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Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

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Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#71

Post by lj3 »

smt88 wrote: post #56
lj3 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just out of curiosity: Do you have difficulty hiring people?

Everyone has difficulty hiring people. The most popular companies, like Google, may have a glut of applicants, but it's still incredibly difficult to know whom to choose. For almost everyone else, there are two problems: not enough applicants and no infallible way to screen them. Hiring is (and should be) the most difficult thing a company does. It's the most important thing a company does for sure.

I'm not interested in the generic "everybody." I'm intersted in accatyyc's experience specifically. Not every company bins generic applications. It would be interesting to see if accatyyc's company can afford to do so because they have a glut of qualified applicants or if they're artificially limiting their candidate pool for some other reason.

Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#72

Post by ryandrake »

smt88 wrote: post #15
IshKebab wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but also it is true that the mechanical process of actually filling in an application is very tedious. If that bit can be eliminated then it is definitely worth it. That said, I think you can apply to jobs with a single click on LinkedIn (and I assume StackOverflow?) so that has kind of been solved. Ish.

I've heard it said that if you send an application online, you're already screwed. Or, to put it another way: if the first person who sees your application is a computer or HR person, you're screwed.

Unfortunately this is the only avenue open to people who do not have the privilege of having a rolodex full of industry contacts who they keep regular enough contact with that it's not awkward to reach out for help.

Let's say I've worked with roughly 1,000 people throughout my 20 year career. Let's say generously 20% of them I worked with closely enough that they know who I am and have a vague sense that I'm an awesome worker. 20% of those I've actually developed a friendly relationship with beyond water cooler chit chat, where we'd trust each other enough to be willing to help with a job search. Maybe 20% of those are now in companies where I'd want to work. And further 20% of that list are in positions so close to the hiring manager at one of those companies where they could actually speak up and have some influence on a decision. We're down to one or two people in the entire industry.

These numbers are guesstimates (pretty much match my own situation), but I just don't see how "networking" is the silver bullet everyone says it is. I'm sure when it works it really works, but I wouldn't rely on it.

Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#73

Post by accatyyc »

lj3 wrote: post #55
accatyyc wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding job applications: when hiring people the first applications we send to the bin are generic ones. I really despise them because we get so many of them. We spend so much of time reading applications that if an applicant can't have the courtesy of writing a personal email it really leaves a sour taste. So to actually answer your question - when applying, write why you are interested in the job. Make it at leas…

Just out of curiosity: Do you have difficulty hiring people?

Depends on your point of view. In terms of amount of applications, no. Loads of people apply, but in terms of finding the right person, yes I think it's very hard. It takes a huge amount of time, and all the generic/automatic applications certainly don't speed up the process.

Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#74

Post by ryandrake »

cwt137 wrote: post #16

My department just finished a cycle of hiring developers. We could tell which applicants mass applied to jobs and used a generic cover letter. They are probably was just playing the numbers game. Since they didn't care enough to at minimum change or add one or two sentences to make the cover letter unique to our job posting, they didn't get far in our hiring process.

How does this square with the "shortage of engineers" lament that tech employers have been repeating for years? If there are so few applicants, how is it that everyone is so picky?

Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#75

Post by ryandrake »

smt88 wrote: post #69
ryandrake wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've gone down that dead end. 1. Spend weeks researching the company, 2. Craft the perfect (after a few drafts) resume and cover letter tailored directly to that company, 3. Meticulously make sure all the online form fields filled in. Subsequently receive an auto-reply 10 minutes after you submit it with a generic "We considered your application and decided NO." E-mail. All it takes is a few of these, and I would be…

> only an idiot would continue to believe it's about taking the time and tailoring your application Personal attacks aren't allowed on HN and cheapen your response. Many other commenters, including myself, are responsible for hiring and immediately discard applications that aren't tailored. When someone spends time customizing their application, it means my company is near the top of their list. That indicates a high…

I've edited my comment--it was certainly not meant to be a personal attack against anyone but that hypothetical job applicant!

Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#76

Post by accatyyc »

pdimitar wrote: post #54
accatyyc wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding job applications: when hiring people the first applications we send to the bin are generic ones. I really despise them because we get so many of them. We spend so much of time reading applications that if an applicant can't have the courtesy of writing a personal email it really leaves a sour taste. So to actually answer your question - when applying, write why you are interested in the job. Make it at leas…

I understand and appreciate that -- plus I always write personalized messages. It's a very worthy time investment! That being said, many firms don't have enough information on their websites -- and even in their job application info page! -- about what do they do technically and what is their current need. That makes it hard to make a proper addressing to them while doing a sales pitch of your abilities and profile.…

That's some good feedback! I will try to think about making sure that our job ads contain enough information about the role. Hadn't thought about that. Thanks!

Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#77

Post by saneefansari »

brailsafe wrote: post #45
Brajeshwar wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmmm, and we built a Job Search tool that we initially intended as our internal tool to hunt for contract works. However, we end up aggregating all sorts of jobs. I'm thinking search job with our tool - https://getbetterluck.com/ and apply with your tool.

Are the keywords the only way to filter the aggregated results? I immediately ran into wanting to filter by region but I don't think full text keyword search would be so reliable

Right now, you could use search to find posts based on cities or regions. We are planning have a bit more robust location based filter in future.

Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#78

Post by accatyyc »

lj3 wrote: post #71
smt88 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone has difficulty hiring people. The most popular companies, like Google, may have a glut of applicants, but it's still incredibly difficult to know whom to choose. For almost everyone else, there are two problems: not enough applicants and no infallible way to screen them. Hiring is (and should be) the most difficult thing a company does. It's the most important thing a company does for sure.

I'm not interested in the generic "everybody." I'm intersted in accatyyc's experience specifically. Not every company bins generic applications. It would be interesting to see if accatyyc's company can afford to do so because they have a glut of qualified applicants or if they're artificially limiting their candidate pool for some other reason.

To expand on my other answer in regards to this - I wouldn't say we have a glut of qualified applicants. It's pretty hard to find the great developers, and the reason we bin the generic ones is that we have never found a fit through one of those. Also it simply takes too much time to move further with those applications. I'd rather be programming :)

Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#79

Post by [deleted] »

ryandrake wrote: post #72
smt88 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard it said that if you send an application online, you're already screwed. Or, to put it another way: if the first person who sees your application is a computer or HR person, you're screwed.

Unfortunately this is the only avenue open to people who do not have the privilege of having a rolodex full of industry contacts who they keep regular enough contact with that it's not awkward to reach out for help. Let's say I've worked with roughly 1,000 people throughout my 20 year career. Let's say generously 20% of them I worked with closely enough that they know who I am and have a vague sense that I'm an aweso…

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: A Webapp to Auto Apply for Jobs

#80

Post by lj3 »

ryandrake wrote: post #72
smt88 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard it said that if you send an application online, you're already screwed. Or, to put it another way: if the first person who sees your application is a computer or HR person, you're screwed.

Unfortunately this is the only avenue open to people who do not have the privilege of having a rolodex full of industry contacts who they keep regular enough contact with that it's not awkward to reach out for help. Let's say I've worked with roughly 1,000 people throughout my 20 year career. Let's say generously 20% of them I worked with closely enough that they know who I am and have a vague sense that I'm an aweso…

I've seen it work well for people. Those people spend a lot of time talking to, getting to know and befriending people on the business side of things, like managers, VPs, and technical leads.

Think of it like sales. Salesmen don't only sell to people they happen to run into at home or at the office. They go out of their way to target (ie: chat up and befriend) people who buy what they sell.

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