6 ms·

Any links to those cases? Just curious.

avmich 5y ago
That's from personal connections; I doubt they are documented publicly, as it's considered negative mark in the current environment.
- wbsss4412 5y ago
  To echo your comment, every time I see this discussion online, and someone brings up their negative experiences finding a job in this market despite their nominal qualifications, the discussion often derails into how they personally must have some sort of defect or constitutional failure on their own part, rather than the opposite party accepting it as a valid data point.
ecf 5y ago
Me. Computer science background, but I had to get a job really quick post graduation and with no SWE internships, I had to fall back on my experience working part time in my university’s IT department and get an IT consultant job so I could pay rent. I have open-source projects, I’ve released iOS apps with non-trivial code, I’ve placed top-5 in a dev challenge hosted by a social network with tens of millions of users. I’ve owned production support working for startups while also owning their helpdesk, and I’n general I’ve been able to leverage my background to solve problems that none of my IT colleagues were equipped to solve. However, this experience with writing software still comes from the context of “IT” and I’ve been struggling to shake that stigma. I’m not saying I’m not making progress. Just got turned down at the final stage (4/4) of a SWE position for a better candidate, but that’s one of probably a hundred applications I’ve submitted over the course of two months.
- mateo411 5y ago
  Have you tried going to meet ups? If you have time, it's a great way to network with people who are doing similar things. One of the meet ups that I used to go to, would ask if anybody was hiring and if anybody was looking for work at the end of the meet up. Afterwards, we would go to a bar. It's a great and efficient way to meet people in your area who are doing similar things and have similar interests.
- brundolf 5y ago
  Fwiw, I've found that online application portals are nearly useless. Personal connections from your network are ideal; third-party recruiters can also work. But even something as simple as "my third cousin's college roommate can get me emailing with a real person at the company instead of bouncing off of an automated resume filter" can make all the difference. Best of luck
- candidated 5y ago
  What type of companies are you applying to? I'm a high school dropout and I had zero problem transferring the Software Engineering skills I built in an unrelated discipline into Software Engineering as a career. A resume is a presentation, it's a communication medium: if you're applying for Software Engineering roles, and you have Software Engineering skills used in a professional context, then that's what your resume should present. My resume is focused exclusively on what I've done and the value I've delivered, my resume makes no mention of job titles. I'd say my application to interview rate is at least 50%... and I'm an idiot, there's nothing remarkable about me. I'm sure there's a significant difference between us, whether that's the markets we're operating in or our skillsets, but I am confident that with the experience you've described, I could get a Software Engineering job within a week because the market is so desperate for candidates who can deliver. If you've shipped code, no matter the context, you're hireable. Have you had any sort of feedback / mentorship from people in the industry? Do you have any relationships with Engineering Managers that you can lean on to understand where your issues lie? I'd be very very surprised if the issue isn't entirely with how you're presenting yourself through your resume. The fact that you've got quite far in one process speaks to your suitability as a candidate. If you post your email address here I'm sure some people will be happy to reach out with personalised, actionable advice.
- qazxcvbnmlp 5y ago
  Not sure if you want this feedback or not. You sound vastly more qualified than a current team member who is contracting for us. Reading your statement I don’t hear anything about what you have done for other people. Instead of saying I open sources projects, say my open sourced projected were used by X many other people. Or I used my IT experience to cut downtime by 50% so my coworkers didn’t have to come in on the weekends. Maybe tell us why the non trivial code made your iOS app more successful.

That's from personal connections; I doubt they are documented publicly, as it's considered negative mark in the current environment.

wbsss4412 5y ago
To echo your comment, every time I see this discussion online, and someone brings up their negative experiences finding a job in this market despite their nominal qualifications, the discussion often derails into how they personally must have some sort of defect or constitutional failure on their own part, rather than the opposite party accepting it as a valid data point.

ecf 5y ago

Me. Computer science background, but I had to get a job really quick post graduation and with no SWE internships, I had to fall back on my experience working part time in my university’s IT department and get an IT consultant job so I could pay rent. I have open-source projects, I’ve released iOS apps with non-trivial code, I’ve placed top-5 in a dev challenge hosted by a social network with tens of millions of users. I’ve owned production support working for startups while also owning their helpdesk, and I’n general I’ve been able to leverage my background to solve problems that none of my IT colleagues were equipped to solve. However, this experience with writing software still comes from the context of “IT” and I’ve been struggling to shake that stigma. I’m not saying I’m not making progress. Just got turned down at the final stage (4/4) of a SWE position for a better candidate, but that’s one of probably a hundred applications I’ve submitted over the course of two months.

mateo411 5y ago
Have you tried going to meet ups? If you have time, it's a great way to network with people who are doing similar things. One of the meet ups that I used to go to, would ask if anybody was hiring and if anybody was looking for work at the end of the meet up. Afterwards, we would go to a bar. It's a great and efficient way to meet people in your area who are doing similar things and have similar interests.
brundolf 5y ago
Fwiw, I've found that online application portals are nearly useless. Personal connections from your network are ideal; third-party recruiters can also work. But even something as simple as "my third cousin's college roommate can get me emailing with a real person at the company instead of bouncing off of an automated resume filter" can make all the difference. Best of luck
candidated 5y ago
What type of companies are you applying to? I'm a high school dropout and I had zero problem transferring the Software Engineering skills I built in an unrelated discipline into Software Engineering as a career. A resume is a presentation, it's a communication medium: if you're applying for Software Engineering roles, and you have Software Engineering skills used in a professional context, then that's what your resume should present. My resume is focused exclusively on what I've done and the value I've delivered, my resume makes no mention of job titles. I'd say my application to interview rate is at least 50%... and I'm an idiot, there's nothing remarkable about me. I'm sure there's a significant difference between us, whether that's the markets we're operating in or our skillsets, but I am confident that with the experience you've described, I could get a Software Engineering job within a week because the market is so desperate for candidates who can deliver. If you've shipped code, no matter the context, you're hireable. Have you had any sort of feedback / mentorship from people in the industry? Do you have any relationships with Engineering Managers that you can lean on to understand where your issues lie? I'd be very very surprised if the issue isn't entirely with how you're presenting yourself through your resume. The fact that you've got quite far in one process speaks to your suitability as a candidate. If you post your email address here I'm sure some people will be happy to reach out with personalised, actionable advice.
qazxcvbnmlp 5y ago
Not sure if you want this feedback or not. You sound vastly more qualified than a current team member who is contracting for us. Reading your statement I don’t hear anything about what you have done for other people. Instead of saying I open sources projects, say my open sourced projected were used by X many other people. Or I used my IT experience to cut downtime by 50% so my coworkers didn’t have to come in on the weekends. Maybe tell us why the non trivial code made your iOS app more successful.