Work For Hack A Day

HackADay.com, a well-known and respected blog dedicated to all things hardware and hacking related, is looking for knowledgeable and passionate writers to join their team of specialized and dedicated freelance writers. This is a paid, freelance position that requires professionalism, consistency, and reliability in both writing style and deliverables. We’re eager to track down and bring in some of the most passionate folks out there in the software/hardware/tech & hacking world. We pay our writers a solid per-post rate and we’re ready to take HackADay to the next level with more content across a wider array of interests and expertise. If you’re a good writer that loves the kind of stuff we talk about, then we want you to be behind the growth and dominance of this household name in hacks.

All hardware/hack/tech junkies encouraged to apply, but folks with experience in the following fields will get bonus points:

–circuitry design
–robot building
–mobile device programming
–full desktop application programming
–computer security
–gritty hardware fabrication
–modifying existing systems

If you’re ready to join HackADays’ team of top-notch freelance writers, apply through our ONLINE JOB BOARD. Formal resumes are welcome, but cover letters with links to blogs, writing samples or any portfolio work is really what we’d like to see. Here’s an idea of what to include:

  • A short bio about yourself
  • 3 example daily posts written in the style of Hack a Day
  • 3 software or hardware how-tos you’d like to see on the web. For examples of work we’ve done in the past, look at some of our project summaries, How-tos, and software tutorials.
  • A couple sentences on how you would improve the site either through features or content
  • Any additional reasons why you would make a good fit for Hack a Day

Thanks for your interest!

48 thoughts on “Work For Hack A Day

  1. While I would like to write articles for Hack-a-Day, I wouldn’t be able to produce more than one a month or so, and I don’t really care about getting paid.

    Do you have some way for people to submit articles that are more than just urls to interesting webpages?

  2. FYI, while the post says that formal resumes are not required and you would rather see practical examples of our work, the online form won’t let you submit your application without attaching a resume to it.

    I attached a laughably outdated one as that was all I had, but perhaps this could be fixed for future applicants?

  3. I wouldn’t waste your and my time writing an official submission so maybe you could answer me this in short:

    I’m a 20 y/o “man” and i don’t have any previous history in blog-writing.

    BUT: Just finished school here in Denmark where i was in the “top of my class” in electronics and programming and all of the seven bonus-points topics apply to me.
    As of now i have some-what a lot of spare time on my hands.

    Would you be interested in me as a writer?

    Thanks. – Martin Munk

  4. Think HaD pays more than my current employer?

    @fermicirrus
    Perhaps he dislikes the arduino platform because often times it is considered part of a finished product and does not push people to learn. I don’t expect everyone to be an engineer, but I would like that people try to understand what they’re doing.

    @vonskippy,
    I would assume Munk to be his surname.

  5. @martinmunk

    If you’re not motivated enough to “waste time” filling out a very simple application, then I’m guessing they probably aren’t interested in you. I wouldn’t be anyway… If someone is seeking employment from me, but complains that the application is too much work, what does that say about their enthusiasm for the job and how much effort they are willing to put into it? (all of this is independent of the fact that you already said you had a lot of free time – why not USE IT for the application?)

    I don’t mean to offend, but also keep in mind that this application is meant primarily to demonstrate your writing skills, which is a pretty important factor in selecting someone for a job as a *writer*. It’s probably a given that a LOT of HaD readers fulfill at least a few of those bonus points.

  6. Munk is also my sirname, yes.

    @anonymous

    I agree with you completely, and it was in my thoughts. Mostly, i was very unsure of my own chances an wanted someone to either get my hopes up or tell me that a loong portfolio was probably required to even dream about the position.

    Think i will give it a shot in the morning. Thanks for your opinion. :)

  7. @fermicirrus
    I hate Arduino because it’s dumbed-down version of plenty of other things that already exist/existed in the EE community.

    It is largely responsible for recent EE enthusiasts’ inability to understand and work with the raw components. It does all of the real work for you, so you can get by without truly learning the systems you are building with.

  8. @M4CGYV3R

    Depends which way you look at it.

    It helps starters get started. It gives pro’s a rapid development system and it gives everyone else something to play with.

    It’s human nature to learn more, people aren’t going to stick to arduino and not budge ’cause it cuts out the real work’

  9. Can anyone tell me if the writers are responsible for finding projects themselves? Or are all the articles based on submissions to the site, which then get distributed to the writers? Perhaps a mix of both?

    Thanks to anyone who can answer this.

  10. @martinmunk:

    “BUT: Just finished school here in Denmark where i was in the “top of my class” in electronics and programming and all of the seven bonus-points topics apply to me.”

    BUT WHO CARES?

    Why do you think an uni degree makes you better than the rest of us? Most of the best hackers didn’t finish their uni because they realized it’s waste of time/money and they don’t learn anything useful. BUT you have advantage over us by applying for a normal fulltime position cause you have your toilet paper which is good for HR to cover their asses in case you don’t work out (uhm but he had a degree).

    So how about instead of writing about your “marks” write about your experience and personal projects.

  11. I would like to be a writer, I have a long history of being a productive and prominent member of hackaday and based off of my past experience I’m sure you’ll find me more than qualified for this job.

  12. Seems like being a writer for HaD is more about your ability to research the subject than actually having formal knowledge of the subject( college educated). As such, you’re better off making a portfolio of sample posts than throwing a degree at them. People don’t care much where you got your knowledge from as long as it is accurate and usable.

  13. Need someone to evaluate the woot products for HAD? :)

    There was a great robot the other day on woot that would have been perfect for a HAD hack.

    Roboni-i Gaming Robot

    Your friends at engadget already did a review on it.

    Maybe a good idea would be to pay people for the hacks submission if it gets used on HAD? You would have a lot of people submitting there hacks.

  14. Don’t think I’d want to write for HaD – there are too many commenters willing to rip you to pieces because it’s not their specific choice of IC/wire/layout/post/content and barely any willing to give thanks. I’m glad someone does though!

  15. Looks like a proof reader is needed as well:-

    “We’re eager to track down” – slang and should never be used in context. Same applies to you’re which is used later. This is a formal document attempting to attract professional writers.

    “All hardware/hack/tech junkies encouraged to apply”, should be “are encouraged”.

    “A couple sentences”, should be “A couple of sentences”.

    If you are trying to attract professionals it helps to do so in a professional manner.

  16. I’m sorry but to me this looks like a scam to get 1234123412 random applicants to write 3 articles and send 3 hacks for free!

    btw, spiff’s question is worth answering.

    off-topic:
    HFH, you’re more or less right but in a mediocre world in which decision makers can’t tell talent from mediocrity, the toilet paper is quite handy, unless you’re very lucky. University is a factory of wholesale worker bees alright, but in a world of blind people nobody is going to give a fuck that you can see.

  17. I take great offense to HFH’s comments. I will be graduating with my degree in December in Electrical Engineering. While you make a valid point that a degree doesn’t mean you are better than someone else, it also doesn’t mean you are “less legit”. I understand the hacking community is seen as an underground sub culture and you may think that going to a formal institution is “giving into the man” but you are mistaken. My love of electronics started well before I began college, and in the formal setting it was allowed to flourish.
    As far as HR wanting to cover themselves, well yes that is what they do. You may have built a million projects with an arduino, but does an employer really know that? I don’t care how many blog entries you have, or links to forum posts, this stuff doesn’t show any formal training. Attending an accredited University ensures that you have been taught certain material that the powers above feel is relevant to the field. (The powers above being industry itself)
    So one final comment then I will step back to get flamed. Say I have a real steady hand and a real sharp knife. I watch a ton of medical shows. All my friends come to me when they need a little procedure because they know I can do a good job. Does that make me a surgeon? No. And your weekend hacking doesn’t make you an Electrical Engineer, regardless of the fact that I’m sure you are more than skilled at Electrical Engineering.

    1. ok, let me answer a few questions here:
      –how much does it pay? —
      This would be discussed after you’ve passed the initial steps of sending us your info.

      — where do the stories come from? —
      they come from everywhere. Some are tips that were emailed in, some were found on the net, some were found in our own comments, some are done by us.

      — I have a college degree, does this put me at an advantage? —
      We really care more about someones ability to discribe a project well. We can’t all possibly be experts in everything we post. That knowledge can really help you understand what you’re writing about, but won’t necessarily mean you will convey the ideas well to others.

      — Do I need to be a professional writer with perfect grammar and a degree in english/journalism? —
      No. Again, we care about hacks. We would like you to be able to write well, and strive to improve constantly, but this is not a blog about writing.

      — I really hate (insert popular tool here), can I still write for Hackaday —
      Possibly, but often we see an elitest attitude toward new/easy tools. That is something we don’t want to encourage. We want to see projects from everywhere and every skill level. Lets be clear: commenters can express negative thoughts. We just don’t want our writers to be tossing good projects because the person isn’t an electrical engineer.

      — I don’t feel like applying, can I still write for you? —
      feel free to submit tips. However, if you want to write for Hackaday, you’ll need to apply.

      — Do I need a big portfolio of hacks to write for you? —
      No, it doesn’t hurt but isn’t necessary. Again, we care more about your ability to write about hacks.

  18. @anon
    “It helps starters get started…
    …people aren’t going to stick to arduino and not budge ’cause it cuts out the real work’”

    If only this were true. There is nothing helpful to a newbie about a black-box system that’s already built for you. You don’t learn from that. The only valuable knowledge to be gleaned from an arduino by a complete noob is how to plug in pin headers and a usb cable, and use their cereal box sketch system.

    “Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime” -Proverb

    Also, the fact that many ‘hackers’ use arduino exclusively, often because they don’t understand enough to make their own micro circuit, disproves the second point.

    It’s a shortcut, and the general populous is lazy. They will use it any chance they get, and in doing so avoid actually learning how they work.

  19. “I think we all know that the only viable candidate for the new HAD spot is……….

    Osgeld!”

    aww shucks, If I didn’t know you were being a wiseacre I would almost be teary eyed right now

  20. @M4CGYV3R

    I completely agree about the “arduino’s”, and we strongly discourage their use by the electrical and computer engineering students in the student groups at my university. An arduino is great for a computer science person who knows little to nothing about hardware, and doesn’t care to. We encourage the engineering kids to prototype their own MCU boards, which helps them understand how pointless an arduino is to someone who wants to call themselves an engineer!

  21. “–how much does it pay? —
    This would be discussed after you’ve passed the initial steps of sending us your info.”

    What a crock – what competent person does a bunch of spec work THEN finds out what the pay scale is.

    Hiding your pay rate guarantees you’ll get nothing but noobs and losers applying for your penny ante job.

  22. @Osgeld
    If you weren’t so ruthless and nit-picky (solder joints and photography? Really?) in your criticisms I would have no trouble recommending you, I can tell you know your stuff. So my comment was kind half-sarcastic

  23. Ah, the joy of trying to turn social media into sale-able content with the secret hope that conde nast will suddenly discover that there’s gold in them thar geeks… and help you to secure your financial future by being an intrepid explorer of project write ups. I wish you the very best of luck.

  24. I am only ruthless and nit-picky when pro companies that noobies look up to come out with half hearted efforts

    and photography? I dont remember picking on photography, fact that I use a old 2mp camera and a 2 hands on tripod does not leave me much room to comment

Leave a Reply to ftoramaCancel reply

Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.