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Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?

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Re: Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?

#41

Post by Ralo »

I'm attempting to enter this field at possibly the worst time, with the worst qualifications. No YOE, no degree. I do have friends in the field that may be able to help but it's far from guaranteed.

Only thing I have going for me is that I have many years of non-professional programming experience and multiple great open source projects but at this point, I think my only hope is accepting anything. Any pay, any location, remote or in person. I'm already working near minimum wage jobs, so it's probably better to work something relevant on a resume.

I'm also in Canada so, it was sparse to begin with.

Re: Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?

#42

Post by throwaway5959 »

hiddencost wrote: post #33
coolspot wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also didn’t know that. For others like us: > get baked > Smoking a larger than normal quantity of marijuana, usually resulting in a good few hours of laziness, desire to eat fast food (or junk food) and/or fall asleep.

Um, I just wanted to let you know that I had never considered that anyone didn't know that slang. So, thank you for that data point. There's such a big world out there!

Seriously. How has someone not gotten high at least once in their life?

Re: Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?

#44

Post by spamboy »

Got laid off mid-January from a smaller unicorn. 4+ YoE. I applied to ~80 places (mixture of cold applications and referrals), got to first rounds with maybe ~20, ended up with 5 offers (and pulled the plug on a few interviews due to fit or lack of interest.) 4 were startups of varying sizes, 1 was non-FAANG big tech, which I ended up taking for stability and WLB. Total time from getting laid off to signing the new offer was about 5 weeks.

Overall, I think things went ok for me because I have a fairly solid resume and a great network to lean on, and was able to do well in interviews. I also mostly applied to senior SRE and infra roles, which sounds like it’s harder to hire for than general SWE.

Re: Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?

#45

Post by sebmellen »

name-form wrote: post #39
sebmellen wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, when hiring someone, I want to have a track record with them. Having known them over a long period of time helps me be less guarded and more sure of their intentions. This also applies if the person is a friend of a friend — building a “network” just means knowing people who can vouch for you as a valuable and trustworthy person. The ability to build relationships and be stable over time is a merit.

So you hire people to pretend to be your friends. How do I leave this planet and your family and “friends” permanently on it? I hate everything you stand for.

I’m sorry you feel that way.

I have never hired someone to pretend to be my friend, nor do I know someone who has done that. As I see it, having a true network of friends and professional connections is precisely what guards me against “fake” people.

If you’d like to reach out (email in profile), I’d be glad to lend some advice.

Re: Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?

#46

Post by throwaway5959 »

elamje wrote: post #30

I’ve been posting where helpful, but early stage companies are still hiring! If anyone is struggling and is on the mid/senior/director side of their career (3+ yrs), I'm helping place people at my friends' Seed and Series A companies. Email me at j{at}markovmanagement.com if I can help ya!

I hope this isn’t something to say in bad taste but do you think the whole SVB debacle will have an impact on that?

Re: Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?

#48

Post by seattle_spring »

name-form wrote: post #39
sebmellen wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, when hiring someone, I want to have a track record with them. Having known them over a long period of time helps me be less guarded and more sure of their intentions. This also applies if the person is a friend of a friend — building a “network” just means knowing people who can vouch for you as a valuable and trustworthy person. The ability to build relationships and be stable over time is a merit.

So you hire people to pretend to be your friends. How do I leave this planet and your family and “friends” permanently on it? I hate everything you stand for.

fyi if you specifically are having a hard time finding a job, I guarantee it’s your attitude (showcased nicely on HN) and not because of nepotism.

Re: Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?

#49

Post by moneywoes »

h0l0cube wrote: post #6
bosch_mind wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hang in there. I’d say your experience is pretty good. Maybe try AB testing your resume structure and wording, improving social media, etc.

Whenever I've seen a situation with low supply/high demand, networks trump credentials

Any suggestion for boosting that when you live in a non tech city? Spam LinkedIn cold messages

Re: Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?

#50

Post by ra1231963 »

throwaway5959 wrote: post #42
hiddencost wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Um, I just wanted to let you know that I had never considered that anyone didn't know that slang. So, thank you for that data point. There's such a big world out there!

Seriously. How has someone not gotten high at least once in their life?

I think there are plenty who haven’t, probably lots for religious reasons. But to not have heard that term is very surprising. There’s even a movie, half baked.
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