Ask HN: I’ve been applying to a million jobs

My first instinct was to look for a GitHub profile, both on the homepage of your site and alongside the various examples. The text field thing was interesting - why not put the code on GitHub, so it's easier for people to look through and try out? If it's already there, then make sure your GitHub profile is discoverable on your site, because I didn't find it despite looking for several minutes on multiple pages.

Also consider posting your LinkedIn profile on your website (or get one if you don't have one). I personally don't care about that, but recruiters definitely seem to.

In any case, my employer is actively hiring; I'll email you the job listings.

Good luck.

If that sounds about right, tone the CV a bit down a bit to get the latter, and try to go meet decision makers for the former in person (meet ups, etc.). (Fwiw it gets worse when you get older.)

Also, as highlighted in another comment, "entrepreneur" is a big no no in a lot of places: it reads like "just passing by to earn some cash and move on with my next venture". More generally, don't make your CV look like you're looking for something temporary until you find something better.

Good luck!

I am not anyway affiliated with them, and I know it sounds like a "bullshit service for just out of the college wannabe corporate executives who can't even write a decent resume based on common sense".

I used a jobs site (not even remember which) that included in the sign up this "free resume critique" service as an option. I did it expecting a whole bunch of mostly automated platitudes, but I was positively surprised with the comments they sent me a few days later.

It appears that a human being really read my resume with attention and send some very unobvious, constructive, practical feedback. It might be a little different for developers jobs, but I imagine you are applying to places where an HR person is reading your resume first. This company seems to know exactly what HR and their automated systems want.

That said, I have no way to prove if the tips they gave me are really good, but they sounded great to me. I think it is worthy to try their free offer.

Technical knowledge is great (essential, even) - IT is a meritocracy and all that - but don't forget that people need to work with you, and you with them.

It may be people have an issue mentally fitting you in the 'right' box (as others have suggested), and possibly, the same is true for you (you don't like the sound of their box).

So as has been suggested, don't only look for a role/job that motivates you, try and look for something that speaks to you personally, and where you feel there is a good chance of cultural fit.

And don't take the rejections personally - ultimately, the outcome will always be binary, and I doubt it is the experience of most people here to systematically get offers _when they are the ones looking_.

Opinions are good, and if you value your own opinions, stick to them, and look for somewhere that agrees with you on their value. If you don't find that, do question yourself.

No matter how frustrating this all is, it will lead to something, be it your dream gig, your foot on the right career ladder, or a complete change of direction.

Again, do not take this personally - from your side, you are (of course, and to your credit) doing your best - but you have no way of knowing that anyone else is, and hence, of knowing you are being assessed on your merits.

FWIW, I have had to move countries twice to find my first job, and am currently having difficulty finding the next one, with 10+ years of experience behind me. IT hiring has its own weird hiring patterns and peculiarities, and most likely, your break will be down to luck - and like much luck, you may need to create the conditions for it to happen...