I’m in tech; senior level. But I’ve been looking for work for over 3 years. I’ve been getting advice/tips/tricks from other people, but nothing has worked so far. These are things I’ve tried:
- Blindly applying for a job through the job form
- Working with a recruiter to get me a position.
- Asking to chat with someone on a team with an open position.
- Asking to chat with someone on a team with NO positions.
- Working to establish myself as an expert on social media.
- Asking friends if their company is hiring.
- “Slow networking” (not asking for a job directly, but trying VERY hard to be patient and get to know someone first)
- Fast networking…taking the direct “hey, you hiring?” approach.
- Lynchpin networking (connecting people w/ other people)
- Giving talks at conferences
- Guerrilla tech support (providing my 2 cents on a post even if no one was asking for it).
- open source contributions
- Temp agencies
- state jobs
- looking for “hiring” tags on social media.
- connecting with high-profile people and asking if they need help.
- developing a complete MVP that would help someone (yet I couldn’t quite market effectively).
- Leveraging previous employers to see if they have anything new.
- Offering “low hanging fruit” gigs on social media.
- Putting my resume on job boards.
- Getting a role well below my pay grade and working my way up (if I try this I get automatically disqualified for being too overqualified).
- Providing free consultation to businesses.
- Hosting a podcast interview with someone from a company.
- Writing a guest post for an article (I’ve kind of done this, I think).
Edit:
- I’ve also had my resume, LinkedIn profile, and other social media, looked over by professionals and nonprofessionals alike. I’ve even gotten coaching. I’ve probably gotten more coaching than interviews at this point.
Another edit:
- The only think that’s worked lately (as terrible as it sounds) is groveling and telling people the severity of my situation. And that’s just gotten me very very small dead-end projects in someone’s back pocket. I’m definitely trying to leverage these as best I can.
Any other strategies people have found that works? How did you get your job? I’m running out of ideas.
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It sounds like if you’re trying all of this and it’s still not working, something about the way you’re selling yourself isn’t working. Have you tried changing your resume to better match different job descriptions? Try having someone give you feedback on the way you interview. Are you coming on too strong? Maybe you dont have enough specific examples in your answers or too many specifics and not enough leadership/direction. I would also use LinkedIn if you’re not already
Yeah custom tailor your resume for every role you apply to.
The hiring manager sees you have 4 years of java and 2 years of C++ for a role using Vue and typescript? Garbage.
Saying you have experience in Java, C++, Vue and typescript? No
“I have this experience which matches or exceeds the posted qualifications”.
I work for the Federal Government and just got my job by applying to something else on Career Builder. After you submit a resume or application they give you the option to mass apply to jobs. I did that. I had no clue I had even applied for the job. I’ve now been working for them for 10 years and have had four promotions. I’m now on a leadership role. I never even meant to apply to it.
My last three jobs…
- Applied directly to the req on the company job portal
- Recruiter contacted me about the role
- Recruiter contacted me about the role
If you’re not getting interviews then the issue probably has to do your resume. Maybe formatting. Maybe the contents or job history. Have you been out of work for a long time? Lack newer tools/knowledge? Too much job hopping?
If you are getting interviews then the resume and where you’re applying is fine. Either you’re probably lacking in soft skills, interview skills, or not impressing them. There could also be a mismatch between the salary you want and what they want to offer.
I used to get more interviews. I’ve had my resume looked over by probably over a dozen professionals and nonprofessionals. My work history is definitely spotty. Early on I got fired from most companies I worked for (unmanaged ADHD & I chose companies I wasn’t a good fit for) so it looks like I job-hopped.
When I did get interviews I wasn’t able to pass any of the coding challenges that companies seem to have a hard-on for these days, no matter how prepared I was for them. I get test anxiety due to a processing disorder, and am unable to perform even at an average level. But when I ask for companies to compensate for that, none are willing to do it. All I can do is just move on.
Why don’t you just leave the companies out, where you got let go and worked at for only a short time? How does leaving them in add value, if you think that recruiters think that you are flaking? Maybe a more minimalist resume (education+last job) would do you better? Let’s be honest here for a moment. Everybody stretches the truth on their resume a little bit. Why not extend the periods of your prior work experience to make them seem less spotty?
What do you usually tell recruiters, when they ask, why you left those companies? I hope you don’t mention your untreated ADHD. Firstly recruiters want to know, that you add value and that you are loyal. How do you communicate these qualities?
As a suggestion, you could communicate the first by phrasing your time there as the completion of a project/product and a subsequent move on. Additionally you could be honest about the companies not being a good fit, which makes the decision to leave after a completed project seem mature and reasonable. Playing a misfit with start-up-spirit when interviewing at conventional companies and vice versa could help too.
Regarding the coding challenges. It’s never about the solution, but all about the way to get there. They want to see how you think, how you approach a problem. Go from broad to detailed, from raw to refined, start simple, and talk with them, explain what you do and why you do it.
Another thing I feel that needs to be addressed are your sicknesses and disorders. Would a compensation really help? What would you need, to be compensated for your disadvantage? How much time is that compared to the base time you would be given?
Regarding the coding challenges. It’s never about the solution, but all about the way to get there.
That must be the problem. I am VERY nonlinear in my problem solving. If you let me go about my task without question you’ll see me come up with a solution (and at least ten ways to improve it), but if you look at me doing it you’ll wonder what the heck I’m doing.
Not sure how that can be trained out. Or faked. Or explained. Any thoughts?
And, yeah, I’m not sure what compensation would help. In college when I was diagnosed with ADHD (during like my last year) and got additional time on tests, but still struggled to pass them.
I think the compensation would just need to be a crazy messy situation–like a problem the company has been working on for a long time and can’t find the answer to, or an open source bug in the wild. Maybe my ADHD brain just get bored in the sterile interview environment. Anyone else have any take?
It’s all about how you word it. For instance I’d call this out of the box problem solving or lateral thinking. ADHD can often give you hyperfocus on whatever you’re interested in which I would describe as passionate and creative engagement with projects.
I’m in the opposite end from the tech industry (people industry) so I could be wrong here. But I do have ADHD and have learnt a thing or two about how to frame certain traits.
I’m seconding what the other commenter had to say. Tech is a bit hard to get a job in right now, but it hasn’t been that way for 3 years. At this point it’s time to look in the mirror and see what’s going on with you to make you seem unappealing. You could also just have a very bad resume, so work with someone you know who is doing better and have them review your resume and even do a mock interview. There is no magic bullet for this, you gotta figure out why people keep passing on you. If you’re not even getting interviews, then it’s your resume. If you are, it might be your personality or interview skills. I can’t really say without knowing you.
And good luck! I think you’ll find something if you figure out whatever the road block is.
Yeah, unfortunately most of stuff that makes me unappealing is stuff I have no control over (at least from what I can tell; maybe I’m playing a victim?)
- As mentioned in another comment, I was fired easily for a lot of my career, and it makes it look like I was job-hopping.
- I know numbers reign supreme on a resume. I haven’t yet gotten a job where the numbers of my contribution are given. Even for current clients I’ve worked with (gotten a product out successfully and they’re 100% happy with) I get absolutely no feedback whatsoever from a numbers perspective as much as I beg and plead.
I’d love for someone to tell me why they’re passing on me. Literally the only feedback I keep getting is I’m “not a good fit.” And then an eerie radio silence from everyone at the company. Not a good fit how? Culture? Skill? Am I not fitting the company vision? Nobody ever tells me! I’m more than willing to adapt, but I need to know how I need to adapt.
Any ideas here is appreciated. Thanks for the encouragement.
I’m more than willing to adapt, but I need to know how I need to adapt.
One thing that helped me was reading every book I could get my hands on from common Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree programs. (I picked a random respected school and googled “school name MBA book list”)
People who control hiring decisions have a lot of jargon, but after reading 15 or so books off the Harvard book list, I understand the lingo.
I also did a lot of random weekend coding to make sure I had some public code I could link to from my resume. Anecdotally, I feel like I got asked a lot fewer bullshit coding quizes after that.
Well your professional writing seems to be nice, so I’m really not sure. “Not a good fit” is corporate speak for “we dislike you as a person” most of the time, or even worse, “we find you to be wildly incompetent”. It’s basically the most scathing thing you’ll get post interview.
If you happen to be a minority, you’re also going to have a harder time for that reason as well.
That’s what I’m scratching my head about. I’m a white guy, as plain as they come, so I should have every advantage. The only thing I figure is the fact I’m neuroatypical so I don’t fit into typical techbro culture (who wants to fit in with that culture anyway?). Is that really a minority and a cause to be rejected so much, though? I don’t think it is.
And, yeah, that’s the implication I get for corporate speak.
Honestly I would keep talking about it and seek advice from successful people. I’ve never spoken to a millionaire and not come away better for it; if you can meet and talk to successful people they might be able to help you with whatever is causing this road block.
I’ve been trying to network with successful people. I always get ignored or ostracized. And can’t figure out why. During the time I’m not rejected I’ll glean as much as I can.
It sounds more and more like a social problem for sure. Have you read through any self help on it? I found How to Win Friends and Influence People to be genuinely helpful and followed it up with The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. Kinda came away feeling a lot more confident and charming.
You’ve been looking for work for 3 years? Have you been out of work for 3 years? If you’ve been out of work for 3 years, what type of tech do you do?
Infrastructure? Administrator? Developer? Security?
Have any certifications? HR likes to see those even if they are basic ones.
Since it’s been 3 years, have you been keeping your skills up to date? Tech changes so rapidly, take for example, I completed my AZ-305 2 years ago, since then I’ve had to renew twice and each time the test has new stuff. Azure tech changes constantly.
My current position is Senior Consultant, I got it by leaving a different position and contracting for a few years. A big consulting firm scooped me up on my second contract.
I do have a bachelor of science in computer science. Been living paycheck-to-paycheck (or worse) for years, so most certs are out of the question.
I have been keeping my tech skills up-to-date, though. I’m very curious so I like to know what’s hot. I even use modern tech to help in my search for that golden opportunity (like recently I used pandas to make sense of my LinkedIn connections). Not only that, but in order to establish myself as an expert I also put my 2c in for how we can positively innovate and grow. So, yes, tech does move rapidly. I agree. Good insight.
How did you get the contract? Did you apply for a job ad? Was it a human connection?
OK, You have a degree
What is your experience like?
What is your field in tech?
What make you senior?
Another important question, where are you located? This can make a huge difference, if you are looking in a small town for senior tech jobs then you aren’t going to get much.
Right now, tech jobs aren’t doing well since companies over hired, then decided to shed those positions. But Senior positions are usually always in demand.
I have over 10 years experience. I am senior level because a few years ago I started to get jobs labeled “senior,” so I’m like, “okay, guess I’m senior level now.” And freelancing I usually manage the entire project.
I’m located in a major city that has a lot of major tech companies. Got hardcore ghosted (again, with no explanation) by the majority of them years ago, though I will occasionally check back in with anyone from the company who will give me the time of day to see if they need any help.
In 10 years you haven’t made any professional connections who would want to work with you again?
That is the single best avenue to other jobs: foot in the door through someone you have worked with who can vouch for your professionalism and ability.
If you’re not making those connections, something is wrong. It could be the kinds of jobs you’ve taken, eg: if they’re all solo contracts and you don’t interact with anyone on anything other than deliverables. Or you are taking roles where your output is used only by a small sunset of the company or something?
If you’re taking reasonable roles and have decent interaction with co-workers and no one is willing to refer you for a job, then you need to think about what your relationships are like at work and why they aren’t positive enough.
If you’re not making those connections, something is wrong. It could be the kinds of jobs you’ve taken, eg: if they’re all solo contracts and you don’t interact with anyone on anything other than deliverables. Or you are taking roles where your output is used only by a small sunset of the company or something?
Yeah, that was typically the case, unfortunately. Those were the first companies to hire me. So then I wouldn’t be able to make a strong, lasting connection with anyone. There are very few previous coworkers I’ve managed to stay in contact with. And the ones that do have a replay rate in months.
I haven’t figured out why my relationships aren’t positive. I’m usually very team-oriented and dive in and solve problems, and try to uncover what my coworkers are really passionate about, so I still can’t figure out why I can’t “fit in.”
Thanks for the encouragement, though. Good to keep in mind.
If it’s not your experience, then I would look at your interview skills.
Your resume only gets you a conversation, you have to sell yourself to them.
Are you confident when you interview? Not too confident to be cocky though, but enough that you know what you are talking about if someone were to ask a question.
Ask questions during the interview. Ask them what they like about working there. Act interested and engaged and you will stand out among the rest.
I’ve done a few things.
I have a mailing list for all my recruiters. They all get added in whenever I get pings on LinkedIn or cold calls. When I am looking for work the mailing list all gets BCC’d a message saying I’m looking, here is my resume, what I’m looking for, etc. When I book an interview I BCC them all saying one of the recruiters has setup an interview, if you work on their behalf do not submit my name as I know there are issues with multiple recuiters doing that. They all get the info, and honestly all the recruiters I’ve worked with have loved this.
Second is apply to everything. There have been places where their job description was my exact work history and yet I get no response. No one is hamed by you applying all over. They want candidates and if no one applied then the jobs would stay empty. I found a job in 4 months of looking but I applied to probably 70 jobs. Some were me trying to get a huge raise and position job, a few were worst case scenario. The job before my previous one took 9 months of looking and a few hundred applications. I did get a few offers along the way but not things I wanted to do.
It is all a numbers game. I’ve been a developer for 25 years and it has never been a one and done task. I have all sorts of crap to toot my own horn and I’d say that in 90% of the jobs I apply for I’m overly qualified and yet many times I didn’t get a call because the person fielding my resume and application didn’t move it along. Was the role filled? Did they think I’d get bored or expect more pay? Did they not like the font I’m using? I will never know.
Oh and your interview skills needs to be worked on.
Tech is an oversaturated market. Regardless of what you do, youre going to have a tough time getting a job in that sector.
Yes. Seems it’s always a tough market. Except during the lockdown. That was awesome. For once.
Even so, I won’t let that stop me. Unless you can think of an adjacent adjacent-to-tech sector that hires fast?
This was a LONG time ago, but… I was an electronics tech without a job. I managed to talk to (not interview with) an executive at a company I wanted to work at but wasn’t encouraged. He said something on the order of “Maybe later” and that was enough. He (or rather, his secretary) started to get calls from me every Monday and Wednesday morning right at their opening time to check whether Later might be now. Most of the time I was told he was busy. But after about a month they finally had me come in for an interview. I don’t know if they were just tired of my calls or if they were impressed with my diligence. I was hired, and worked there for the next 14 years.
This sounds like it was a 20 years ago or so…
Yup, but still might work. It was a small company (at least was when I started) though. This won’t work at Apple or Northrop or places like that.
That’s a strategy I am employing. I’ve messages hundreds of business owners at least half a dozen times in the past year or 2. I’ll keep being annoying.
I’ve heard good things about the advice given in the Ask a Manager blog.
Maybe it’s worth looking into to see if your cover letter/resume/interview skills are up to snuff, depending on where you seem to stall out in the process.
I’m a fairly high level software engineer at a massive tech company. I only graduated college less than 7 years ago. I climbed the ladder pretty fast at a startup, then moved over to a large corporation once my title was high enough.
I got the job I am currently at by literally just applying on their website. It took a couple of months for them to get back to me, but once I got that initial email, I had an interview within a day or two, and had a job offer after about a week.
That said, this was 2 years ago when companies were desperate to find engineers. Now the economy has taken a bad turn and many companies aren’t hiring engineers. I know mine isn’t right now. In fact, we laid some engineers off a few months back.
I was wondering if that was possible. I get ignored by startups at the same rate as corporate. I’m always told you have to be dragged through the mud for months of interviews before a company hires you, but I take it you didn’t have to do that?
I actually got my current job on my first attempt when I decided I wanted a new job. But at the startup, I interviewed with 4 or 5 large corporations before deciding to settle on a startup. I got in because I knew someone there.
I have also interviewed with Google many times and could never get a job there. I even passed all their damn interviews one of those times and they “couldn’t find a team that wanted me” so they said to try again next year, at which point I decided they can get fucked.
Maybe I just got extremely lucky with my current job. Who knows.
But yeah, I’m really glad I’m not looking for a job right now, because it’s really rough right now.
Now the economy has taken a bad turn and many companies aren’t hiring engineers
The real problem.
No amount of résumé writing is going get anyone a job if no jobs are available for them to fill.
I don’t know what to tell you, dude. I’m visibly disabled and have given up the idea of market rate compensation.
