Ask HN: Where and how do you look for jobs?

Software developer here:

I think of some basic filters - pay, location, fuzzy buzzword match. Then I go on seek.com.au and apply for every job that meets that spec. I ignore fluffy description stuff - I can find out what the company is really about at the interview. 90% of these lead to a discussion with a recruiter, who may have other jobs too. Then go to a few dozen interviews, get an offer or two then decide what to do.

Protips:

1. When talking to each recruiter and company make it sound like that job is top of your list, and your list is small say 2-3 jobs in total. Don't say you are considering another offer until you get an offer. I.e. match the stage you say your other thing is at with this one.

Example: "Do you have any other interviews" at the first stage. Answer: "Yes I have another first stage interview but from what I am hearing I prefer the culture of your company".

2. Don't turn down an interview until you have an offer you have accepted and the contract is signed.

Don't turn down an interview even if the job spec is a bit out of your league (but not if it is blatantly so). E.g. if you are a .NET developer without WPF and WPF is on the list just go it may or may not be that important. If they are asking for 5 years for forex trading algorithm experience and you have none then forget it.

Turn down an interview if you find out the most they will pay is less than your minimum, if the location is a no no or there is some other definite definite show stopper. Unless... you are (like me) rusty at interviews and want some interview practice before the one that counts.

Most of my jobs came through networking-- and it's yielded some incredible opportunities.

Not as cheesy as it sounds. You'd be surprised at the friends & contacts you can build up by regularly attending local meet-ups, workshops, civic & social organizations. I'm not a social butterfly by nature. But I do enjoy good conversations with smart people.

First step, get out of your own bubble.

I recommend "What Color Is Your Parachute" -- it's updated every year and contains profound and practical advice -- such as identifying exactly what you are looking for first and then finding it.

http://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2015/dp/1607... and http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/

Jobs doing what, in which industry? What kind of role?

Assuming you're just a developer looking for jobs in technology companies, you should check out the monthly who's hiring thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10152809 (Sept '15).

I also like angel.co due to salary transparency and the search UI. Hired.com is also nice if you're able to pass the initial test.

But a more specific question will get you more specific answers, cheers!

There are a variety of ways to look for jobs. Online, there are niche and broad job boards, such as Stackoverflow or Monster (I'm not sure if Monster is as big outside of the UK, but here it's one of the big players).

There are broad job aggregators/search engines, which centralise content from various sources, such as Indeed or Adzuna (disclaimer, I work at Adzuna).

There are other niche communities, like the who's hiring thread here.

You have some of the newer services, like hired.com and workshape.io, which attempt to make the process easier but usually for a specific niche.

You can add your profile to CV databases such as LinkedIn, where recruiters search for particular skills and then send out messages to potential candidates.

Then there are things in the real world, like recruitment consultants who will help to find you a job, job markets and fairs, postings and listings in various publications, networking events and meetups.

Any of the above could work for you and there are probably a whole bunch of other avenues I've forgotten.

What I would actually suggest (particularly for tech roles) is that you look at the companies or the top companies in the industry you would like to work in and start researching to see which are appropriate and if they are hiring, how that process works and if you have any contacts who can help. Make a shortlist of companies/roles and start contacting them.

Actually a small job seeking hack is using the same tools many SDRs and inside sales people use.

LinkedIn is a great place to find hiring directors for various jobs you area looking for. You can stand out by reaching out to these people directly to their email.

Get their email using some chrome extensions tools like:

1. SellHack 2. Salesloft etc..

(they offer a number of free credits so you won't have to pay anything for something like up to 10 emails found)

In short:

1.Find some companies you want to work for 2.Find the hiring manager at the dpt you are interested in 3.Prospect their actual email address like a kick-ass SDR 4. Send them a personal email with your CV (etc.) and standout from the hundreds of other applicants that use every other service that is easily accessible.

Good luck!

I don't know what industry you are in. But a good way to do it is;

A)Work with a recruiter (But make sure they understand your background and don't waste your time with the wrong jobs)

B)Select the companies you want to work for and look for hiring managers on LinkedIn and be ready to email them coldly as LinkedIn charges to email...

C)Go to Google and use this method to find email formats of the companies you are interested in thus "*@company.com" and email the hiring managers.

D)Highlight your accomplishment on the resume and what you bring to the table.

All the best-

if you're looking at startups, http://angel.co is a pretty good place to start.

connect with a bunch of recruiters on linkedin and let them help you