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I would like to believe this, too. However, after spending 6+ months helping my SO applying for more than 100 positions, handcrafting every CV and cover letter

I would like to believe this, too. However, after spending 6+ months helping my SO applying for more than 100 positions, handcrafting every CV and cover letter for each position, highlighting the skills that each position required, and all that we got back was maybe 5 negative answers, I think it's time to try the mass spamming approach. It's true the positions were not hardskills programming ones (more BA/data analyst oriented), but I still find it quite baffling.

victor9000 9y ago
The strategy which worked best for me was to first find a job that I was interested in, and then to reach out to someone in recruiting via linkedin, twitter, whatever you find. The point is to have an actual conversation/email exchange so you're not just a pdf in someone's inbox. The recruiters won't think it's weird that you dug up their contact info because this is exactly what they do for a living, and you come in the door as a warm lead, so in the end it's a win for them. I had around an 80% success rate in getting phone screens and on-site interviews using this method.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
akg_67 9y ago
There are two routes to finding jobs. First route is through personal contacts/network/referral/nepotism/cronyism. In this case, your strategy of customizing resume and application is an effective strategy as you know your application will be reviewed a relavant human. The second route is through applying to job listings when you don't have any contact. With this route the chances of your application being reviewed by relevant human is extremely low. In this case, you are better of reaching out to as many opportunities as possible. Pre-application suitability filtering and application customization is waste of job applicant's time. Instead have an standard application and just apply to all positions in your area of interest. Any filtering by job hunter happens once an interested company has made contact.
- overcast 9y ago
  First route is essentially the only way of doing it, especially after you've been in the field for a bit. Either you're doing amazing work, and companies are after you, or you're a kid out of school. In between is ALL about who you know.
  - k__ 9y ago
    Really? I thought there is a shortage on devs these days. The last 2 years I only worked with companies I found online on some recruiting platforms.
    - purity_resigns 9y ago
      A shortage at the price companies are willing to pay, typically growing slower than inflation.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - WillPostForFood 9y ago
        Software development salaries are definitely beating inflation, by at least 2x recently. http://www.workbridgeassociates.com/posts/images/1835/3054/Chart2.jpg http://www.workbridgeassociates.com/posts/images/1835/3054/C...
    - kafkaesq 9y ago
      I thought there is a shortage on devs these days. No. It's difficult to evaluate and hire, and the process generally takes much longer than companies would like, for a whole bunch of reasons (some good, some bad). Which people confuse with "a shortage of qualified devs".
      - NotSammyHagar 9y ago
        That is an interesting perspective, but quite different than mine. But it could be there is both a shortage of devs and it is difficult to hire and eval etc. Seattle is estimated to have over 15,000 dev openings. My last company wanted to hire several hundred on its own. All the people we wanted had multiple offers. There seemed to be more jobs than people, but to be fair, it could be because we were all missing a bunch of good people. But it was hard to even get people to apply, they were tired of companies bugging them to interview. It sure felt like there was a shortage devs, because they didn't even want to interview with us.
godelmachine 9y ago
May I ask what's SO?
- misframer 9y ago
  Significant other?
- toastking 9y ago
  Significant other, it means wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend.
- dotancohen 9y ago
  Ah, an old /. refugee I see!
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- brongondwana 9y ago
  Stack Overflow. It's a website.
akvadrako 9y ago
+1 for the spamming approach. I've been in the software and system engineering field for over 15 years and the best jobs I've got involved the least effort. Sometimes I painstakingly craft out a cover letter and tailor my CV, but that seems to actually have a negative impact. My success rate is best when I don't write a cover letter at all; just attach your SO's CV to a blank email. My guess is that it shows you don't really need their job, which makes you a more attractive candidate.

victor9000 9y ago

The strategy which worked best for me was to first find a job that I was interested in, and then to reach out to someone in recruiting via linkedin, twitter, whatever you find. The point is to have an actual conversation/email exchange so you're not just a pdf in someone's inbox. The recruiters won't think it's weird that you dug up their contact info because this is exactly what they do for a living, and you come in the door as a warm lead, so in the end it's a win for them. I had around an 80% success rate in getting phone screens and on-site interviews using this method.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

akg_67 9y ago

There are two routes to finding jobs. First route is through personal contacts/network/referral/nepotism/cronyism. In this case, your strategy of customizing resume and application is an effective strategy as you know your application will be reviewed a relavant human. The second route is through applying to job listings when you don't have any contact. With this route the chances of your application being reviewed by relevant human is extremely low. In this case, you are better of reaching out to as many opportunities as possible. Pre-application suitability filtering and application customization is waste of job applicant's time. Instead have an standard application and just apply to all positions in your area of interest. Any filtering by job hunter happens once an interested company has made contact.

overcast 9y ago
First route is essentially the only way of doing it, especially after you've been in the field for a bit. Either you're doing amazing work, and companies are after you, or you're a kid out of school. In between is ALL about who you know.
- k__ 9y ago
  Really? I thought there is a shortage on devs these days. The last 2 years I only worked with companies I found online on some recruiting platforms.
  - purity_resigns 9y ago
    A shortage at the price companies are willing to pay, typically growing slower than inflation.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - WillPostForFood 9y ago
      Software development salaries are definitely beating inflation, by at least 2x recently. http://www.workbridgeassociates.com/posts/images/1835/3054/Chart2.jpg http://www.workbridgeassociates.com/posts/images/1835/3054/C...
  - kafkaesq 9y ago
    I thought there is a shortage on devs these days. No. It's difficult to evaluate and hire, and the process generally takes much longer than companies would like, for a whole bunch of reasons (some good, some bad). Which people confuse with "a shortage of qualified devs".
    - NotSammyHagar 9y ago
      That is an interesting perspective, but quite different than mine. But it could be there is both a shortage of devs and it is difficult to hire and eval etc. Seattle is estimated to have over 15,000 dev openings. My last company wanted to hire several hundred on its own. All the people we wanted had multiple offers. There seemed to be more jobs than people, but to be fair, it could be because we were all missing a bunch of good people. But it was hard to even get people to apply, they were tired of companies bugging them to interview. It sure felt like there was a shortage devs, because they didn't even want to interview with us.

godelmachine 9y ago

May I ask what's SO?

misframer 9y ago
Significant other?
toastking 9y ago
Significant other, it means wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend.
dotancohen 9y ago
Ah, an old /. refugee I see!
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
brongondwana 9y ago
Stack Overflow. It's a website.

akvadrako 9y ago

+1 for the spamming approach. I've been in the software and system engineering field for over 15 years and the best jobs I've got involved the least effort. Sometimes I painstakingly craft out a cover letter and tailor my CV, but that seems to actually have a negative impact. My success rate is best when I don't write a cover letter at all; just attach your SO's CV to a blank email. My guess is that it shows you don't really need their job, which makes you a more attractive candidate.