Ask HN: How would you leverage a network that doesn't know what you do?

I think you may be confusing friend network and business network. After 10 years in the field, it is inacceptable that you don't have at least a dozen of past colleagues to call to get an internal referral. I personally don't use Facebook but it doesn't strike me as the best platform for that. Your buddies and college friends are one thing, your ex coworkers/reports/managers are another.

TBH, it should be easy to find a gig simply by applying to open positions that you find on interesting companies websites. However, I strongly recommend that you start working more seriously on your professional network in the future. Make sure you keep in touch with good colleagues, make sure you remain in good terms with everybody, etc.

I have a couple of work colleagues. I don't know if it makes a dozen. All but two of them have left the state since I've worked with them, so I can't meet most of them face to face anymore. They all do seem to have better careers than I do, though, so the potential to find a good position through them seems high. I have them on LinkedIn and have let several of them know that I'm currently looking for software engineer work. Currently they just don't know of any open positions.

Have you tried: angel.co triplebyte.com

they are both great resources for software engineers looking for jobs!

angle.co is a great place for finding a job in a startup (of all shapes and sizes).

I have personally never tried triplebyte.com, but I have head good things about it.

Also, go to meetups (meetup.com) around your area and start networking, it's never too late to start networking and meetups are a great place to start networking if you are new to it...

You can also start a blog+portfolio and go freelancing for a while. Most times freelancers get hired as full-time employees if they are working on large projects and the client recognizes the value you bring to the table and wants to retain you.

Type up your CV and find recruiters.

They sometimes get a bad name, but that's also sometimes undeserved, and the good ones are like gold; they will often know people in their clients' business well. That's your pre-made network.

No need to show loyalty to one recruiter at the start. Get in touch with a few, and continue with the ones you like. You'll also be in their rollerdex forever more.

As you're still on good terms with your former employer, mention, emphasise this - you're laid off because of circumstances out of your control, not performance related.

Play the numbers game. You definitely have software development experience so apply 'as total stranger' to as many places as you can through their jobs section. With the giants (Google, FB, Amzn, etc) it may be harder to hear back from this way, but mid-sized and smaller companies are more likely to respond to you. While applying for internships and new grad positions, overall I applied to more places 'as total stranger' as opposed to via referrals from friends and received responses.

Oh I'm playing the numbers game. Hitting up companies of all sizes. But I don't think it's something I should be doing for all your career.

>While applying for internships and new grad positions, overall I applied to more places 'as total stranger' as opposed to via referrals from friends and received responses.

I'm not a fresher, though. I have been working in the industry since '07. And yes this is how my network looks like. Zero fellow programmers, zero leads (apparently) to get work.

I never thought of the career as a chain of jobs where one job leads to recognition that helps you more easily get the next job. I thought one could do fine just looking for work in a vacuum every single time. But guess I was wrong...

Have you tried to ask previous coworkers maybe they know somebody? There are certainly some programmers in your network. but mybe not on first "node".

Yeah. I usually ask if they also know anyone that is hiring. So getting into second-degree connections. It's weird considering I live in a big city. I felt like I was dealt a bad hand, but just made it worse.

Maybe you're looking at it a little wrong. Maybe some of your friend run a business and need some IT help, maybe they need a website?

Try reframing it from their perspective, not what they can do for you (tell you if people are hiring) but what you can do for them (make them a website, sort out their IT etc)

Well, I did already post an announcement on Facebook saying that I'm looking for web development/software engineering work, and it got reposted by a friend. It didn't get any replies.

I also occasionally PM some of my friends on Facebook and on Hangouts if they are hiring or looking for web development help. None of them have any idea. I've been going on regular rotation with the PM's for about a year (I've been unemployed that long) and they always say sorry, they don't know anything about jobs for me.