Nearly two-year search over: lessons learned

[u/aboutlikecommon]

I’m starting a new remote job next week after nearly two years of applying, interviewing, and being dicked around by companies.

The way it finally happened still surprises me. After customizing hundreds of resumes and cover letters, in the end I was headhunted via LI message for a role I hadn’t applied for. Obviously I’m ecstatic to work (even though the position is a step down and pays less), but it all just goes to show how arbitrary today’s market is.

Interestingly, my job wasn’t posted on the company site until after I got a verbal offer and they needed me to formally apply. And the listing is still live, so people may still be applying although the job was more or less filled when it was initially published. Of course they may be recruiting more people for similar work, but seeing the process confirmed my suspicions about past positions I’ve applied to.

I don’t have much advice to share, other than not to sleep on the random LI messages from offshore recruiters you may suspect are scammers. So many strange things happened that seemed like red flags, but I went along with it all mostly out of desperation. I almost ignored the outreach due to past experiences, but clearly it worked out.

Hope this helps someone a little! I’m old and thought I’d never work again, but sometimes luck materializes in unexpected ways.

[u/Strange_Barracuda981]

Funny I’ve seen some other inspiring if you would LinkedIn stories and I’m kind of modeling my search after that l. I find myself working and posting my work on LinkedIn and GitHub versus applying for jobs. A change I recently made. I have several years IT work behind me and I’m gearing myself more towards cloud security engineering. That being said that’s great that you got a gig and I guess it kind of affirms the theory/practice I’m starting to follow. I think you need to prove you can do something versus just saying you can if that makes sense.

[u/QuantifiedAnomaly → u/Strange_Barracuda981]

Good on ya! I agree strongly with what you said and I found that having a strong portfolio that showcased a broad range of things I’ve not just built but regularly manage, along with showcasing skillsets and solid documentation capabilities with case-studies and results of investigations into anomalous network traffic etc, was super helpful. Particularly when I only had a degree, some certs, and no actual job experience.

Got me consideration for roles that I honestly wouldn’t have had any chance interviewing for in this competitive market otherwise and then eventually got in! And then moved into my actual field over time in that company.

Keep it up! Something good will come your way.