YMMV
I hate looking for a new job. There is a certain intangible sludge associated with it, like standing on the edge of a rotting swamp you need to cross. How long can a man survive without food again? Perhaps it just brings up too many bad memories.
Go to craigslist, open the software jobs section. Don’t search or filter, even in a large city. Scroll down and middle-click any job that looks like it might vaguely be relevant. For example, if I’m looking for a Node.js job, both “Experienced Node/PHP/Ruby/HTML programmer wanted for contract work” and “Senior Developer” count. Don’t look at the new tabs yet, just scroll through the entire list and open all the jobs that might maybe possibly be of interest.
After you reach the end of the job listings, all of them, close that tab. Start from one end of the tab bar and handle each one in turn without skipping. Be decisive. Don’t let yourself make excuses or procrastinate. If a post fails, close it immediately and move to the next one. If a post passes, respond immediately. Don’t “make a list” for later. Don’t “bookmark the good ones”. Just contact them. Write down which ones passed after responding, if you want to keep track. I usually don’t.
I’ve worked at software companies of every shape, size, and kind. The best kind, IMHO, are small startups with external funding. Profitable startups are more relaxed but usually can’t afford a high salary. Culture at startups past the A Round tends to quickly degrade into corporate Employee Handbook hell. Not every small startup is a pleasant work environment either. Beware fad-chasing, buzzword spewing nut jobs. You will be rebuilding the entire stack every few months because the newest hot shit is newer and hotter than the new hot shit from a few months ago. Never mind it’s a pre-alpha with more bugs reports open than closed written in a language that hasn’t reached version 1.0 yet. The filtering rules are designed to eliminate 80% of the crap. Filter the last 20% by talking to them.
Generally speaking, I’m looking for a post written by one real human being to another in normal, well-formed English. Close the tab if you see any of the following:
- “The candidate shall possess the following attributes…”
- “You are a self starter. You have many projects under your belt. You ride your bike to work and eat kale.”
- “We are looking for a Rock Star Developer.”
- “Master’s Degree in Computer Science required, Ph.D. preferred.”
- “Our client is a Fortune 5,000 company that we won’t tell you the name of.”
- “Our interview is a 12 step process that should only take 6 weeks and cost you 3 personal days, $50 in gas money, and half your sanity.”
- “Salary starts at $40k for well-qualified candidates.”
- Excessive buzzword usage.
- Any mention of an Employee Handbook.
- Legal disclaimers about anything at all.
The best posts are short and sweet. “We’re looking for an experienced Node.js developer to join our restaurant analytics and consulting company, HouseOfPies.com. Experience with PostgreSQL, Ubuntu servers, Nginx, and Mongo is a plus. Call Marty at 555-123-4567 or email clyde@houseofpies.com if interested.” Close anything that doesn’t have direct contact information. Bonus points for a contact name. Application forms are not only an insult but a sign of something broken inside the company socially. Don’t waste your time with a company that can’t even be bothered to talk to you directly.
If there’s a phone number I call. “Hi, my name is C. Otter, I saw your post on craigslist about a Node job?” Then just let them talk. Confidence goes a long way. If there is an email address instead, I send a short and simple email. They all follow the same pattern so I don’t stress over what to say.
Hello Doug,
My name is C. Otter. Your Node developer position looks interesting. I like your idea of tracking pie consumption by filling type; we did a similar thing with icing flavor at a cake consulting firm I used to work at. My resume is attached. If you want to chat, feel free to call me any time at 555-890-4321. Otherwise, best wishes and good luck on your search.
Best,
C. Otter
555-890-4321
c_otter@theocean.kelpwww.craigslist.org/ocean/43jf83j29nf
Introduce yourself first. State your interest in the specific job they advertised; managers are busy and receive many emails. In one or two sentences, point out that you appreciate some aspect of their business and tie it gracefully to a piece of your experience. Include a link to the original post for their convenience. Oh, and remember to actually attach your resume in the first email.
Learn proper spelling and grammar. Be polite and positive. Don’t use coarse words or slang of any kind. Don’t say “like” even once, even in context. Don’t bring up money. Provide your phone number, email address, and resume. Don’t brag about how you can help them or their customers. Don’t flatter them either. Don’t waste their time. “Classy” is the goal here.
After I finish filtering and responding to all the tabs, I’m done for the day. Every day I go back and see if there are any new posts. Sometimes it can take a couple weeks, or longer, for find a good job. But who cares? I have plenty of time.
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