Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#91

Post by quickthrower2 » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 11:31 PM UTC

busterarm wrote: post #70

digitalgangsta wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this. Worth interviewing with someone you know and see how you do. I interviewed a gent once who was very smart but talked my ear off, including cutting me off multiple times. After 45 mins of this, I stopped him and bluntly gave him this feedback. He was stunned and then thanked me as he realized he had been failing interviews because of this and no one had told him. I didnt hire him, but he was very appreciative an…

One of the best engineers that I've ever met is fundamentally unhireable due to the severity of his personality. He's not even a bad guy -- he's very helpful always but unfortunately everything he says just sounds smug or sanctimonious. He can't help himself. It's been sad watching his career struggles and knowing the quality of his work if you can just keep him away from stakeholders and meetings in general

Would him explaining this to a team before he works on it help. So they don’t take it personally. External stakeholders is different but most of the time devs arw shield from them (for better or worse).

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#92

Post by uptownfunk » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 11:38 PM UTC

Do mock interviews and get feedback.

Look at good interviewers and take tips.

It never hurts to: Be right. Be humble. Be polite. Be practiced. Be introspective. Be experienced.

Ultimately you’re meant to go where you’re meant to go. You need one job. There’s a huge dearth of talent.

Rejections can be exhausting, take time to find an outlet for the stress and anxiety - strong exercise is a good one.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#93

Post by gopher_space » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 11:45 PM UTC

busterarm wrote: post #70

digitalgangsta wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this. Worth interviewing with someone you know and see how you do. I interviewed a gent once who was very smart but talked my ear off, including cutting me off multiple times. After 45 mins of this, I stopped him and bluntly gave him this feedback. He was stunned and then thanked me as he realized he had been failing interviews because of this and no one had told him. I didnt hire him, but he was very appreciative an…

One of the best engineers that I've ever met is fundamentally unhireable due to the severity of his personality. He's not even a bad guy -- he's very helpful always but unfortunately everything he says just sounds smug or sanctimonious. He can't help himself. It's been sad watching his career struggles and knowing the quality of his work if you can just keep him away from stakeholders and meetings in general

One of the nice things about the old "nerds-only programmer's pit" style of team leadership is that it provides a refuge for people that want part of their world filtered out to get work done. Quite a bit more mandatory social engagement as an engineer these days. Lots of requesting your face.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#94

Post by soulofmischief » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 11:50 PM UTC

mytailorisrich wrote: post #43

wincy wrote: post #25

I don’t know OP, I’m a tech lead who has done his fair share of interviews and based on your few comments on HN there seem to be some red flags with how you’re viewing the interview process. Saying “one person derails things because I’d outshine them” seems to externalize the blame. I don’t know that I’ve ever worked with any engineer who thinks they’d be worse off by hiring an extremely intelligent engineer. I’d lov…

There is always office politics and no-one wants a new guy that they perceive as a potential threat. It's not just someone they might think is 'brighter' but someone that seems experienced and senior enough to have a good shot at taking over or being promoted over them.

Then the solution is to find higher performing teams with higher expectations. If one still bombs interviews after that, then it's likely the hypothesis is incorrect.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#95

Post by dev_0 » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 11:53 PM UTC

Hiring freeze in tech now....and more people are trying to find new jobs

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#96

Post by fbrncci » Fri, Oct 21, 2022, 1:06 AM UTC

Just keep interviewing, in May my interview counter hit 50 for the year, and 6 interviews later I ended up with a job. I just saw every interview as a opportunity to get better at the process. If a leetcode style interview was mentioned, I would decline.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#97

Post by jacknews » Fri, Oct 21, 2022, 1:11 AM UTC

paxys wrote: post #58

__ryan__ wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

at an average of 6-8 per company Based on what?

1 recruiter call 1-2 phone screens Maybe a take home test 4-5 onsite interviews 1 call with hiring manager This is the standard process in big tech recruiting.

It's exhausting just reading this, let alone doing it with multiple companies.

How did it get so crazy, or is this only for the most elite companies, and positions? I can't imagine going to all this trouble for a java programming position at a regional insurance company or something similar.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#98

Post by dirtybirdnj » Fri, Oct 21, 2022, 1:26 AM UTC

I'm right there with you.

I was a backend web developer for 10 years until COVID hit, and after getting laid off I've been bouncing between menial low-wage jobs. I can be a capable, productive member of a development team but the experience I've had makes me look unhirable? I don't really understand it.

Once you get "high up" enough in the job market and fall down, there is something that is perceived as wrong with you. It's unfair but it's real. I've been in it for 2+ years.

I have reached a point of toxic burnout that I'm having incredible difficulty recovering from. I spend my days at a menial job that causes immense stress and mental anxiety, and then I come home and try to look for jobs, apply to a few before getting discouraged and pass out. The suggestions to "take a break" seem cruel and mocking to someone who desperately needs to pay the bills and can't find a way to work harder to earn more. My only other options are things like housekeeping, diswashing, or other out-of-tech jobs.

It's almost impossible to overcome self-hate and shame when every experience you need to "prove yourself" fails and you are unable to justify your value or existence to family or peers. I used to be a software developer now I'm just an angry wage slave.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#99

Post by ipaddr » Fri, Oct 21, 2022, 2:02 AM UTC

dirtybirdnj wrote: post #98

I'm right there with you. I was a backend web developer for 10 years until COVID hit, and after getting laid off I've been bouncing between menial low-wage jobs. I can be a capable, productive member of a development team but the experience I've had makes me look unhirable? I don't really understand it. Once you get "high up" enough in the job market and fall down, there is something that is perceived as wrong with y…

What language/stack are you in?

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#100

Post by unity1001 » Fri, Oct 21, 2022, 2:19 AM UTC

dirtybirdnj wrote: post #98

I'm right there with you. I was a backend web developer for 10 years until COVID hit, and after getting laid off I've been bouncing between menial low-wage jobs. I can be a capable, productive member of a development team but the experience I've had makes me look unhirable? I don't really understand it. Once you get "high up" enough in the job market and fall down, there is something that is perceived as wrong with y…

Putting up a profile with your experience at Upwork, and start doing contract work is not an option? Things are not the same as they were decades ago. Covid and remote work shattered all traditional practices. People at Upwork do upwards of $60/hour. Ive seen the profile of someone who left Google contracting at $250/hour and someone ex-Twitter contracting at $150/hour.