Why I rebuilt Basecamp’s website … with no result
How I applied for a summer internship at my dream company and what I learned in the process.
Last months have been great! Since I learned to code 6 months ago, I was lucky enough to find remote freelance missions as a ruby on rails developer. This allowed me to live a nomadic lifestyle. Since November, I spent 2 months in Thailand and 2 months in Paris. Next Saturday, I will fly to the Canary Islands. I love coding and I love being able to discover the world at the same time. I would not take a “real” job for anything in the world.
Well, actually… A few weeks ago, I found this:
I love Basecamp! It is my dream company. I read Reword and Remote and I totally agree with the way they work and build a great product. I believe staying small is an asset and that the future of work is remote. Moreover, I code in Ruby on Rails. And when you say Ruby on Rails, you say Basecamp. The framework has been built by DHH, Basecamp CTO, as the best solution to the technical challenges faced by the company. Many of Basecamp’s developer were in the rails core team. They are the guys who built the tools that allow me to make a living.
I directly saw this summer internship as a great opportunity. It was everything I wanted:
- It was short term (I still want to work on very different projects every few months)
- It was remote (allowing me to keep traveling while working for them)
- It was a great way to improve my skills (by working with the best developers)
- And finally, it was paid
But I knew one thing for sure, I would be really difficult to get it. With only 6 months of coding experience, I would not be the best developer to apply. To have a chance, I knew I had to do more. I had to over-deliver!
But what to do? I thought about it and had an idea! Why not building a parody of Basecamp’s website. Instead of selling Basecamp’s software, it would sell me. It would be a great way the show my motivation and to describe more precisely why I think I would be a good fit to the company. It could even make them laugh!
Building this kind of project was a challenge for me. First, I did not have time. I was working full time for a freelance project and only had a few weekends to build it. Second, I am a terrible front-end developer. I have always felt comfortable with back-end stuff but front-end… well… please give it to somebody else. Finally, I also had to write great content to present myself.
I began to work on this in my spare time. During more than one month, it took most of my weekends. I wanted it to be as accurate as possible to make people at Basecamp laugh. In the end, I had it, a simple yet funny (for me at least) parody of Basecamp’s website. I also think it presented quite well why I would be a good fit for the company.
I was quite proud of myself. I sent it to some friends and they loved it! Only disappointment, one week before I sent it, Basecamp decided to change their website. So it did not look the same. But I am sure they still remember their old one.
I sent my application with a link to the website and a quick message explaining my motivation and why I took this initiative. Three days after, I received their first answer.
Fuck… I knew there was a high probability not to get it so I was prepared for it. I was just a bit disappointed by the automatic message. In order to know more, I decided to ask if I was not accepted because I was not a good fit or just because I was too junior. A few days after, I received this answer:
Well… At this point, you might think this is a post to criticize Basecamp’s answers. Not at all. I actually think they did exactly what they had to do. I am not mad at them at all and I will probably try again to join their team next year. But why? You could think that I lost a few days of work for nothing! I really don’t think about it this way. This is why:
- When you really want something, you HAVE to over-deliver. I am always surprised of how much time people lose for things they don’t really want. Just think about it. How many job applications have you sent for jobs you did not really like? Too many right?! I did this too but I decided to stop. Now, I just try to focus on things that really matter. I focus on the opportunities that will bring me further. And there are few, really few! Basecamp was one of them. When you think like this, and when you see such an opportunity, you do not want to miss it. More importantly, you don’t want to have any regret. So yes, in this case, over-delivering is not a choice, it is a duty! And as you should just pursue opportunities you really want, you should always over-deliver.
- When you over-deliver, don’t expect anything in return. You over-deliver for you, to increase the opportunities for something good to happen. You don’t over-deliver for others. They did not ask for anything. In my case, Basecamp just asked for a cover letter. In the case of clients, they agree to receive what is in the contract. If you do more, it is your choice, not theirs. Nobody owes you anything for this.
- Even if you don’t get anything out of it, you won’t waste your time. By over-delivering, you learn more. I learned so much more by building this than by writing a cover letter. I am still a terrible front-end guy but it helped me to get better. More importantly, I feel proud of myself. By over-delivering, you build your self-confidence. You prove yourself that you can do great things. This is immensely valuable!
- In the end, you will win. You may try ten times and it may work only once but in the end, people will value what you do. Just don’t be afraid if it takes time. And you may be surprised, over-delivering can have unexpected results. You might not win the way you think but it will happen for sure!
See you next year Basecamp !!
If you want to see my application, please visit http://summer-at-basecamp.dlet.me/ and have fun ;)
If you want to stay in touch and learn about my next projects, you can click on the box below to subscribe to my mailing list. No spam, I promise!
