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Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

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Re: Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

#151

Post by snakedoctor »

fallingknife wrote: post #136
snakedoctor wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my former co-workers at IBM went to a bootcamp in SF. She is pretty smart. Though, I feel that bootcamps are kinda scams. Not like colleges though.

I went to college and did a bootcamp. College - 212K tuition (current) - 4 yrs - no job guarantee Bootcamp - 18K tuition - 3 months - money back if no job within a year Can you spot the scam?

Haha yeah. Though, some of the boot camp folks who I noticed . Usually have earned a bachelors with a major in something else than CS etc. Then made the transition to tech via a bootcamp. I applied to the recurse center a while back and got rejected.

Re: Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

#152

Post by imstate »

BeetleB wrote: post #54

So far none of the replies has mentioned this, and it may be unpopular in HN, but: Seriously consider going back to school and finishing a degree. Although it's "known" that you don't really need a degree for a SW role, there are plenty of well established old school companies that will not consider you at all unless you have a degree. On the flip side, you'll get jobs more easily. A lot of interviewers who choose to…

I have to agree. I don't think having a degree dictates whether a person can do a job or not, but they have sure convinced corporations that it's a requirement.

After I got a degree I started getting responses from places.

Re: Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

#153

Post by void_mint »

fooblitzky wrote: post #74
void_mint wrote: post #18

Have you tried asking any of the jobs that rejected you're getting rejected? Honestly, just a guess, you're probably giving off bad interpersonal vibes/people don't really like talking to you. Half of interviewing is just being very personable/being able to talk comfortably with other people. Generally in this space (this space meaning those interested in tech/startups/etc) sometimes people struggle in this area but…

Many companies large enough to have HR and/or legal departments have rules specifically against providing feedback to candidates on why they were rejected.

I don't disagree, but I think you'd be surprised at how many would respond in some capacity that was helpful. Even if 100 people refuse and one person doesn't, that's still more information than you had before.

And in my experience, if you fail the technical portion of an interview, most companies will tell you. Meaning, if you ask and they don't bring up technical skills, it's probably not the technical skills.

Re: Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

#154

Post by mjgs »

Get a legal job that pays you at least minimum wage.

That should be your #1 priority. Absolutely anything. Just apply to everything until you get something. Once you have income that you control, then start applying for computer industry jobs.

Avoid homelessness at all costs, that’s a really big hole to get out of.

Re: Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

#155

Post by ritchiea »

Covzire wrote: post #112
ritchiea wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is great advice. I would add: don't wait for them to coach you, tell them what your strengths are and how you've had trouble finding a job at big tech companies. Let them know you're open to smaller and lesser known tech companies and that you want to be coached to help you with the interviews. Because you're striking out at the interview stage and you know you can perform better. EDIT: based on the first reply…

Personally I wouldn't volunteer to tell them which or how many big tech companies rejected my resume. I'm afraid that nine times out of ten it would create undue prejudice in the interviewer/recruiter.

Thanks that is actually great advice. I added an addendum suggesting let agencies know he could use interview coaching but avoid details like where he's applied already or to how many companies.

Re: Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

#156

Post by JarlUlvi »

I know someone that talks, and writes, in a very similar fashion to yourself. There are a number of interesting parallels between his approach towards education and your own. I presume you have some sort of points on the spectrum, or neuro-cognitive differences. These can be negatives and positives simultaneously.

As another mentioned, you have a stream of consciousness style of writing that is atypical, and could be an asset if properly harnessed.

Despite your similarities, he has some pretty substantial achievements in his career, and runs in some lofty circles. Works for a fortune 1000 company and has built an impressive career out of his niche skills. He exhibits an extreme amount of persistence and has a grand network on one of the freenode channels, so he is quite the curmudgeon.

Rather than pursuing the most competitive gigs possible, perhaps you should be building your skills, knowledgebase, your CV, and your network?

Re: Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

#158

Post by taytus »

honkycat wrote: post #88

Your writing is not strong, i can tell you did not attend college. Written communication is important in tech. Your applying to those companies with 0 experience or college degree is unrealistic. The entry level is extremely competitive and you have nothing to make you interesting to hire. They get thousands of applications for those jobs. You are still young, plenty of time to learn, but I recommend taking a step ba…

>Your writing is not strong

Followed by

>Your applying to those companies

instead of "you are" or "you're"

Cut him some slack.

Re: Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

#159

Post by komaromy »

sombremesa wrote: post #142
georgeecollins wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree but I would cut the OP some slack on the writing for a forum post. I know I have dashed off things here that could use some proof reading. But the gist of what you are saying makes sense to me. Going back to college seems like a good idea as a general direction.

The GP has put a "your" instead of "you're" in (almost) the very next sentence, so you don't even need to point to your own mistakes to illustrate your point...

> The GP has put a "your" instead of "you're" in (almost) the very next sentence

Correctly so

Re: Ask HN: How can a unhireable person get a job?

#160

Post by xpe »

klyrs wrote: post #42

Brutally candid advice? You sound like a creep. Am I reading it right here, you spoofed your number to talk to executives? In the best case, they'll assume you're a pen-tester; but more likely, you're blacklisted from those companies now. I wish there was, like, short and simple advice that I could give you to not be a creep. I just tried to google that, and I'm not finding a good clear resource. Like most social ski…

Spoofing your number does seem shady.

However, saying someone is a creep is not very helpful. There is a big difference between how one is perceived and what a person -is-.

The most helpful advice I've seen here is: get direct feedback from a candid friend.

This HN feedback offers a range of opinions, but -please- don't dwell on it. Find a way to have people you know help you ... practice interviews, talking out loud about your situation, your expectations, your goals, and so on.

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