Ask HN: So I'm being let go

"I'm in the news industry." and a bit of a resigned shrug with knowing grin is an adequate explanation. It also, IMHO, makes you look like a responsible person who takes charge when you try to line something up in advance of getting forced out the door.

There are 3 major steps to getting a job (IMO).

1st) Resume + story. Search google for 'Harvard Computer Science Resume' or 'Georgia Tech Computer Science resume' and use their format. There are standard formats that are widely used for top jobs. You then need to get ready for behavioral interviews. This involves getting a minimum of 3-5 PAR stories ready and to think hard about all the stuff you have done over 10 years. Practice them.

2nd) You need to prep for technical interviews. I'm not a coder, but in my field (finance) there is a lot of material available. I know I have seen stuff about technical interviews here.

3rd) Network. Obviously LinkedIn is extremely helpful for locating contacts. Search for past people from the Newspaper, your high school, any groups you are in. For education, I would probably leave it blank rather than putting a high school on there so it doesn't draw attention to you not having a degree.

It will be extremely hard for you to get a job via a career posting. You will need to reach out to friends and ask them for 'advice' and if they know of anyone that you should talk to in their company.

Expect this process to take 4 months. It seems like forever, but it will take a while. That will be fine. Once you have your new gig, you will be in an exciting new industry.

Source: I just got hired by another large company after a search after shutting down my business.

Obviously you want to get a new position ASAP but I don't think it's a big deal to have to disclose you were laid off so don't freak out if you can't make something happen in a few short weeks. I don't hold layoffs against applicants, especially when they're coming from an industry like print media that has very well known macro-level problems.

People understand the straits newspapers are in, so it shouldn't impact your job search negatively. Still, the advice to look now helps - it's easier to say this is why you are looking - because your company is in hard straights, than if you say you were already let go. Not a game ender though.

I believe we all underestimate our own skills, but there's a lot of folks looking for generalists. I don't believe in "full stack" development quite so much, but there are a lot of people looking for it.

Anyway, 30 is a great age - You're just at the point where you are starting to be very marketable and your experience has built up to a value where you can command a lot more value based on having had the experience of all the things you have done before.

We've got a number of PHP/Drupal roles open at NBCUniversal. http://www.nbcunicareers.com/search-results?search_type=crit...

I've been here for just over a year and it's awesome. Highly recommend applying if you see a job that fits your skillset.