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Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

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Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#81

Post by sjducb »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #40
sjducb wrote: post #29

If you're a former tech lead with 10 years of experience, and struggling to get a job then you're doing something wrong. Have a friend / former colleague who knows you and the industry. Get them to look at your CV and do a mock interview. Then listen to their advice. You are probably making a basic mistake like badmouthing former employers / being bad at leetcode / not having good reasons for gaps / unreasonable requ…

It's very common to fail interviews these days, you make it sound rare. Employers are looking for any possible reason to say no, and many have unreasonable expectations. Often choosing based on who memorized the most random facts (from an unbounded set) asked today. Your third paragraph is good probably on target however.

40 failed interviews in a row, with 10 years of experience is rare. If he had failed 5 interviews then I would just tell him to keep going. After 40 failures in tech he needs to stop and work out what he's doing wrong.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#83

Post by d11z »

vlod wrote: post #82
d11z wrote: post #74

I’ve been trying for abour 5 years now, longer even; and I’ve too given up. I work for myself now, because I have no choice, no voice, no house.

>I work for myself now, Do you mean as a contractor/consultant or you're own startup idea?

Startup idea, although it is currently on pause due to health issues.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#84

Post by mixmastamyk »

sjducb wrote: post #81
mixmastamyk wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very common to fail interviews these days, you make it sound rare. Employers are looking for any possible reason to say no, and many have unreasonable expectations. Often choosing based on who memorized the most random facts (from an unbounded set) asked today. Your third paragraph is good probably on target however.

40 failed interviews in a row, with 10 years of experience is rare. If he had failed 5 interviews then I would just tell him to keep going. After 40 failures in tech he needs to stop and work out what he's doing wrong.

Been there. Other things you can’t change, or are very hard. Getting old, or choosing the wrong degree.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#85

Post by dudul »

To me it doesn't sound normal. Yes there are layoffs, but I feel like the market (at least in the US) is still hot, especially for good senior people. If you truly went through 40 interviews without ever making it to an offer I'm sorry but there is a problem somewhere with you.

At what stage of the process do you usually get rejected/ghosted? 40 seems like enough data points to try to detect a pattern. There is something you're doing wrong, but you can learn what it is and improve.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#86

Post by registeredcorn »

ghaff wrote: post #68
registeredcorn wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Answer basic questions like why are you applying to that company? What do you gain from that role? People can smell desperation. Question for you: When you get this sort of question, do you answer honestly, or "honestly"? My current company has been in a pretty steep decline in terms of quality. I feel that they undervalue the work that I do, do not pay me appropriately for the work that I do, are skirting around fu…

A litany of gripes about your current employer is generally not a good look in an interview. Positivity is better than negativity. Why do you want to work for the company you're interviewing with? It can be inferred that you likely have some complaints about your current role but you probably don't want to give the impression that you'll take whatever you can get because any port in a storm.

Hmm, that makes sense. I think I'm probably making the mistake of too much of a "shotgun" approach and applying to jobs I'm not particularly passionate about.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#87

Post by registeredcorn »

onemoresoop wrote: post #79
registeredcorn wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Answer basic questions like why are you applying to that company? What do you gain from that role? People can smell desperation. Question for you: When you get this sort of question, do you answer honestly, or "honestly"? My current company has been in a pretty steep decline in terms of quality. I feel that they undervalue the work that I do, do not pay me appropriately for the work that I do, are skirting around fu…

I think your strategy of being "honest" is not bad at all if you're looking to not trip any wire and disqualify from an interview. But if you're looking to land a job that truly aligns with your values and are not desperate to switch jobs, have enough time to look, perhaps being honest would take you further.

That's fair. I feel a pretty terrible twinge at the prospect of telling a "selective truth". I see it as a form of lying, but feel nervous at the idea of making myself less desirable than other candidates. It's a very hard ethical issue to deal with.

Honestly, the idea of working with any company in the niche I'm currently qualified in isn't particularly exciting. I've been studying for a few months to move into a different industry (cybersec), so perhaps it would be better for me to back off from actively applying, and instead focus more on what sounds interesting, and come at it from an eye on that subject instead.

It's frustrating because I see a reasonable amount of job opportunities out there for my current field, but I find it very hard to feel excited about applying to a company that does, say, insurance or finance. I feel enough motivation to know that I don't like where I am right now, but I can't quite define how moving into a company who focuses on one of those things would be something that I'm passionate about. I suppose applying to those sorts of jobs would then, essentially be guaranteeing that I move on in a few years.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#88

Post by ghaff »

registeredcorn wrote: post #86
ghaff wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A litany of gripes about your current employer is generally not a good look in an interview. Positivity is better than negativity. Why do you want to work for the company you're interviewing with? It can be inferred that you likely have some complaints about your current role but you probably don't want to give the impression that you'll take whatever you can get because any port in a storm.

Hmm, that makes sense. I think I'm probably making the mistake of too much of a "shotgun" approach and applying to jobs I'm not particularly passionate about.

Sure. Pretty much most variants of looking for a change. It's fine if there are lots of things that you'd be open to that are different from what you're doing today, but you can tailor that for the company.

I've always had a pretty good idea when I've shifted companies (although in one case it was I want to do the same thing but with a solvent company). However, it's always been with people I knew. I've never had a real interview since grad school decades ago.

Re: Ask HN: How to overcome job search exhaustion?

#89

Post by quickthrower2 »

digitalgangsta wrote: post #38
wincy wrote: post #25

I don’t know OP, I’m a tech lead who has done his fair share of interviews and based on your few comments on HN there seem to be some red flags with how you’re viewing the interview process. Saying “one person derails things because I’d outshine them” seems to externalize the blame. I don’t know that I’ve ever worked with any engineer who thinks they’d be worse off by hiring an extremely intelligent engineer. I’d lov…

this. Worth interviewing with someone you know and see how you do. I interviewed a gent once who was very smart but talked my ear off, including cutting me off multiple times. After 45 mins of this, I stopped him and bluntly gave him this feedback. He was stunned and then thanked me as he realized he had been failing interviews because of this and no one had told him. I didnt hire him, but he was very appreciative an…

That is a good story of the power of candid feedback. More people should do that and treat developers as a wider community, helping people succeed even if you don’t hire them. He might come back to interview in 3 years too as you will be the company he will remember.
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