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Comment by azurelogic | Hacker News Reader

Tossing CVs down an HR portal (to nowhere) isn't a way to find jobs. You find jobs by knowing people. I'm sure there are some developer/designer meetups in Paris. Find one (or many) and start going. That doesn't mean sit in the back silently. You need to network. This doesn't have to be cheesy. Make small talk. Get to know them and their interests. Maybe you'll have the same favorite CSS framework. Talk about that then. When people feel that you are easy to talk to and that you know what you're talking about, it becomes easier for them to feel good about introducing you as a candidate to their boss.

Why I am so confident in this answer? 1) I've gotten every one of my jobs through networking (either from meetups or from former coworkers and friends); 2) I run a meetup, and I've seen it happen; and 3) I've been in the position to recommend people to an employer, and I don't recommend people who might make me look bad.

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>"Tossing CVs down an HR portal (to nowhere) isn't a way to find jobs. You find jobs by knowing people."

No you can find jobs by applying for positions on listing on Indeed, Simply Hired, or direct listing on companies sites. It happens all the time. Yes developing a network is also good but that is not the only way to find a job as you are implying. I've gotten my last 3 jobs without "knowing people."

I am assuming that by changing your career 3+ times, you would be considered an experienced developer. If so, I would say that it's then safe to assume that your skill set and accomplishments speak for themselves to a degree. But for a junior developer without much professional experience, knowing someone or getting face-to-face time with someone may be their best shot at landing that entry position job. As a recent graduate, my 1st internship and ft offer were both through a career fair, and my other internship was through a friend's recommendation. When your skill set is so similar to so many other people in your position, sometimes the only thing that would set you apart is a personal touch.

You don't have to know people. I got my last 2 jobs through StackOverflow careers

also, another data point.

I got all 3 of my Dev jobs thus far from StackOverflow careers despite using a bunch of other available tools at the time.

I disagree with this. I've been offered jobs through blind applications several times; in fact, I've taken (some of) said jobs. I am not a senior developer; I'm about the same age as the OP.

The trick is to understand the criteria used to weed out people who apply through these venues. All you need to do, in many cases, is get to the first stage of actual interviews and let your real skills drive from there. To do this, you have to present a resume, cover letter, etc. that align more or less exactly with what the job description requires.

HR will ignore a "generalist" resume that has some but not all of the relevant skills listed and a whole bunch of other, irrelevant stuff; they'll also discard personal statements/cover letters that don't seem specific. All that's required to stand out in these cases is some limited personalization for each company, matching up the skills they want to the ones you have.

> Why I am so confident in this answer? 1) I've gotten every one of my jobs through networking (either from meetups or from former coworkers and friends)

This doesn't mean people don't get jobs through normal HR means. I've gotten the majority of my jobs through just applying on a website, although I do agree that knowing someone is better.

I've gotten on-sites and offers with the biggest Silicon Valley companies by applying on their online portals..

General idea is to market and sell yourself. Doesn't necessarily have to be networking. But of course you do have to promote yourself and learn how to do that well if you are planning to have a career in this field. Competition for software jobs is not going to decline.

This is good info and the best place to start - but unfortunately eventually the contacts and acquaintances routes are used up without response.

This is one of several ways to apply (I think the first way one should apply) and after some time you should be doing more.

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