When the job search becomes impossible • Hacker News Board

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#261

Post by lurk2 » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:30 AM UTC

Avicebron wrote: post #161

renewiltord wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

You might need to get out more, I've lived it, I've been around people who live it every day. I met someone for the first time in like 15 years (old school semi-acquaintance), something like the second thing we started talking about was how rough it was just finding and paying for an apartment in the remote super "LCOL" place we found ourselves. Think about it, I'm guessing the guy welding the beams in your kid's sch…

> I'm guessing the guy welding the beams in your kid's school isn't making a quarter of what you make a year.

The majority of software engineers aren’t earning anywhere close to 4 times a union welder’s wages.

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#262

Post by carlosjobim » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:34 AM UTC

saulpw wrote: post #218

hansvm wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I must be missing something. 1200 real applications are hard to sort through. 1200 mostly fake applications are much easier. Hiring is a high-leverage activity, and it's absolutely worth spending a couple hours going through those by hand.

For 1200 applications, a couple hours translates to less than 10 seconds per application. In the age of LLMs, why do you think you'd be able to discern whether an application was fake in 10 seconds? Remember, it's not "obviously fake", it's "designed to con you" fake.

How about 50 per hour? That's just 24 hours of work and a reasonable first look at one minute for each application. Very little time to spend for an important company decision which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#263

Post by myahio » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:34 AM UTC

squigz wrote: post #257

thrwaway55 wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

It's either extraordinarily tactless to suggest this, or on purpose, so soon after the assassination of a political figure.

Agreed, this is total blasphemy

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#264

Post by scorpioxy » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:36 AM UTC

foxfired wrote: post #217

This past year, I noticed people reaching out to me whenever my employer is hiring. These seem to be new graduates, and there is a pattern in the way ask for a reference or a job: - "Hey, I applied, could you hire me?" - "I have a compsci, I'm qualified, I sent a resume" - "can I use you as a reference?" These are people I've never met, yet they are so direct to the point of being rude. But to the best of my knowledg…

I'm guessing it is due to the advice that getting a job is a "numbers game".

When I was hiring somewhat recently, I talked to a worryingly high number of people that didn't know what role they're applying to, had perfect resumes and were taking the fake-it-till-you-make-it attitude to its limit. I mean I get there's a sales aspect to an interview, in a way, but this was pushing it way too far. It was a very frustrating experience.

A lot of the recent advice has pretty much destroyed the hiring process, in my humble opinion. It swings from solving hard computer science problems to testing trivia to being a political round-table. I keep on wondering how much worse can it get before a reset is needed.

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#265

Post by PNewling » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:37 AM UTC

squigz wrote: post #257

thrwaway55 wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

It's either extraordinarily tactless to suggest this, or on purpose, so soon after the assassination of a political figure.

You're referring to Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman, right?

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#266

Post by BobbyTables2 » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:37 AM UTC

jofer wrote: post #148

As someone who's recently been hiring (sorry folks, position was filled just a few days ago), it's wild to me how distorted things have become. We had 1200 applications for an extremely niche role. A huge amount were clearly faked resumes that far too closely matched the job description to be realistic. Another huge portion were just unqualified. The irony is that there actually _are_ a ton of exceptionally qualified…

Been a couple of years since I last was an interviewer, but I’m always amazed at people who blatantly exaggerate in-depth experience while seeking a highly technical position.

Job Requirements: Senior Staff, Deep technical work in X, Y, Z

Resume: 10 years as tech lead in X, Y, Z

Reality: Once walked near someone with experience in X, Y, Z and heard them sneeze loudly. Can spell X correctly.

Why do they even bother?

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#267

Post by thrwaway55 » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:43 AM UTC

myahio wrote: post #263

squigz wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's either extraordinarily tactless to suggest this, or on purpose, so soon after the assassination of a political figure.

Agreed, this is total blasphemy

I missed this part in the Bible.

I'll admit it's tactless, but as a presumably European in your other comment what have I sacrileged against God? You asked an economical question it's hard to make economical decisions with repeated 90 day deadlines.

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#268

Post by mixmastamyk » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:44 AM UTC

vkou wrote: post #181

apwell23 wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

employers preempted that option long time ago. h1b visa workers cannot be in an union.

Less than 17% of tech workers are on H1Bs. They can't exactly scab for the other 83%.

Wow, is it really ~15%? No wonder unemployment is so high.

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#269

Post by biophysboy » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:51 AM UTC

foxfired wrote: post #217

This past year, I noticed people reaching out to me whenever my employer is hiring. These seem to be new graduates, and there is a pattern in the way ask for a reference or a job: - "Hey, I applied, could you hire me?" - "I have a compsci, I'm qualified, I sent a resume" - "can I use you as a reference?" These are people I've never met, yet they are so direct to the point of being rude. But to the best of my knowledg…

This is why I honestly think it would be better if the popular job boards limited the number of applications you could submit per day. The game theory of the job market incentivizes spray and pray.

Re: When the job search becomes impossible

#270

Post by mixmastamyk » Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 2:55 AM UTC

kstrauser wrote: post #242

jppope wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Awesome work! Really nicely built funnel. Great to hear people doing it the right way.

Thanks! I treated it as my full-time job and spent hours scrambling nearly every day. If things had worked out a little differently and I didn’t get a job in a reasonable time frame, I wanted to know it wasn’t from lack of trying.

Is this because you were talking to recruiters and they would respond? Because I've only been able to talk to ~three hiring managers this entire year. So the idea of lining up thirty interviews sounds preposterous, and not because it's hard work.

I followed up with the three of course, but was ghosted after one reply or so.