About 9 years ago, I was recruited through LinkedIn and landed a position at the company I'm still working for today. At that time, it seemed as though this method of discovering career opportunities was the norm, and so while my experience with this particular recruiter was not great, it all worked out and I settled into my new role fairly comfortably.
After about 6 years, I felt like I'd be doing myself a disservice if I waited any longer to begin scoping out the job market. But a few years have passed now without much to really show for it in the way of interviews or really any interesting job prospects at all.
In fact, it almost seems like the world has moved on without me. I feel as though I'm wasting my time on LinkedIn, but I'm also not aware of any fancy new replacement that has come along in the last decade either.
So in your experience, how does one find employment opportunities in 2024? Is it all about networking? Are things just really tough in the IT world lately?
I’ve never, ever, gotten a human response from any company that I cold applied. Either ignored, or get the automated rejection email.
Recruiters that I could cold contact usually tell me thanks for reaching out, and that they’ll be in touch if they’re interested. They never are.
I could probably get -a- job through networking, but probably not a job I’d be very interested in. I have a network, but very few people work somewhere that I’d like to work at. The few that do would at best guarantee I get fed into the leetcode pipeline and then it would all be on me to leetcode my way in.
I know some master networkers that can get offers and switch jobs via their network at the drop of a hat. Again, the catch here is that they have to be very unpicky. Overall, many of the best places to work are gatekeeped with leetcode.
I’m currently at what I consider an “endgame” company. I wouldn’t mind if this is the last company I work at (I’m 40). If I can last here until I’m late 40s or early 50s, then I’d rather semi-retire instead of putting myself through the leetcode gauntlet again.
In 2021, I extensively used LinkedIn and got several job offers, so it's fairly useful in my opinion.
Luckily, I made enough in this industry that I can ride it out indefinitely. But, I currently fear that I won't work in this field anymore. I'm just not motivated to study for interviews.
Anyone else dropping out of this field? What are you going into next?
Of the times I have used a recruiter get get a new job (maybe four or five times over my entire career, only once in the past 23 years), not once have any of them helped in the negotiation or pushed the process forward. I got the feeling they just submitted my C.V. and then collected the cheque once I got hired.
Not much advice I know, and what works for me doesn't necessarily mean it will work for other people.
The companies on hackernews “whose hiring page” are too disorganized and havent figured out to use third party recruiters yet, some it’s even questionable if they’re hiring since they’re back every month despite their rejection emails suggesting they had a candidate that more closely matched yada yada
Recruitment platforms are all crap, like ones where the candidate signs up and passes some tests, theyre all broken and dead for me
Cold applying is pretty bad
Applying over linkedin is even worse
For me only thing that works are recruiter’s bots hitting me up in Linkedin DMs. if that dries up couldnt tell you
but prior co-workers have become decision makers and still liked me too, old fashioned and human connections are the only common denominator here
I'm much newer to this industry than you so don't have any personal info to share, but the data does seem to show it's not just you, and that programming and IT are in the trough of a contraction right now. Indeed seems to have around only three quarters as many available (US) positions "floating" right now, so to speak, as it did even in Feb 2020, which was before the tech crunch and explosion most agreed was temporary and unsustainable; it's also markedly lower than the whole (US) economy, which is at least still positive (although I'd also guess without looking Indeed is more heavily used by the tech industry than the economy as a whole). It seems job hunting in the tech industry is going to be tougher for a time, and more intentional networking and hunting opportunities than before will be necessary: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1hG1R
It is still a pain to read through everything to try and find a match
So I built a scraper and added a bit of AI with GPT, to match my resume and ideal job description to the job descriptions
It saves me hours, going from hundreds or thousands of potential matches, to only the best almost instantly
The results include a summary of the role, why it’s a good fit, and instructions on how to apply
Next I want to make it easier to personalize my resume for the application and keep track of the application processes (which I’m doing in a spreadsheet)
But really, people I've built big things for outside of my field are interested in working with me. That's my primary solace. It can be tough staying poised for offers through the years in case not all roads lead to Rome, but not worse than the feeling of seeing a nest egg fail to hatch.
I thought I could land my first job based on talent alone but now this seems difficult. I have been developing as a side hobby while I was in school now I am graduating. I feel like I have done enough projects that I can do almost any thing.
Maybe it's that the tech industry is facing change since AI and No-Code build tools. idk. Sometimes it seems that it's not the same tech industry which excited me as a kid.
(Whether you are wasting your time, IDK, but no one migrated from LinkedIn to ____.)
If you are getting nothing through LinkedIn, I wonder if it's something in how your past experience is reflected?
However, this is actually the first time a LinkedIn "cold" outreach resulted in me signing. I have not job hopped that much, but in the past it's been either ex-coworkers recommending a company reach out or me reaching out to an ex-coworker and learning that they have some relevant positions open at his new place. As others have said, your existing network may get you higher quality and more targeted leads overall.
I agree with previous responders on cold applying. My experience here is twofold. As an applicant, I have landed one job by applying for it, and I believe that was a fluke. As a hiring manager, the applicant systems are jam-packed with hundreds of applicants. There isn't enough time to look through all of them, and when you do, you aren't looking closely.
I don't hate the idea of networking, and I have helped contacts get jobs. Networking has many pluses outside of the job search.
The most important thing is to keep interviewing every chance you get, even if you aren't serious about the job or the pay is too low. When I got laid off in June, my first few interviews were disasters. I was out of practice and ill-prepared. About ten interviews later, I'm poised and practiced. My elevator speech is short and on point, and I sound like I know what I'm talking about.
It's free, you can check out here: https://gettjalerts.com/
You can even create an email alert to get notified of any new positions that require your skillset.
You want the diamond in the rough. Those jibs are only on a company's web site or are similarly hidden so that nobody finds them.
Someone should start indexing them and sell access to the database.
Nobody in my network has much money so there is no network value there.
The only very successful people I know who like me were acquired by a big company for millions but they're not allowed by their new HQ to hire me. They still send me emails asking for advice and tell me that they appreciate my work which is great but for some reason I can't get any opportunities.
It's almost like I've been labeled as a member of the untouchable class.
These three ways still work, and they are not new:
- Networking
- Recruiters
- Job ads
Some of them are "inbound" in that they come to you. Friends telling you about jobs and recruiters sending you emails are two such inbound ways.
You can look at job boards. They're still a thing. Indeed. Monster. As well as a hundred-and-one more specific boards around types of work, industries, and regions.
Looking at it from the perspective of someone who hires, I use all three ways of getting candidates. They are all still alive and kicking in 2024.