

Ask HN: Looking for a developer? - gintsmurans

I hear here and there people saying: &quot;There are no good developers to hire anymore.&quot;
Well, I am currently looking for a job, and what I have concluded from my little research is that the way companies hire people makes me feel like nobody actually wants me. 
I have to fill gazillions of fields, I have to go through various kinds of pre-interview processes, like this last one - its an automatic video interviewing system, that records my answers using some pre-recorded videos as questions. Cool system, technically, but I will have to spend hours on this thing. Ideally I would have to send a link to my resume or a pdf (where my name, email, and all the others are), and company would figure out on their own whether they want me or not. If they are interested, we can arrange video meetings or meet in person to see if I am not some weirdo. Like I sent my cv to twitter and they sent me that I am no fit for the position, fair enough. :) I still had to fill forms and write a cover letter. Obviously if I apply for the job, I am interested in the subject and interested in the company and willing to learn if anything beyond my knowledge appears. No need for cover letters. These days a lot of companies offers good salary, health coverage, gym and other benefits, so basically the company should &quot;sell&quot; it self to me - show why I should choose them, not the other way around.<p>Do you feel the same?
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csmdev
Welcome to the bucket. I see you're new here. :)

Some tips for next time:

\- if they want timed coding challenges or quizzes, skip them

\- if they want you to work for a couple of days on a task to see your
abilities, skip them

\- if they don't accept a Skype interview and insist on going to their
headquarters in another city, skip them

\- if you're creative and like innovation, you're pretty much fucked because
you don't fit the standard way of thinking

There is no shortage and there is no actual demand. Companies just want better
people for less money. They say that are no more good developers. But what
they mean is: _" There are no skilled suckers that will accept our
ridiculously low pay"_.

You need to jump through hoops only so they can get an easier recruiting
process. You're no longer a valuable resource. You're just a mindless robot
that needs to meet specific keywords. Doesn't matter if you learn, adapt or
solve problems. All that matters is how you fit on a very specific recipe.
Interviews are the same. Vomit the fizzbuzz solution, some "core programming"
buzzwords and maybe two or three generic tasks with stupid loaded questions.
And you're hired.

Software developers are now just employed freelancers. Doesn't matter how you
think or what you can do. All you need is keywords and experience with highly
specific things.

~~~
smeyer
Wow, I'm just a recent college grad, but you're experience seems vastly
different than mine. That's a much more negative view than the one my friends
and I developed going through job searches. I wonder what the most important
contributing factors to the differences are.

~~~
csmdev
You're fresh meat and cheaper. There are no downsides for hiring college
grads. You take a low pay and learn the exact technology stack the company is
using. But when you decide to change jobs, that's when the real fun starts.

~~~
smeyer
Fair enough. Although the low pay thing is all relative. I went to a top
school with heavy recruiting, so pretty much all of my friends going into tech
took salaries in the 80k-200k range (or knowingly took a paycut to work
somewhere particular such as taking a paycut for equity at a startup). To some
people those salaries are massive and to others they're tiny. I guess I'll
have to check back in on this comment thread in a few years.

~~~
nicholas73
Say that again? 200k for a new grad? Where may I ask?

~~~
smeyer
I had a friend with a few offers from top places (of the google, facebook,
microsoft sort of variety) who ended up taking one for about 100k a year base
plus about 500k stock vesting over five years. That was definitely atypical,
though, particularly on the stock front.

------
sjs382
I agree, with some reservations.

>> I have to fill gazillions of fields, I have to go through various kinds of
pre-interview processes, like this last one - its an automatic video
interviewing system, that records my answers using some pre-recorded videos as
questions. Cool system, technically, but I will have to spend hours on this
thing.

If a potential employer doesn't respect your time during the interview phase,
I'd be hard pressed to believe that they would respect your time and
boundaries as an employee.

>> Obviously if I apply for the job, I am interested in the subject and
interested in the company and willing to learn if anything beyond my knowledge
appears. No need for cover letters.

This really isn't obvious, a lot of the time.

As someone who hired another developer recently, I estimate that 1/4 of
resumes that came in had zero relevant experience, and I'd wager that MUCH
less than 1/4 of the total candidates bothered to do any research on the
company at all.

A lot of the "song and dance" of the hiring process really is necessary.
Employers just need to remember to respect the time of the candidates.

~~~
gintsmurans
I have also gone through resumes looking for developer and I have to agree,
that lot of people don't know where they are applying. But I feel like this is
what companies should figure out them selves. I should just send my CV to
them, to let them know I am interested.

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mooreds
I believe you are proceeding about the job hunt in the wrong way. Don't go
through the online process.

Find an employee who is already at the company you are interested in. This is
one place where linkedin shines, but if you are interested in SV startups, try
angellist. Contact them. Ask your questions. If there is further interest, ask
for an intro to the hiring manager.

Don't play the game.

For more:
[http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/basics1.htm](http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/basics1.htm)

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IpV8
Go to tech meetups and small business meetups. Find good people in tech, the
job offers will come second.

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yeseme
I feel the same. I went through so many interviews in the last three months
and now I feel sick of it.

------
bonsai
Have you tried [https://hired.com/](https://hired.com/) ?

~~~
trumbitta2
Have you? I'm interested and curious about it.

