. Though the point is not if it is legal or not, but the image it causes to the future employer. gnasher729, I am still sure that no company puts their source code to GitHub and say "We have the keys anyways", and skips security agreements with their employees. And my issue is not related with copyrights, but the contract between the employee and the employer. And I stated, I cant imagine myself opening a source code and say "Dont worry its totally legal", and expect to be hired.
– Necati Hakan Erdogan
Mar 30 '17 at 20:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
up vote
-1
down vote
Check if there is code that you have written completely, and ask your company whether you can show it to someone else. They say yes or they say no. If they say yes, then you can show it.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 18:13
gnasher729
71.2k31131222
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
-1
down vote
Check if there is code that you have written completely, and ask your company whether you can show it to someone else. They say yes or they say no. If they say yes, then you can show it.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 18:13
gnasher729
71.2k31131222
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
-1
down vote
up vote
-1
down vote
Check if there is code that you have written completely, and ask your company whether you can show it to someone else. They say yes or they say no. If they say yes, then you can show it.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 18:13
gnasher729
71.2k31131222
Check if there is code that you have written completely, and ask your company whether you can show it to someone else. They say yes or they say no. If they say yes, then you can show it.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 18:13
gnasher729
71.2k31131222
answered Mar 30 '17 at 18:13
gnasher729
71.2k31131222
answered Mar 30 '17 at 18:13
gnasher729
71.2k31131222
answered Mar 30 '17 at 18:13
gnasher729
71.2k31131222
71.2k31131222
suggest improvements |Â
suggest improvements |Â
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworkplace.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f36212%2fis-it-appropriate-to-show-examples-of-my-current-work-code-in-an-interview%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
