Tech job searches: trying to stand out from the pile of applications.
It's really hard to get remote tech jobs right now. This is partly due to widespread tech layoffs—including layoffs on recruiter teams, meaning fewer people are available to look at the applications. In addition, some big companies are requiring employees to return to the office, prompting many of those workers to seek new (remote) jobs as well. The competition is fierce, but just the sheer numbers are incredible. I've seen many jobs in my area with over 1000 potential applicants. Even if 90% of those are clearly unqualified, that still leaves 100 applicants for the hiring team to review—a lot!
I've STARTED getting better results using two strategies:
1) I’ve started applying to hybrid (or onsite) jobs in my area, rather than focusing exclusively on remote roles. For these, there might be 45 or 60 potential applicants, rather than 1000+.
2) I'm also looking specifically for jobs where I have a contact at the company. Then, I make a simple request: asking them to contact someone in the recruiting department to look out for my (already submitted) application.
This makes the request a lot simpler than usual. In this situation, the contact doesn’t have to give me a traditional “recommendation” – there are lots of folks in my current network who don’t know me well enough to speak to my qualities as a potential hire. But their email or message to a colleague can, perhaps, highlight my application enough to get a few moments of extra attention, and, perhaps, get me a screening interview.
One more note – when I ask a contact for this kind of help, I often provide a couple of names of recruiters in their company. I search LinkedIn for people who list the target company as their current employer and include the word “recruiter” in their profile. Reviewing the results usually provides a couple of names.
Has anyone else had results (i.e. a first interview!) using these sorts of tactics? What other strategies have worked for you?
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2moLooks fun! Tho, free snacks sound like a good idea to me 😝