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Ask HN: I can't find a job. What do I do?

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Re: Ask HN: I can't find a job. What do I do?

#21

Post by dharmab »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #14
rossdavidh wrote: post #8

Lots of other advice here but just wanted to add one piece: when you do get interviews, beware of anything that sounds too negative about your current (or past) employer. Even though the fact that you're looking for work basically implies that you are unsatisfied, if your tone or language is negative it will give the impression that you are a negative person. So, when you do get that interview, just say that the oppo…

> if your tone or language is negative it will give the impression that you are a negative person. I had this backfire. I left a job after dealing with toxic and personal BS and passed all my interviews at a great company. Then came the personal references where one must be my previous manager. My previous manager trashed me and gave me a bad reference and I didn't get the job. In the future I didn't hold back on why…

In the US, the only information required to be given by a previous employer is time of employment, role, and whether the person is eligible for rehire. Reputable companies will ask and provide strictly this information only, to reduce their liability.

Re: Ask HN: I can't find a job. What do I do?

#24

Post by rhelz »

I’ve been a professional programmer since the Reagan administration, and interviews have never changed. Think of them more like fraternity hazing during pledge week.

The reality is you have to be good at leetcode-style programming.

It’s hard to think of going back to college—after you have lived like an adult it’s hard, but it’s not a bad idea.

Most jobs still come from friends and recommendations so go to be as sociable as you can.

Not easy :-( but it’s only going to get harder from here, so the soooner you start the better.

Re: Ask HN: I can't find a job. What do I do?

#25

Post by ayewo »

ilaksh wrote: post #2

I'm from the US and I also don't have a degree. I think it's true that does make it harder. I have avoided applying for traditional jobs for the last 10-15 years and instead focused on "freelance" (mainly Upwork). For several reasons: because it was easier to get remote work that way, because I wanted to make sure I had time to work on my own startups, to try to avoid office politics, and because it was actually easi…

Mind sharing the Discord server?

I recently learned that there are websites out there that serve as aggregators for the plethora of Discord communities out there. E.g: https://discadia.com/ and https://disboard.org/

Re: Ask HN: I can't find a job. What do I do?

#27

Post by ayewo »

pythonb3sss wrote: post #26
hipadev23 wrote: post #12

Just say you have a degree, especially from India, nobody will validate.

I don't want to lie to get a job. And companies do verify. Maybe not small startups, but everyone else does. And those small startups will start verifying when they grow.

You didn’t state where you are based now. Are you still in India or you moved elsewhere?

Re: Ask HN: I can't find a job. What do I do?

#28

Post by ak_111 »

Lots of certification for enterprise IT software might be a good way to get on the ladder. Look at the certification for SAP, Salesforce, Oracle, Azure, AWS, Cisco (on the other hand avoid most bootcamp "certifications").

Those entry jobs are not great in terms of salary and workload, but there is huge demand for analyst using these tools and having a certification might compensate for the lack of degree.

Re: Ask HN: I can't find a job. What do I do?

#29

Post by uptownfunk »

Build a portfolio. I’ve been in the industry 20+ years across eng/product/science and led orgs over from 10 people to 300+ people across FAANG and big tech and all I care about when I hire is do you: 1/work hard 2/deliver reasonably on time 3/have a good attitude 4/ leave your politics at home

I don’t care about your age / gender identity / if you are remote / have a degree / are disabled.. or really anything else. i will bend over backwards to get people who can provide evidence of the above..

Best of luck

Re: Ask HN: I can't find a job. What do I do?

#30

Post by strangesmells06 »

ak_111 wrote: post #28

Lots of certification for enterprise IT software might be a good way to get on the ladder. Look at the certification for SAP, Salesforce, Oracle, Azure, AWS, Cisco (on the other hand avoid most bootcamp "certifications"). Those entry jobs are not great in terms of salary and workload, but there is huge demand for analyst using these tools and having a certification might compensate for the lack of degree.

Have several of those. Doesnt help. Lol
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