Ask HN: How do you start looking for a new job?
Just curious on how people start preparations for making a job change. Will you start reaching out to your contacts for references, or just start scouring the job boards, or will you be always on a lookout for a potential job?
23 comments
I won't reach out to my contacts for references when I am thinking about a job change, but I will reach out to them for the proverbial coffee/catch up. At the end of the coffee, after I've spent a lot of time catching up and asking them about how they are doing, I'll mention that I'm looking for a new opportunity and ask if they know anyone that is looking for my skillset. You can't do this unless you are serious.
If you are less serious, then scouring the job boards can be a great way to learn about what skills are in demand, what companies are hiring, and, possibly salaries. (You should do this if you are seriously looking too.) This helps you build context. Also, if you see a great company or an interesting position, this can give you some focus. You can research on linked in, or install an applicable open source project, or write a blog post about tech the company uses or the business they are in.
But I think that @eadz's comment about knowing what you are looking for is spot on. That is the first step to prepare for finding a new job. Don't just say 'I want a tech job', as that won't differentiate you or guide you at all. Instead, say 'I want to be working on a small, local team doing ecommerce websites, preferably on .NET' or 'I want to work on big data processing at scale, in a large company, and am willing to relocate'. That "mission statement" will help you shape your resume, your networking, and your after work job hunting pursuits.
If you are less serious, then scouring the job boards can be a great way to learn about what skills are in demand, what companies are hiring, and, possibly salaries. (You should do this if you are seriously looking too.) This helps you build context. Also, if you see a great company or an interesting position, this can give you some focus. You can research on linked in, or install an applicable open source project, or write a blog post about tech the company uses or the business they are in.
But I think that @eadz's comment about knowing what you are looking for is spot on. That is the first step to prepare for finding a new job. Don't just say 'I want a tech job', as that won't differentiate you or guide you at all. Instead, say 'I want to be working on a small, local team doing ecommerce websites, preferably on .NET' or 'I want to work on big data processing at scale, in a large company, and am willing to relocate'. That "mission statement" will help you shape your resume, your networking, and your after work job hunting pursuits.
For most opportunities, it's about when right skillset meet with right timing. I always keep an eye peeled out for what's available out there but there's really no golden way of getting a job. I've tried many different methods and they all work.
What's most important is to be clear about yourself, what your skillsets are and what you can offer to the company. You should also have a good sense of what you're remotely interested in or looking for even if you're not 100% clear yet. Also, think about what skillsets you would like to grow and whether you want to deepen your skills or broaden your skills - You are the master of your growth/development.
What's most important is to be clear about yourself, what your skillsets are and what you can offer to the company. You should also have a good sense of what you're remotely interested in or looking for even if you're not 100% clear yet. Also, think about what skillsets you would like to grow and whether you want to deepen your skills or broaden your skills - You are the master of your growth/development.
While looking for a job, don't forget to perform due diligence on the company's culture. I once accepted a job offer hastily, just to get into the company and discover the culture was 'filthy' (poor working conditions, sexual harassment, e.t.c). Glassdoor[0] does a good job at providing reviews, though I haven't seen a tool that helps you 'vet' a company's culture specifically. I think it's important to factor in company culture as you look for a team to join. Good luck with the job search!
[0]https://www.glassdoor.com/
[0]https://www.glassdoor.com/
For my last job change I didn't reach out for references. (The job before I got because I was collaborating with the people on an informal base and they wanted to hire me - they never saw my CV!) Thus my CV include none and I got invited to much better job interviews than on my previous job hunt. At least in Germany for most interesting IT jobs references/certificates don't seem to be so important. No idea why to be honest.
So as I already arrived at my 5th full-time job, I have all the nice keywords on LinkedIn and headhunters contact me on a regular base. When I look for a job, I basically start answering them again. Also I'm looking on typical job websites, so for me that would be right now indeed.com and possibly berlinstartupjobs.com. I must admit I don't have the tightest network of other developers in the region, so I don't communicate much on LinkedIn besides to headhunters ("job consultants").
Actually im not always on lookout for a new job because I find communication with recruiters too stressful and time consuming. I try to keep every full-time thingy for 2 years, so I don't look like a job hopper. :)
So as I already arrived at my 5th full-time job, I have all the nice keywords on LinkedIn and headhunters contact me on a regular base. When I look for a job, I basically start answering them again. Also I'm looking on typical job websites, so for me that would be right now indeed.com and possibly berlinstartupjobs.com. I must admit I don't have the tightest network of other developers in the region, so I don't communicate much on LinkedIn besides to headhunters ("job consultants").
Actually im not always on lookout for a new job because I find communication with recruiters too stressful and time consuming. I try to keep every full-time thingy for 2 years, so I don't look like a job hopper. :)
1. Be clear about exactly what you want to do in your next role
2. Put your self in the shoes of a hiring manager for that role
3. Edit your CV to emphasise the skills and experience that makes you a good match.
For tech roles, recruiters are everywhere, and uploading your CV to job sites will get your phone buzzing if you have the right keywords.
For professional roles a vast majority of recruiters use LinkedIn, and the site has a setting for "looking for work" which will boost your profile to hiring managers and recruiters.
I'm currently in the process of moving cities* so going through this process myself, and this approach has worked for me.
*Melbourne here I come!
2. Put your self in the shoes of a hiring manager for that role
3. Edit your CV to emphasise the skills and experience that makes you a good match.
For tech roles, recruiters are everywhere, and uploading your CV to job sites will get your phone buzzing if you have the right keywords.
For professional roles a vast majority of recruiters use LinkedIn, and the site has a setting for "looking for work" which will boost your profile to hiring managers and recruiters.
I'm currently in the process of moving cities* so going through this process myself, and this approach has worked for me.
*Melbourne here I come!
> Edit your CV to emphasise the skills and experience that makes you a good match
Do you opt for a one page resume/CV or a more longer version for your job search? Just curious because I always find it difficult to pack more subjective/general info on a one page resume.
Do you opt for a one page resume/CV or a more longer version for your job search? Just curious because I always find it difficult to pack more subjective/general info on a one page resume.
> uploading your CV to job sites will get your phone buzzing if you have the right keywords
Tried that. Kept getting spammed by companies trying to offshore their stuff. I usually found that morale was super low when I looked them up on Glassdoor after hearing their pitch.
Tried that. Kept getting spammed by companies trying to offshore their stuff. I usually found that morale was super low when I looked them up on Glassdoor after hearing their pitch.
Fastest way to do it is to reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn with a resume in hand. It helps to have a fully fleshed-out LinkedIn profile for them to reference back to. If you've worked with recruiters in the past, tell them that you're looking again. Good recruiters with a lot of clients can get you into something within a week or two if you're good at interviewing and the client's hiring process is fast (generally, the bigger the client, the slower their hiring process is).
Another way I've done it is by finding jobs on job boards, searching for one of (or the) manager of a team that you're interested in working for and sending them a (short!) message on LinkedIn or email expressing your interest in a job. By short, I mean:
- Hi, I'm <name>
- Your group's responsibilities seem interesting and I'd like to join.
- I'm good at and can help you with <x, y, z>
- I've done projects like <x, y>
- Do you have time for a phone call next week to learn more about me?
They will either not respond (most likely), forward you to a recruiter or talk to you directly. I've gotten better responses from LinkedIn than via email, since some managers have admin assistants who read their email and are good at ensuring this spam doesn't get back to them.
This can sometimes even work if you message a member of that team instead of the manager directly, especially if their one of the top contributors on that team. That can even work better since they'll be more likely to talk to you and can help short-circuit your resume to the right people/their manager. It's a little trickier, though.
Another good way of finding jobs if you're in a big enough city is by checking out local tech Meetups and meeting people. This is a slow way of doing it since you don't want to be "that person" that's fishing for a job at an event that "clearly isn't for that" (most of them are), but it's a good way of expanding your network and finding opportunities that you definitely won't get with recruiters (startups, by and large, don't use recruiters; too expensive).
Good luck!
Another way I've done it is by finding jobs on job boards, searching for one of (or the) manager of a team that you're interested in working for and sending them a (short!) message on LinkedIn or email expressing your interest in a job. By short, I mean:
- Hi, I'm <name>
- Your group's responsibilities seem interesting and I'd like to join.
- I'm good at and can help you with <x, y, z>
- I've done projects like <x, y>
- Do you have time for a phone call next week to learn more about me?
They will either not respond (most likely), forward you to a recruiter or talk to you directly. I've gotten better responses from LinkedIn than via email, since some managers have admin assistants who read their email and are good at ensuring this spam doesn't get back to them.
This can sometimes even work if you message a member of that team instead of the manager directly, especially if their one of the top contributors on that team. That can even work better since they'll be more likely to talk to you and can help short-circuit your resume to the right people/their manager. It's a little trickier, though.
Another good way of finding jobs if you're in a big enough city is by checking out local tech Meetups and meeting people. This is a slow way of doing it since you don't want to be "that person" that's fishing for a job at an event that "clearly isn't for that" (most of them are), but it's a good way of expanding your network and finding opportunities that you definitely won't get with recruiters (startups, by and large, don't use recruiters; too expensive).
Good luck!
> will you be always on a lookout for a potential job?
Look instead for people (founders/senior executives) you can help.
You can find them at meetups and conferences. Relevant to your search - how to find hidden jobs > http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/ask-headhunter-can-...
Look instead for people (founders/senior executives) you can help.
You can find them at meetups and conferences. Relevant to your search - how to find hidden jobs > http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/ask-headhunter-can-...
Have you done this yourself?
Also did this once. I was just interested to help them a little so in exchange I could see a new field and possibly get some experience there. Crazy thing was that at some point they were asking me to work for them on a regular base.
The job was really nice for the first 3-6 months after I got hired but it sucked later on. YMMV but I decided afterwards to find for jobs myself and not let the job find me. Making sure I don't work for needy people because they are prone to behave badly at some point.
The job was really nice for the first 3-6 months after I got hired but it sucked later on. YMMV but I decided afterwards to find for jobs myself and not let the job find me. Making sure I don't work for needy people because they are prone to behave badly at some point.
> Making sure I don't work for needy people because they are prone to behave badly at some point.
Or employers without enough resources. Unless you have known the people for years, you don't want to wind up as the sole developer at a business.
Or employers without enough resources. Unless you have known the people for years, you don't want to wind up as the sole developer at a business.
yes I have, and continue do so.
Forgive my piggybacking, but I would also like to ask how anyone approaches the problem of working on their CV. I believe professional experience is the most important factor, but it also depends on what job you are hired to do, which depends on your resume. Therefore, it's a bit of a gordian knot.
So, how does anyone work on their CV?
So, how does anyone work on their CV?
The most important thing is to communicate how you were able to add value to the company. Translate your role into the services and value it added. Think about any big projects or major impacts you had and highlight them. Even if it's fixing some big bug or rewiring something, focus on what the effect was.
Ask recruiters to help you. They usually don't mind and they see enough good ones on the daily to provide pretty good feedback.
I specialize 10-30% of my CV for the target role. I have a CV for data scientist and another for software engineer.
I don't list the same weighted skills for both roles.
In both cases, I list and describe relevant projects for each work experience.
I don't list the same weighted skills for both roles.
In both cases, I list and describe relevant projects for each work experience.
I think it's really a good idea to start looking for a job before you need to.
I've actually never looked for a job per-se, instead I've looked for companies that I've found interesting and then figured out how to get a job at those companies. This usually involves networking.
I would start by creating a list of companies that you think wow that would be a cool place to work. Then start figuring out if a job opened up who you need to speak with.
I've never landed a job by submitting a resume to a job board or to the HR department of the hiring company.
In fact, I already had an offer from my last job before HR even saw my resume.
I've actually never looked for a job per-se, instead I've looked for companies that I've found interesting and then figured out how to get a job at those companies. This usually involves networking.
I would start by creating a list of companies that you think wow that would be a cool place to work. Then start figuring out if a job opened up who you need to speak with.
I've never landed a job by submitting a resume to a job board or to the HR department of the hiring company.
In fact, I already had an offer from my last job before HR even saw my resume.
It all depends how different you want your experience to be. If you're interested in a diversity of job environments, then mining your current pool may not be the best route. My favorite way to identify interesting companies is to watch presentations from conferences over topics I enjoy. Any company that sends a employee to give a talk usually is intending to also hire. This gives you a very diverse portfolio of companies to apply to, as there are many different companies represented
I recently changed jobs and the biggest thing for me was actually connecting with a legit recruiter (Not the people spamming you on LinkedIn). They lined up interview after interview for me before I even had time to check out a job board. I used re:purpose but they are pretty local to my area. Maybe look into recruiters in your area?
Personally I was never actively looking, other companies came and recruited me instead and I find this to be much better position to negotiate...
I moved from perm to contracting in London by hitting up recruiters on LinkedIn and uploading my CV to JobServe.
Phone didn't stop ringing after uploading my CV.
Phone didn't stop ringing after uploading my CV.
I just start to respond to the recruiters that ping me weekly.