Hacker News Reader

Comment by usernamed7 | Hacker News Reader

I assure you if i had done this, I would not have a job right now. This may have worked in the past, but not in this job market. It's a numbers game now, and when you've only got a few months until you're homeless you do not have the time to mess around.

View on HN

Honestly, I disagree, my partner just did exactly this. 50+ “cold” applications with a single first round interview. Tracked down where the head of design of one company was going to be at an event, cornered her, chatted for 10mins and was then fast tracked through an interview process and had the job signed 2 weeks later. I know that is a sample of 1, but I’ve spent most of my time as the hirer, going the extra mile to stand out does make a difference even more so in this f’d up AI infected hiring world we’re now in.

Certainly, some companies just aren't hiring today so even knowing the right person probably doesn't help. But my (few) jobs over the past 25 years--including one right after 9/11--came through personal connections and didn't even involve a response to a job posting. In fact, in the last case, the job position was created for me. I'm a bit sorry I never checked to see if there was an associated posting on the jobs site.

But I've certainly been lucky. A few dodged bullets.

again, if i did this i would not have a job right now. This is my lived experience. This is what I had to do. It is not what I wanted to have done. That's why I wrote my post, because someone out there might really be struggling with this job market and need to hear about it.

I'm not saying taking a more personal approach doesn't work. Sure, if you've got an event you can go to or you've got a network you can tap, do that. But neither were options for me. Nobody in my network was hiring, and the one event i could have attended (where relevant people would be) sold out within a few hours.

Fair, proof is in the pudding and you scored a job with your approach. So congrats and 100% not knocking that, hopefully my comment provides a bit of perspective from the other side of the fence.

Also thank you for sharing your experience here.

Your sample size leaves much to be desired. I lean towards the takes that you're indistinguishable AI fluff with no real value. If you could have offered more value and you had more people you had worked with in the past that thought highly of your work you wouldn't have struggled nearly as much. I'm not sure why your former colleagues won't stick their neck out for you. But I do think that reflects more on you than the current hiring environment. It's in vogue to blame others for your own problems right now, so I understand where you're at and what you're struggling with to some degree. But it's not the immigrant's fault.

15 years of experience and you're a few months from being homeless? My friend, there's a lot you're not telling us.

yes well... it's a story. I was semi-retired before, living off my portfolio. But between the new presidency messing up the market and some family expenses that popped up I was put in an unexpected corner. Life be like that sometimes.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com