Ask HN: How would you improve job search? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How would you improve job search?

#11

Post by liontwist » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 5:15 AM UTC

brudgers wrote: post #6

+ The fundamental nature of job search sites cannot be changed: 1: Job listings generally correlate to jobs that can't be filled through word of mouth. [0] 2: Job applicants generally correlate to candidates who cannot find a job through word of mouth. + Job search works about as well as it can. 1. Today it is easy for people to hear about jobs that they simply won't get and would never have heard about in the past f…

I’ve seen a few of your posts that correlate applying for jobs with low quality employment.

Unless you get into top places early in your career, your network is severely limited. Besides location, it tends to reflect a particular class and level of achievement.

I have gotten several cold call jobs that were life changing and put my in touch with completely different groups. And frankly staying around my early peers would have been career limiting.

What do you think about this experience? Is the answer that scoring a quality network early invaluable?

Re: Ask HN: How would you improve job search?

#12

Post by brudgers » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 5:59 AM UTC

liontwist wrote: post #11

brudgers wrote: post #6

+ The fundamental nature of job search sites cannot be changed: 1: Job listings generally correlate to jobs that can't be filled through word of mouth. [0] 2: Job applicants generally correlate to candidates who cannot find a job through word of mouth. + Job search works about as well as it can. 1. Today it is easy for people to hear about jobs that they simply won't get and would never have heard about in the past f…

I’ve seen a few of your posts that correlate applying for jobs with low quality employment. Unless you get into top places early in your career, your network is severely limited. Besides location, it tends to reflect a particular class and level of achievement. I have gotten several cold call jobs that were life changing and put my in touch with completely different groups. And frankly staying around my early peers w…

Some thoughts:

0. That specific riff is usually in response to people who are unemployed, not finding work, and asking what to try. It is both harder than hoping to get lucky and often more likely to result in a job.

1. Taking cold calls from recruiters is networking. Some people naturally network. Some people ignore recruiters. Some people abuse them and in some workplaces it is a competitive sport.

2. Being born into existing networks is an ordinary path for access to good first jobs.

3. There’s no upside to burning bridges with early peers. They probably get potentially life changing cold calls too. And the judgements of our youth are made in the absence of experience…that older coworker who was focused on family might make a good recommendation at a later stage of your life.

And those people with more schmoozing skill than technical skill are likely to wind up in better positions they are unqualified for, and maybe at a place you want to work someday. They will know who to call.

4. The young tend to get more benefit of the doubt.

5. In general if you are the kind of person other people want to work with it is easier to find work. If you are the opposite type of person, it will be increasingly harder to find work the older you get.

6. My GP comment is an extension of Dan Luu’s discussion of an internet-famous blog post by Joel Spolsky. https://danluu.com/hiring-lemons/

Re: Ask HN: How would you improve job search?

#13

Post by liontwist » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 3:00 PM UTC

brudgers wrote: post #12

liontwist wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve seen a few of your posts that correlate applying for jobs with low quality employment. Unless you get into top places early in your career, your network is severely limited. Besides location, it tends to reflect a particular class and level of achievement. I have gotten several cold call jobs that were life changing and put my in touch with completely different groups. And frankly staying around my early peers w…

Some thoughts: 0. That specific riff is usually in response to people who are unemployed, not finding work, and asking what to try. It is both harder than hoping to get lucky and often more likely to result in a job. 1. Taking cold calls from recruiters is networking. Some people naturally network. Some people ignore recruiters. Some people abuse them and in some workplaces it is a competitive sport. 2. Being born in…

Thanks!

> There’s no upside to burning bridges with early peers

I completely agree. I am still friends, I just don’t want to work at the same company :)