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.
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?
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.
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?
I think you’ve been very proactive in your job search, and while you’ve tried many strategies, it may be time to reassess and refine your approach. Sometimes, finding a job, especially at a senior level, is about timing, alignment, and presentation. Focus on tailoring your applications more specifically to the roles you’re applying for, leveraging your network in a more targeted manner by identifying key decision-makers, and actively seeking mentorship from individuals within your industry. Consider reaching out to companies directly, even if they’re not hiring, to express your interest and demonstrate your value with tailored proposals. You might also want to explore contract or project-based opportunities that could transition into full-time roles. Lastly, try to maintain a positive mindset, as sometimes success comes after a period of persistence, adjustments, and learning.
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 don’t know what to tell you, dude. I’m visibly disabled and have given up the idea of market rate compensation.
