Ask HN: 50 job applications, 15 interviews, 7 onsites, and no offer – what next?

I applied to over 500 jobs, had about 11 interviews, got rejected by 9 out of 11, and got rejected twice by the company I'm working for. (Once a hiring freeze, once they didn't like me) To me, you're not applying enough.

Also I don't count phone interviews as interviews. Those are just to weed out candidates from the in person interview.

Lastly, I think we're missing some info. You must be doing something odd on the phone or you would've had an in person interview. Do you have any friends in management who can do mock interviews with you to figure out what it is?

I might need a job badly but I find it difficult to show that I need it badly. It just seems too much drama for me. I just hate these interviews - they are so much about pretending to so much better than you really are, etc etc... But I really don't have a solution to propose either. I just wish interviewers start registering in for different kinds of personalities.

> I might need a job badly but I find it difficult to show that I need it badly.

Okay, so there's a very fine line here. You don't want to show that you need it badly. You want to show that you want it badly.

Need it badly would imply that the reason you're there is for the cash, and you don't care about the company you're applying for or the job you're going to do for them.

Want it badly might likely imply that you're dying to do the job you're applying for, and you're dying to work for this particular company.

A candidate who just needs a job and spends time communicating that they need a job badly is going to lower their chances. A candidate who wants the job badly spends time talking about the company they're applying for, and why that particular company is the place they want to be, and why that particular job is the job they want to do.

> they are so much about pretending

In my experience, pretending doesn't go very far. It's far better to be in a place of complete honesty about your skills and about your needs and wants. When you're honest, and you find the job you actually want, and you apply for that job, it will show and your chances will go up. I've been interviewing engineers for a couple of decades, and I can tell you it's fairly easy to spot people who are pretending about how good they are and how much they want the job, the entire process is designed to weed out pretenders.

I don't want to discourage you, but those numbers are very good (7/50 onsite means you got to almost the final stage and considering that you are not applying for every job under the sun - this is a good number - 10/50 would be a great number imo).

Don't give up now even though you feel like it!

While I don't have 12 yrs of experience as you do, I had almost 2 yrs of exp leaving Uni and still had a hard time getting a job!

Just out of curiosity - are you looking for jobs at startups? and are they located in SF/SV?

As a final point, from what I've been told it's a better idea to deal with good recruiters instead. Maybe asking your colleagues for recruiter recommendations and contacting them would get the results you are looking for.

Most of your suggestions are quite standard and do make sense. I think its a little difficult to show that one will be a good team fit. (1) you are Indian, coming from a very different culture (2) One can have more of an introverted personality or a mixture of extrovert and introvert depending on who they are talking to)... Are you an HR?