Tips to Overcome Job Search Challenges in Tech

A job seeker came to me after 3.5 months of job searching with the following data: 180 applications submitted 12 screenings 1 referral 5 interviews 1 final round 0 offers After reviewing the data, I found that their job search was actually performing well in some areas but had key bottlenecks: - Strong application-to-screening rate Their resume and portfolio were doing well, getting them past the initial stage. - Good screening-to-interview rate Their performance in behavioral and situational questions was above average. - Weak interview-to-final round conversion  This indicated a struggle with: Technical rounds – Not demonstrating enough depth in core skills. Alignment with job descriptions – Answers weren’t tailored to the company’s needs. Surface-level responses – Not showcasing impact or real-world application of skills. The plan to improve: If I were coaching them, I’d focus on three key strategies: 𝟭) 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 Develop an interview strategy to explain technical and soft skills in-depth. Relate answers directly to the job description and company goals for higher impact. Use structured responses like the STAR method, but emphasize impact and problem-solving. 𝟮) 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 Daily practice of technical questions tailored to their target roles. Mock interviews to simulate real-world scenarios. Feedback loops to refine and improve responses. 𝟯) 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 Increase outreach to professionals in their industry. Leverage networking and informational interviews to gain more referrals. Prioritize companies where referrals hold more weight. Key Points: ✔️ Data-driven job search analysis helps pinpoint areas that need improvement. ✔️ Fixing interview bottlenecks is often the key to securing more final rounds and offers. ✔️ Referrals still matter even in markets where they aren’t as strong as in the US or Canada. ✔️ Daily practice and structured preparation make a big difference in interview performance. By focusing on these areas, They could significantly increase their final round conversions and land a job faster. Have questions about your job search or how to break into data roles? Drop them in the comments, or send me a message. Let's get you to your next role! ------------------------ ➕Follow Jaret André  for more daily data job search tips.

I talked with Tim Paradis at Business Insider about how people can stand out even in a tough job market, and his piece has great data and ideas. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gBiNXMyc We talked about our recent Chief of Staff search at Rising Team, and what helped the top candidates move forward. My top tips: 1) Send something that stands out: This was the main point of the article—for the jobs I've hired for, the people who send something extra, beyond what is required, always stand out. It could be a video, slides, a prototype, anything that shows you care enough to put in extra effort. It should be specific to the company, not just about you, to show that you did your research and understand the specific role and the company. This is a strategy very few people use and can work for anyone, even without connections or without the exact experience of doing the role before. 2) Be thoughtful about how you use AI: We all know that AI can help us write faster, and often better and more clearly than we do on our own. It can also help people apply rapidly to many jobs. The challenge is that it can also make us all sound the same. In fact ~100 of the 800 applicants for this role started their responses to our questions with the same 2 sentences. If you want to use AI, make sure to start with a more creative prompt (not just the direct question that was asked) and do significant editing to make it sound like you. 3) Network: It's still a good idea to use the tried and true strategy of leveraging connections. If you have relationships at the company, reach out to try to get an interview, an introduction, or a recommendation. Even if you don't have a direct relationship, it's worth looking at your 2nd degree connections to see if you know someone who can introduce you or put in a good word. While networking has always been a helpful strategy, it's harder now that so many people are applying to each job, and many people are using this strategy. The good news is that the other strategies above work for people who don't have any connections. One more tip, that I didn't mention in the article—practice your resilience. Job hunting in a tough market is a lot like fundraising (which I've also done a lot of). You will likely get a lot of nos before you get a yes. As long as you can bounce back and keep at it, I believe the right fit is out there for everyone. #hiring #interviewing #jobsearch

Job search is all about strategy, the way you spend your time, and your resilient mindset. It isn't about working endless hours on 100+ applications and redoing your resume 20 times. As layoffs continue across industries, my biggest tip is don't follow what you used to do a year or two ago. Here are some top job searching sites, tips and advice: 1. Diversify your job strategy beyond LinkedIn. Try Otta (acquired by Welcome to the Jungle)- awesome jobs in tech/remote, Built In (lots of company culture info & jobs), Teal - good for job tracking, interview prep, Glassdoor - great for researching company culture. 2. Follow companies on LinkedIn so you can be EARLY applicant and spot new roles. I can't emphasize enough that if you are late to the game at applying, you are likely wasting time, energy and mental capacity. If the role has been posted more than 3 weeks, you're jumping in too late (unless you have a referral). 3. Spend days researching and digging deep into your target companies. Take days off from applying and rewriting the perfect resume. This balance is truly key to create resilience through the process. Research is creative and can unlock some unique insights and people connections! 4. Think of referrals for companies not only jobs. Job seekers are often looking at a job posting THEN thinking if they can get a referral. I say do opposite. **Think target company first.** Get a conversation with anyone you can, then job postings and roles will follow. 5. Believe. At the end of the day, it takes 1 YES even if you get 1,000 NOs. Your belief in yourself will take you so much further than you could ever imagine. #keepongoing #jobsearch #gethired #mindset #jobsearchtips

1 Post, 100+ Messages, 1,000+ Connections & 10,000+ Impressions: This was the impact of my latest post on my job search experience. The fact that so many of us were able to relate to the topic was quite overwhelming. Due to this response, I have decided to further share additional resources that were crucial in my process and helped me find the right opportunities. If you are struggling to hear back from a recruiter and are not getting interview calls, these strategies below will surely be helpful. Here it goes: 1. Use multiple platforms: Though the majority of the applicants apply only through LinkedIn, not all the jobs are posted here. Moreover, many job openings are already duplicates or expired. Try these platforms in addition to applying on LinkedIn: 1. indeed.com 2. remotive.com 3. ziprecruiter.com 4. builtin.com 5. glassdoor.com 2. Reach out to hiring managers: Many hiring managers directly advertise the open positions in their team on LinkedIn. Try searching for these opportunities by using the #hiring hashtag or going to your target company and searching for the hiring managers through the "People" tab. Doing this in addition to the normal job applications will give you more visibility in your search. 3. Job Alerts: Your best friend and your biggest enemy while applying is 'Time'. It is important to stay on top of your game and apply as soon as the job opens. Applying to the stale job would only be an effort in vain. Setting up Job Alerts of your target company on LinkedIn and directly through the career center of that specific company helps you apply in that crucial time window and be one of the first few applicants. This is a critical step in your process to be shortlisted. 4. Referrals: Although this is the most hyped topic when it comes to applying, I would suggest being thoughtful of this one. Although referral surely proves beneficial, your application getting selected also depends on a lot of other factors. When I was applying, I applied to most of my target companies through referrals and rarely got a callback. Most of the interviews I secured were without referrals. Hence, I would suggest it's not beneficial to waste the majority of your time on getting referrals. Even if you cannot get them, it will be fine in the end. 5. Ramp up your LinkedIn profile: In my personal experience and many people I know who got good opportunities, a lot of times the recruiters themselves reached out to candidates on LinkedIn without even applying. Having a good and active LinkedIn profile is very crucial in your job search process. Even though it might take some time and work initially, I promise you it will be worth it in the long term. These are the same strategies that worked for me during my process and I am sure they will put you on the track for more opportunities. If you find them helpful, do like and comment on this post so it can reach someone who really needs it. P.S: Stay tuned to my next post for more valuable strategies!

Endless interviews, ghosting and rejections, oh my! Job hunting right now is exhausting. If you are struggling with your job search you are not alone. I know what you are dealing with: ➙The emotional hit of instant rejections ➙The confusion of on again/off again messages ➙The disappointment of hours of preparation with zero results It's hard to keep going in the face of these barriers. 🌟But the job offers go to those who don't quit!🌟 Here are some strategies to help you keep going: 1️⃣ Reframe "Radio Silence" ↳ It has nothing to do with you ↳ They don't have systems and processes ✅ You don't want to work there 💡The truth: They're showing you who they are. ↳ HR is overwhelmed, understaffed, and disorganized ↳ Management doesn't have its act together 2️⃣ Change the KPIs ↳ Key Performance Indicators should be things YOU control ↳ Measure connections, conversations, applications & preparation ✅ Focus on your own growth 💡The truth: You can't control the job market or an employer. ↳ Your energy is best spent on becoming the best candidate ↳ Research, relationships and practice pay off 3️⃣ Self-Care First ↳ Stick to a daily routine ↳ Use time-blocking to avoid burnout ✅ Winners play the long game 💡The truth: Burnout and defeat show in an interview. ↳ Prioritizing mental and physical health gives you energy ↳ Another hour scrolling job boards is a poor use of time 4️⃣ Build A Support Team ↳ No one should be job hunting alone ↳ People who can be objective are best ✅ Asking for encouragement is smart. 💡The truth: Job hunting is lonely. ↳ Make a specific ask of family & friends ↳ A career coach or accountability buddy can also help 5️⃣ Use Multiple Tactics ↳ Don't rely on 1 or 2 strategies for your search ↳ Avoid getting comfortable and try something new ✅ Winning candidates use ALL the strategies 💡The truth: Shaking things up will keep you energized. ↳ The minimum: Job boards, target employers, connections & applications ↳ Stay on top of tactics by following career coaches on LinkedIn 6️⃣ Take Breaks ↳ Don't sit for more than 2 hours at a time. ↳ Take off 1-2 days a week ✅ Always make time for things you enjoy 💡The truth: Job hunting is NOT a full-time job ↳ You cannot sustain a serious job search without taking breaks ↳ Tell anyone who gets on your case you appreciate their concern Job hunting isn't easy. It's not even simple. Complaining and focusing on the negative won't change that. Remember: the only person who loses if you give up is you. ♻️ Repost to help other job seekers stay strong 🔔 Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for more career resilience strategies 📌 Need help right now? DM me to get on my calendar.