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

Hello HN,

I am simply writing this post because I can't take this situation anymore and this is a cry from the heart.

I've been applying to a million jobs, I always seem to get the same old automated denial and I am just so sick of it. I am incredibly hardworking, disciplined, passionate about what I do and good at it, I've been doing web dev & design since highschool, I learn fast, I sweat the details, I am willing to learn anything it takes to solve my problems, I've launched a startup, single-handedly sketched, designed, and developed two mobile apps from scratch, (both live on iOS and Android at the time, and one of which went on to get over 8000 users the first month, be top 10 of its category, get featured in top women's publications online) , created APIs, have experience with databases (SQL and NoSQL), marketing, writing copy, web scraping, product design, interface design, I am Franco-american, bilingual in French and English, speak Node.js, Python, Django, Meteor.js, Hapi.js, and whatever I learn next.

I've been "selling" myself as a Product Designer but I truly can't fit in such a narrow box; I love the entire process, I love coding: for me HTML/CSS and code have never been anything more than tools to get whatever was on my mind into the real world. I love clicking a button and seeing it do something. That to me is magic.

But I am so frustrated right now, I don't understand why everything takes so long, this process is unbearable. It's already an inhumane effort for me to apply for a regular job, but I am willing to do anything (in tech) as long as it's paid at this point. I just want to come back to New York (I moved there when I was 20, knowing no-one) and work. I really feel like I can be incredibly useful to whoever hires me and it kills me that no one is even giving me a chance.

This is my website: http://o23.io

Help.

If you are really desperate, you could try to A/B test the process. Optimize a site/profile for one application at a time. If they're looking for a front-end programmer, be that 100% and casually mention you also have experience in the other fields. Backend? Be that. Write the bio for that, show examples of that, quotes od clients regarding that... Right now you try to check all the boxes and you're getting compared to people who fit the job 100%. Just my 2 cents. By the way, your site feels rather un-personal and cold. How about adding at least a picture, a short bio, a bit of design and emotion?

Maybe it's that you're experience says DESIGNER all over the place, but you seem to look for a "DEVELOPER with some extra product-design attributes" type job.

This confuses the heck out of most recruiters, since they like to put people in "boxes with labels", like "product designer, "graphic designer", "frontend developer" etc. I mean, people can't even figure out "who should interview this guy?"... which leads to being unable to even schedule an interview... which leads to lazy people going "wtf, next" reactions...

Also avoid labeling yourself as "designer who can code"... at an older job I worked with projects started by a designer/coder and it was a horrible experience... maintaining code written by a designer with rudimentary coding skills (not even basic OOP, let alone basic OOD/SOLID skills, or at least notions of FP) is pure hell for a disciplined software developer.

Also adding ENTREPRENEUR there translates to "shit, this guy can leave the company and start his own business anytime".

I'm an "Expert Generalist" myself, but never label myself as such, it drives everyone away! (Not even after getting a job... it will make everyone around you feel stupid and insecure, because "hey, this guy knows everything, I only know X", and they'll not enjoy working with you...)

List your full experience, but label yourself as what you want your future job to be! This way recruiters, founders or engineers will know what to do with you...

Quality over quantity. Apply to a few jobs, apply directly, really get to know the company before you apply and show that in your application by completely tailoring each one to the job.

I'd also market yourself as a Software Engineer (or a better known job title) rather than a "Product Designer". In the right company, an engineering role will see you dip your toes into all aspects of the product development process, which seems to be what you're after.

Lastly, remember that you need to stand out at every step of the recruitment process, from the easily discarded stack of resumes, to the checking your social media/github profiles, to the interview and technical assessment.