Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#1

Post by trade_unionist » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 8:21 PM UTC

No idea what I'm doing wrong. Nobody is even calling me.

I've had a hard time finding a good long term job. Employment lengths:

1 year 3 years 3.5 years 6 month contract 13 months 3 months

I think that is what's screwing me despite the fact that I actually am a good developer. I asked a recruiter if I had anything obviously wrong on my resume and he said no. He also said software developer hiring has been relatively unaffected by coronavirus.

I've applied locally and for remote positions. I'm getting totally ignored. I'm about to give up and start doing something blue collar.

I'm stuck doing gig work. I could be doing so much more for society than this. I have a product I want to sell but can't scrape up a thousand dollars to get it to market. So instead of innovating or working as a software developer I'm delivering fast food all day long just to survive.

I have experience as a professional full stack developer. I have a bachelor's degree in software development. I'm being ignored by almost everyone.

Do I give up software development? Where else can I go that is better than finding some random blue collar thing on Craigslist?

Re: Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#2

Post by msadowski » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 8:29 PM UTC

I’m not involved in any hiring at the moment but feel free to send me your CV with identifiable information redacted and I’ll provide you with some honest feedback. You’ll find my email in my profile

Re: Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#3

Post by fortunajs » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 8:30 PM UTC

Just upload the CV and ask HN for help :) Usually people have very limited attention span so may be you're missing a short summary with your experience and the current goal?

Re: Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#4

Post by trade_unionist » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 8:51 PM UTC

msadowski wrote: post #2

I’m not involved in any hiring at the moment but feel free to send me your CV with identifiable information redacted and I’ll provide you with some honest feedback. You’ll find my email in my profile

Okay, thanks for taking a look. I'll send it tonight when I get home.

Re: Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#5

Post by mmanulis » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 9:19 PM UTC

- What kind of software dev do you do and what kind of job are you looking for? - What industries are you looking to work in? - Which part of the world are you looking for a job? - Can you share a link to your resume so people can review it? - Have you tried sites like Vettery or Hired? My xp with them was neutral at best, but doesn't hurt. - Have you done anything on HackerRank? Yes, it sucks with all the algo crud, but that's where things are with the industry.

Re: Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#6

Post by antoineMoPa » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 9:21 PM UTC

Do you know about /r/cscareerquestions? https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/

I'm sure you will find a lot of helpful advice there.

Re: Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#7

Post by bigbassroller » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 9:34 PM UTC

Write blog posts about skills you specialize in with a contact form at the bottom and wait for hiring managers to come to you. This gives you much more leverage and self esteem.

Re: Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#8

Post by giantg2 » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 10:14 PM UTC

"I could be doing so much more for society than this."

I'm curious how one measures this. Personally, I don't see my job as a software developer any more beneficial to society than the blue collar jobs I've had (janitor, Lowes, warehouse, etc). If anything, I felt more of an impact and appreciation from dealing with customers directly. Being able to solve a customer's problem and make their lives easier was a great reward.

Posting PM/email on your profile here might also get some responses. What area are you looking in? Open to relocation?

Re: Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#9

Post by dyeje » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 11:11 PM UTC

You should be at least getting some callbacks. What's your email? Happy to help.

Re: Ask HN: 10 years experience, 200 resumes, almost zero responses. Do I give up?

#10

Post by dstik » Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 11:25 PM UTC

Have you tried reaching out to former colleagues? Often times, many of these companies have internal referral programs and incentives for employee referrals.