The ideaA résumé says what someone did. A task shows what they can do.
Node is a hiring platform built on that difference. A company describes a small, real task. Builders do it and show their work. Node grades what they hand in, and the company interviews only the people whose work it has already seen.
Companies see the work first
Every submission arrives with the code, a short walkthrough video of the builder explaining it, and a score against your own requirements. You read evidence before you spend an hour on a call.
Builders get in on the work
No résumé screen, no keyword filter. A new graduate, a career changer, a self-taught developer or someone still at university all start the same way: by showing what they can build.
A person always decides
Node ranks, explains and flags. It never accepts, rejects or hires anyone. The company makes every decision, and a builder who is declined can be told why.
What a bounty isOne kind of task. With a prize, or without.
A bounty is a small, real task from a company that is hiring. It starts with a cash prize, and a company pays when it will use the work. Either way, it is graded and reviewed the same way, and it can lead to an interview and an offer.
With a cash prize
The normal wayIf you will use the work, you pay for it.
- The company sets a prize from 10 to 50,000 (USD or CAD). It is held in escrow, and a 15% platform fee is added on top.
- The prize is paid to the builder whose work the company accepts, and the builder’s rights in the code pass to the company. That is what lets a company put the work in its product or backlog.
- A prize is also how a company pays a builder for their time, even if it does not use the code.
With no cash prize
Auditions onlyA short test task the company will not use.
- The task is the audition, best kept to a few hours. Builders choose to enter.
- Builders keep the rights to what they make. The company receives none, so it must not use the code in its product or backlog.
- No prize and no platform fee. A company that wants to use the work sets a prize instead.
Hiring is its own step afterwards, on either kind: the company decides whom to interview, and whether to send an offer. Today, bounties are posted by companies. Individuals cannot post them yet.
Step by stepWhat happens, for each side
If you are hiring
- Describe the taskGive Node your tech stack or a job description. It drafts a bounty with acceptance criteria, and you edit it.
- Set the cash prizePay when you will use the work. You fund the prize first and it is held in escrow. You can post with no prize only for a short test task you will not use.
- Review graded workSubmissions arrive ranked, each with its code, its walkthrough video and a score with the reasons behind it.
- Interview and hireTalk to the people whose work you liked. Send an offer when you are ready. The placement fee is only owed if a builder accepts it.
If you are a builder
- Build a profile from real workConnect GitHub and add your projects. This is what a company sees first.
- Pick a bounty that fitsEach one shows what is asked, whether there is a cash prize, and whether AI tools are allowed.
- Hand in work and explain itSubmit your solution with a short walkthrough video in your own words. Say what you chose and why.
- Get a decisionThe company decides. You see the outcome, and declined work can come with written feedback. Joining and applying always cost you nothing.
What Node does, and what it does not
Node does
- Grades each submission against the requirements the company wrote, and shows the evidence.
- Points the reviewer to moments in the walkthrough worth a closer look.
- Drafts questions for the company’s call, written from the builder’s own code.
- Holds a cash prize in escrow until the work is accepted.
Node does not
- Make or promise a hiring decision.
- Guarantee that a score is right. An AI grader can be wrong, which is why the code and video sit next to it.
- Replace an interview. It decides who is worth one.
- Charge builders. Builders never pay a fee on Node.
Curious how a score is worked out? Read how grading works.
What it costsFree for builders. Pay only when you use it.
- BuildersFreeJoining, applying and being hired never cost a builder anything.
- Companies, to look aroundFreeBrowse builders, message them and schedule calls without paying.
- A bounty with no cash prizeFreeNo prize, no platform fee.
- A bounty with a cash prizePrize + 15%The platform fee is added when you fund it.
- Hiring a builderUS$5,000 flatOnce per builder who accepts your offer. Not a share of their salary.
Amounts are in US dollars. See full pricing and a cost comparison.
QuestionsStraight answers
Is Node a job board?
No. Companies do not collect résumés here. They post a task, review the work that comes back, and talk to the people whose work they liked.
Who is Node for?
Any builder who needs to show instead of tell: people still at university, new graduates, career changers and self-taught developers. Companies that want to see work before they commit time to an interview.
Do I have to work for free to be seen?
No. You choose every bounty yourself. On a bounty with no cash prize you keep the rights to what you make. Bounties with a prize pay the builder whose work is accepted.
Can builders use AI tools?
The company chooses for each bounty, and the bounty page says plainly whether AI tools are allowed. Either way, the walkthrough video and the call are where understanding shows.
Who owns the code?
On a bounty with a cash prize, the company owns the code once the work is accepted and the prize is released. Until then, and on a bounty with no prize, the builder keeps the rights.
How do I know a score is fair?
Read How grading works. It explains what a score measures and what it cannot tell you. A score helps a person focus. It never decides.
Start with the work.
Post a task and see real work before you interview, or find a bounty and show what you can build.