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I automated my job application process

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Re: I automated my job application process

#421

Post by throwaway2037 »

hnthrow90348765 wrote: post #207
Aurornis wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Public job board listings have always been flooded with low-effort spam applicants, but AI tools have supercharged the problem. The saddest part to me is watching the AI and social media malaise infect young mentees. I’ve been doing volunteer mentoring for years. Recent cohorts have been infected with a sense that the job market is nothing more than a game that they need to min-max. It’s sad to see smart, motivated y…

>It’s sad to see smart, motivated young people get their opinions on the job market from cesspools like Reddit and TikTok, which teach them that trying is lame and the only way to retain your dignity is to withhold your effort from a job, lie your way through interviews, and “quiet quit” by testing the limits of how little you can. Reddit and TikTok swoop in to rationalize this behavior as the fault of companies and…

Why do still work there?

Re: I automated my job application process

#422

Post by joe_the_user »

MrMember wrote: post #314

I'm seeing a lot of back in forth in the comments between hiring managers and employees discussing who is more responsible for the current situation, but from the perspective of someone looking for a job what should I be doing? I've been pretty aggressively looking for a job for the past six months or so. I have 10+ years of professional software dev experience so I've mostly been looking at senior dev positions. I h…

It seems like the best strategy is automation for both job-seekers and employers and upshot is awful for everyone. So, the sum individually optimum behaviors might not be optimal for a group. Well, back to the drawing board, humanity.

Re: I automated my job application process

#423

Post by lukan »

fijiaarone wrote: post #404
bb88 wrote: post #368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Github copilot still sucks for writing complex code (algorithms or database queries, e.g.). Or trying to do unpopular things (like custom electronics using particular micros and driver chips). For unit tests, it's a godsend. Particularly if you write one unit test, and then it can write another in the style you wrote.

LLMs can’t write unit tests. They can’t even tell what you intend. If your code is already correct, you don’t need the unit test, if it’s not, the LLM can’t write the unit test. If you thing an LLM can write tests for you, you can be replaced by an LLM.

I don't think the concept here is blindly taking the output of the LLM and calling it a day. One can test, the test.

Re: I automated my job application process

#424

Post by lukan »

olddustytrail wrote: post #419
zero-sharp wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If you can't stand out from an LLM then why can't it do your job? I downvoted your post because this is a complete nonsequitur.

If you reply to a comment I believe it cancels your downvote.

For the ranking order. The post itself will still get greyed out, or flagged after enough downvotes.

Re: I automated my job application process

#426

Post by eredengrin »

With so many comments on the state of the job market, I'm surprised to not see even one mention of career fairs. It's quite common for universities to host these and while they have their own set of disadvantages, it seems they could also provide a lot of value in the current market. The physical presence would ensure that it's a real person and it makes cheating significantly harder. Deciding a time and place would allow lots of companies and applicants to meet within a few day period so it would be pretty efficient. A larger sized fair might last for a week or two and most companies would stay the entire time while applicants would just buy a one or two day pass. They could potentially even do in person interviews within the same period which would further save on hiring costs. Have a few of these in each region per year, it seems like it would be doable, it's just a matter of getting everyone on board (of course, easier said than done).

You could maybe even use the fair as a screening to give applicants a boost in future online applications - if they seem like a good applicant after talking in person but perhaps not the exact fit needed for current open positions, just flag their career account internally as a verified high quality applicant.

Short of career fairs, verifying identity and employment history might be valuable and it seems like LinkedIn or some competitor should be able to do this. If a company can verify itself through a reliable process and then publicly mark accounts of employees who have been employed there for whatever duration, that seems like a low hanging fruit. In fact it sounds so obvious that maybe there's a reason they haven't done this yet? Any reason someone could think of for why this isn't already happening?

Re: I automated my job application process

#427

Post by salomon812 »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #277
salomon812 wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, so the original argument is about whether or not it's worth it to fly people out for an on-site. Hotel and airfare: $2000 absolute max. Salary at $100/hr for one month for me to figure out it's not going to work out, then pull the trigger to fire: $24,000. I mean, being a manager is hard, but putting in the time and money to hire and then putting in the time to make sure your team doesn't have a morale drag, it…

$17k/month, not $24k? If you're paying people $290k a year, no kidding you should bring them in for an on-site interview?

Oh geez, I see my math mistake. But even at $5k/mo, the point still stands.

Re: I automated my job application process

#428

Post by klysm »

MrMember wrote: post #314

I'm seeing a lot of back in forth in the comments between hiring managers and employees discussing who is more responsible for the current situation, but from the perspective of someone looking for a job what should I be doing? I've been pretty aggressively looking for a job for the past six months or so. I have 10+ years of professional software dev experience so I've mostly been looking at senior dev positions. I h…

It highly depends on what kind of job you want. What kind of company do you want to work for?

Re: I automated my job application process

#429

Post by xyst »

> Submit resume + cover letter

Does anybody here actually read _cover letters_? I almost never submit them, unless required. I feel it's a remnant of pre-digital age where you would apply _in-person_ and the cover letter makes it _feel_ personal.

Re: I automated my job application process

#430

Post by olddustytrail »

michaelt wrote: post #370
dallasg3 wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What’s the scam? Get a job they can’t do…continue to get paid?

Due to the wealth disparities involved, a month’s Silicon Valley money is a years income for a scammer in a poor country. So just produce LLM-level code, make excuses, say you’re learning the code base, get lots of help from colleagues, turn in mediocre work, and if you can hang on for three months before they fire you - that’s decent money!

Hell, you might even get promoted to management!
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