No hits??? Or no callbacks after first contact?
Send me your resume, and I'll take a look (email in profile).
Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
231–240 of 304 posts
Re: Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
#232Bear in mind, that there are also some people who are 30 who are not getting jobs.
You list all your accomplishments (35 years, 3 degrees, etc)... what do you say on your resume or your cover letter that indicates you are also hungry to learn? to explore? to be humble? to be part of a team?
And I wonder at 35 years, why are you not leading a team and mentoring others? Why are you still on the lower tiers?
Lastly, there are many job situations, which let's just say, the employer / managers are not even ambitious. They just want somebody in the chair. They have a budget to maintain, or they are in transition. or they have billable hours to meet. They just need a warm body. Forgive me, but at a minimum, I find it hard to accept that someone who is really job hunting hasn't at least found one of these.
Also, what are you requesting for salary? Do you do the coding challenges? Do you call them back promptly? When you are on a phone interview do you talk over them, or listen and answer succinctly? There are many, many factors beyond the mere resume to consider as well.
Re: Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
#233Do you do leetcode ;)
Re: Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
#234I am 67 and I have always been able to get very good consulting gigs. I took a full time job a year ago and had to accept a manager role. Your background sounds very impressive, keep trying!
Re: Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
#235Anything more than 10 years old on your resume is worthless. Yes, you may have 3 STEM undergrad degrees, but no one cares because it's not relevant anymore. What modern technologies have you recently worked with? What does your resume show, 20 years at the same company, or do you have experience at well-known, "prestigous" companies like FANG? Are you pigeon-holed into a specific area, or are you a generic, back-end…
> Yes, you may have 3 STEM undergrad degrees, but no one cares because it's not relevant anymore.
Two of those degrees (MS and PhD) are graduate degrees, not undergrad.
In the specific case of AI, the field has changed massively over the last 10-15 years, so the field-specific knowledge conveyed by degrees further back than that may indeed have depreciated quite a bit.
However, field specific knowledge is not necessarily what makes graduate degrees valuable. It's knowing that you're getting a candidate who knows how to branch out into unknown territory, who knows how to research the relevant literature, who didn't quit when the going got tough, and who can express themselves in comprehensible prose. These qualities don't become irrelevant, even if Isaac Newton was your PhD advisor.
Re: Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
#236Bear in mind, that there are also some people who are 30 who are not getting jobs. You list all your accomplishments (35 years, 3 degrees, etc)... what do you say on your resume or your cover letter that indicates you are also hungry to learn? to explore? to be humble? to be part of a team? And I wonder at 35 years, why are you not leading a team and mentoring others? Why are you still on the lower tiers? Lastly, the…
You make some good points (I agree about people refusing to do coding interviews) but I think your comments don't really fit the situation this guy is describing. I know many of the devs at my company get hit up proactively by recruiters multiple times per week! They aren't looking at all and have 1/4 the experience this guy has. Also regarding the phone screen, he isn't even getting to that point.
Re: Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
#237Not in HR myself, but maybe they are looking for candidates that would stay with the company for a longer time. It may also be easier to persuade/manage younger minds or groom them for leadership positions. Why are you job hopping, if you don't mind me asking?
My whole team was laid off two years ago. Last year I did a startup that unfortunately folded when my business partner had a major family tragedy. This year I've been contracting and looking for work. I ran the numbers and I can't retire yet. I'm looking to work another 8-9 years.
If you're not doing it already, I'd highly suggest using every free moment you have during your contract work to network with the client, any other contractors, sales reps, account managers etc. you encounter there. i.e. don't just spend your days heads-down doing the work: get to know everyone you can, and more importantly get them to know you, while you're there. And don't be too busy to take the occasional coffee/water cooler break or group lunch. You can get a surprising number of leads this way.
Re: Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
#238Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, there is your problem. This is the "why you might not even do a phone interview" issue. Off to the reject pile you go. Put yourself in our shoes, and see how similar the frustration is: Why are you rejecting us? We hire people older than you, we have interesting work, the finances probably work out better... but you reject us. If at some point you decide to evacuate California, we'll still be around: https://ne…
The main reason is we have 4 kids living in the Bay Area and my wife doesn't want to move away from them.
Fine, take them with you. Can they code too?
Re: Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
#239Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've instinctively done this for the last little while (I'm approaching my 50s). I list the last handful of jobs and no dates on the university courses etc. I don't put a huge list of languages and technology I've used, just the most recent and relevant. Not having problems so far.
As a hiring manager involved in many hires over the past few years, this is excellent advice for anyone with ~10 years or more of experience.
Out of curiosity: what do you think when you meet the candidate, and it’s obvious they have much more than ten years of work experience? Is there something the candidate can do to put you at ease?
I’ve noticed some anxious double-takes in interviews after passing hiring filters with my shorter resume.
Re: Ask HN: Over 60 = no engineering jobs?
#240Earlier quoted context omitted.
Eich's donations to causes restricted the freedom of his employees. That's generally considered a "no-no" when it comes to being liked by your employees. Shockingly, they may even protest it.
Perhaps. The issue here is should somebody be completely destroyed for a difference of opinion? In the Bay Area the answer is a resounding yes . Tolerance is a comforting and popular term in the Bay Area. What people there are actually seeking is the enemy of tolerance: harmony . I really don’t care about people’s silly justifications for not seeing the difference, because either way it’s generally a personal delusio…
> The issue here is should somebody be completely destroyed for a difference of opinion?
I've seen Eich doing a lot of things in business (and posting around here) since the dust-up; I don't think he was “completely destroyed”.