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The current optimal strategy for new grad SWE applications is to shotgun as many out as possible as fast as possible. I know many people who’ve applied to 50+ n

The current optimal strategy for new grad SWE applications is to shotgun as many out as possible as fast as possible. I know many people who’ve applied to 50+ new grad jobs (even in this market) and due to its many to many nature, many new grad job applications get 20k+ applicants (from an inside source at a medium sized company). It makes new grad applications slightly better than a random lottery. There is nearly no difference between an applicant that gets screened in and an applicant that gets screened out at the margin. Really unfortunate situation, and I don’t know if there’s a solution. Colleges solved it by adding a barrier to entry to apply (you have to pay) but jobs can’t do the same thing. Perhaps a arduous application process is a kind of mechanism to throttle applicants and weed out those who are just applying for applyings sake?

sigstoat 4y ago
> jobs can’t do the same thing is there a legal restriction? i'd pay $5 to a company when applying to an actually interesting position if they promised i'd get a non-form letter from a human back about my application, good or bad.
happyopossum 4y ago
> The current optimal strategy for new grad SWE applications is to shotgun as many out as possible as fast as possible. > It makes new grad applications slightly better than a random lottery Your second assertion indicates that your first may not be true... Even new college grads know people, have been through internships, and have the ability to research jobs and companies to find a better way in. Do that. Ever been to a trade show? In a tight job market it's not uncommon for a good chunk of the attendees to be carrying CVs and asking about jobs. I used to roll my eyes at that, but now I see it as a go-getter getting-their-go-on, and if I were hiring for what they're looking for, I'd shepherd their app though the process and ensure they made it to the post-screen interview stage. That's just one example of how to do it - there are tons of others. The point is that straight out of college, your job is getting a job. Spend 40 hours/week on it. Work hard. Try new things. Learn what works and what doesn't (pro-tip - every time you make it past the first stage, ask someone how you got there!). The people that do this are going to go farther than the people who shotgun 500 job applications then give up.

sigstoat 4y ago

> jobs can’t do the same thing is there a legal restriction? i'd pay $5 to a company when applying to an actually interesting position if they promised i'd get a non-form letter from a human back about my application, good or bad.

happyopossum 4y ago

> The current optimal strategy for new grad SWE applications is to shotgun as many out as possible as fast as possible. > It makes new grad applications slightly better than a random lottery Your second assertion indicates that your first may not be true... Even new college grads know people, have been through internships, and have the ability to research jobs and companies to find a better way in. Do that. Ever been to a trade show? In a tight job market it's not uncommon for a good chunk of the attendees to be carrying CVs and asking about jobs. I used to roll my eyes at that, but now I see it as a go-getter getting-their-go-on, and if I were hiring for what they're looking for, I'd shepherd their app though the process and ensure they made it to the post-screen interview stage. That's just one example of how to do it - there are tons of others. The point is that straight out of college, your job is getting a job. Spend 40 hours/week on it. Work hard. Try new things. Learn what works and what doesn't (pro-tip - every time you make it past the first stage, ask someone how you got there!). The people that do this are going to go farther than the people who shotgun 500 job applications then give up.