2 ms·

With respect to OP, I think the real issue is the 46 interviews and only 1 offer, not the job applications. To sit through 45 interviews without an offer points

With respect to OP, I think the real issue is the 46 interviews and only 1 offer, not the job applications. To sit through 45 interviews without an offer points to a serious weakness in the interview department. Instead of all the applications, they should have focused more of their time prepping for the interview. The ability to interview is the most important skill when it comes to getting a job, you can be the greatest X in the world but if people don't come out of the interview both liking you personally and appreciating your skillset then its for nothing. This gets harder as you get older, I always make sure to clean up my diet a couple months before I want to interview to ensure I look good either on camera or in person, make sure you wear good clothes and speak clearly. Personally I am a good 1x developer but I have never had an interview and not gotten a job offer. Probably had 25+ interviews over my career. The interview is the most important aspect of any job application process. It is largely responsible for the amount of the offer you get as well. It also manages peoples expectations of you once you start the role as well.

bluesroo 3y ago
It's clear that you haven't had to get an interview from a non-connection in the last year. It's a literal fucking nightmare unless you have connections that can literally hand you a job. I have 8 years of experience. TL;DR: Connections don't mean shit. Companies require multi-hour takehomes and then ghost you. Every reply is automated unless you are moving forward. Recruiters take a week to reply to even the most basic updates. For reference, I've job hunted twice in the last 2 years. The startup I joined in Feb of 2022 folded in Feb of 2023. My style is to treat it like a full time job, usually completely filling my schedule with interviews. 2022 stats: In 1 month I interviewed with 31 companies, received 6 offers in under 5 weeks and had a job secured making ~30% more than my previous role. Of the 25 companies that I stopped interviewing with, 13 were me cutting off the process to save time and 12 were rejections. So ~50% success rate depending on how well you count the 13 that I cut off. 2023 stats: First month I interviewed with 14 companies, was ghosted by 6 of them. GHOSTED. 3 of these were from direct referrals from friends and previous coworkers! Not even my connections could get information on my process! I interviewed just as strongly as my previous year and they vanish, not even with a rejection. Of the remaining 8, 4 were not actually software jobs and 4 were rejections that refused to elaborate at all. Second month I interviewed with 34 companies. 12 ghosted me, 4 of which required a multi-hour take home assignment. With a mortgage and kids, I was doing it all. Of the 22, 11 didn't work out for non-performance reasons (found candidate before I was through the process, recruiter misunderstood the role, company moved so slow that I couldn't complete the process). Of these 11, 4 were from connections! They could not get their internal recruiters to reply to me in less than 2 weeks. Of the 11, I was rejected by 6. Again, with no feedback or even a response when I asked for it. Of the remaining 5, I got an offer and ended the madness before waiting to finish my remaining 4 interviews.
- wonderwonder 3y ago
  Respectfully I have never gotten an interview let alone a job via a connection in my life. I maintain zero contact with previous coworkers. Also I don't understand why you said I must have connections and then a sentence later say connections mean nothing. You are right though, it has been 16 months since I interviewed so things may be different.
  - scruple 3y ago
    Conversely, 4 of my 5 employers in the last ~20 years in this industry have been through my network. I'm still I interviewing, but the process has been relatively painless for me otherwise, especially in the face of anecdotes like the GP and the OP.
  - bluesroo 3y ago
    I mean, the timeframe was also important there. Yes, that 16 months makes a huge difference right now. That's the exact time that I basically walked through my interviews to 6 offers. RE Connections: I meant they only matter if they are high up enough to literally hand you a position. Anything lower than that (i.e. an IC referral) was completely useless in 7 different companies.
nunez 3y ago
1. The OP is a PM, not a developer 2. The market is incredibly rough for non-eng tech at the moment. Completely believable that they are getting passed over by stronger candidates (of which there are many) 3. They didn't specify the interview stages they failed at, or that they even failed at all. Ghosting is a thing, especially with tons of recruiters getting laid off

bluesroo 3y ago

It's clear that you haven't had to get an interview from a non-connection in the last year. It's a literal fucking nightmare unless you have connections that can literally hand you a job. I have 8 years of experience. TL;DR: Connections don't mean shit. Companies require multi-hour takehomes and then ghost you. Every reply is automated unless you are moving forward. Recruiters take a week to reply to even the most basic updates. For reference, I've job hunted twice in the last 2 years. The startup I joined in Feb of 2022 folded in Feb of 2023. My style is to treat it like a full time job, usually completely filling my schedule with interviews. 2022 stats: In 1 month I interviewed with 31 companies, received 6 offers in under 5 weeks and had a job secured making ~30% more than my previous role. Of the 25 companies that I stopped interviewing with, 13 were me cutting off the process to save time and 12 were rejections. So ~50% success rate depending on how well you count the 13 that I cut off. 2023 stats: First month I interviewed with 14 companies, was ghosted by 6 of them. GHOSTED. 3 of these were from direct referrals from friends and previous coworkers! Not even my connections could get information on my process! I interviewed just as strongly as my previous year and they vanish, not even with a rejection. Of the remaining 8, 4 were not actually software jobs and 4 were rejections that refused to elaborate at all. Second month I interviewed with 34 companies. 12 ghosted me, 4 of which required a multi-hour take home assignment. With a mortgage and kids, I was doing it all. Of the 22, 11 didn't work out for non-performance reasons (found candidate before I was through the process, recruiter misunderstood the role, company moved so slow that I couldn't complete the process). Of these 11, 4 were from connections! They could not get their internal recruiters to reply to me in less than 2 weeks. Of the 11, I was rejected by 6. Again, with no feedback or even a response when I asked for it. Of the remaining 5, I got an offer and ended the madness before waiting to finish my remaining 4 interviews.

wonderwonder 3y ago
Respectfully I have never gotten an interview let alone a job via a connection in my life. I maintain zero contact with previous coworkers. Also I don't understand why you said I must have connections and then a sentence later say connections mean nothing. You are right though, it has been 16 months since I interviewed so things may be different.
- scruple 3y ago
  Conversely, 4 of my 5 employers in the last ~20 years in this industry have been through my network. I'm still I interviewing, but the process has been relatively painless for me otherwise, especially in the face of anecdotes like the GP and the OP.
- bluesroo 3y ago
  I mean, the timeframe was also important there. Yes, that 16 months makes a huge difference right now. That's the exact time that I basically walked through my interviews to 6 offers. RE Connections: I meant they only matter if they are high up enough to literally hand you a position. Anything lower than that (i.e. an IC referral) was completely useless in 7 different companies.

nunez 3y ago

1. The OP is a PM, not a developer 2. The market is incredibly rough for non-eng tech at the moment. Completely believable that they are getting passed over by stronger candidates (of which there are many) 3. They didn't specify the interview stages they failed at, or that they even failed at all. Ghosting is a thing, especially with tons of recruiters getting laid off