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Ask HN: How do I contact a recruiter?

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Ask HN: How do I contact a recruiter?

#1

Post by mattchue »

I've seen sites like Hired or Triplebyte that are supposed to put you in touch with potential employers, but they seem more geared towards people with a lot of experience. I'm a new developer, mostly focusing on the front-end and I'm trying to get a feeling for where my skill level is at with respect to the rest of the field. I have a little less than two years experience. I've been struggling getting responses or meaningful feedback from the places I have applied to, but I believe a recruiter would be able to give me some insight as to what I need to be a more enticing candidate. What is the best way to find or get in touch with a recruiter?

Thank you!

Re: Ask HN: How do I contact a recruiter?

#2

Post by sebg »

Rather than waste your time with a recruiter, do the following:

1) Figure out exciting companies/teams/individuals 2) Research what they are doing 3) Reach out with a humble email almost like what you wrote, but make it about their company and what you like about them. 4) Rinse, repeat

Re: Ask HN: How do I contact a recruiter?

#4

Post by mattchue »

sebg wrote: post #2

Rather than waste your time with a recruiter, do the following: 1) Figure out exciting companies/teams/individuals 2) Research what they are doing 3) Reach out with a humble email almost like what you wrote, but make it about their company and what you like about them. 4) Rinse, repeat

Thanks for the response! I've been trying to do a bit of this with my cover letter: the way I have it structured allows me to write a portion of it specific to each application, and I've been including the cover letter even when not required. It sounds like you are suggesting I ditch the letter altogether for a more succinct note explaining why I am interested and why I would be a good fit in situations where it is not required. I will definitely give that a shot.

Re: Ask HN: How do I contact a recruiter?

#5

Post by mattchue »

tmaly wrote: post #3

create a linkedin profile, add your skills. The site is well used by recruiters. A few should reach out to you.

My LinkedIn has been updated for quite some time now, and I've yet to hear from anybody. I have a little less than two years experience building SPAs in Angular, and an Associate's degree, so perhaps my profile is not as enticing as others.

Re: Ask HN: How do I contact a recruiter?

#8

Post by davismwfl »

mattchue wrote: post #4
sebg wrote: post #2

Rather than waste your time with a recruiter, do the following: 1) Figure out exciting companies/teams/individuals 2) Research what they are doing 3) Reach out with a humble email almost like what you wrote, but make it about their company and what you like about them. 4) Rinse, repeat

Thanks for the response! I've been trying to do a bit of this with my cover letter: the way I have it structured allows me to write a portion of it specific to each application, and I've been including the cover letter even when not required. It sounds like you are suggesting I ditch the letter altogether for a more succinct note explaining why I am interested and why I would be a good fit in situations where it is n…

I have found that most technical people won't read a cover letter, HR will generally, but if there is an HR then it isn't an issue. Instead, use a quick 2-3 sentence description why you are applying and why you think you are a good fit.

And in the end it is a numbers game, as sebg pointed out, rinse and repeat.

I highly recommend customizing each note you send with your resume, don't ever use a "form" style. In the past I would even sometimes adjust my resume to highlight specific skills that are relevant, but that usually comes when you have a lot of varied experience and you need to draw peoples attention to specific skills.

Re: Ask HN: How do I contact a recruiter?

#10

Post by mattchue »

davismwfl wrote: post #8
mattchue wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the response! I've been trying to do a bit of this with my cover letter: the way I have it structured allows me to write a portion of it specific to each application, and I've been including the cover letter even when not required. It sounds like you are suggesting I ditch the letter altogether for a more succinct note explaining why I am interested and why I would be a good fit in situations where it is n…

I have found that most technical people won't read a cover letter, HR will generally, but if there is an HR then it isn't an issue. Instead, use a quick 2-3 sentence description why you are applying and why you think you are a good fit. And in the end it is a numbers game, as sebg pointed out, rinse and repeat. I highly recommend customizing each note you send with your resume, don't ever use a "form" style. In the p…

Noted. I imagine systems like Lever or proprietary hiring platforms usually appear more with companies that have HR, whereas a few sentences for a position that only accepts application materials via email will go a lot further than a multi-section cover letter. I've been trying to stay away from making my cover letter feel too much like a form, but because I'm shorter than most on experience, I feel like it's important to explain myself a bit in the cover letter, but, if it never gets read, it's kind of a moot point anyway. I've thought about switching up my resume depending on the position, but I don't really have a big collection of tools to showcase quite yet so I'm thinking its current permutation is more or less complete.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

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