New decade, new strategy - are you equipped for your job search?
If you're in the middle of a job search, you might be spending time on platforms like LinkedIn and Dice. I have some bad news for you: Traditional job sites like this are full of job postings that do not exist.
Yes, you are wasting your time. A lot of your time. Ditch your ATS- keyword strategy. These jobs don't even exist.
How do I know this? Candor tracks over 8,000 companies in real time and we talk to recruiters every single day to negotiate salaries for tech employees. At any given moment, we know what's happening on the market and what's NOT happening on the job boards.
The market in 2020 is brutal, and if you're not applying for work the right way, you will spend 6+ months with no results. The right formula for this decade is:
Find open jobs + Warm Intro / Get Sourced + Intensive Prep = Profit
The best job boards are in VCs' heads. If you never want to apply for a job again, make some friends in venture capital. Seriously- there are few more straightforward ways to find job opportunities that no one else has even heard of. Many of the most exciting jobs in tech are filled through people's networks and never posted. I've seen many tech positions get filled this way, from data science to operations roles.
If you want to access the VC underground job market, you will have to hang out on Twitter, not LinkedIn. Twitter is more than social media, it's a chance to meet some of the most interesting people in tech. Strike up interesting conversations, engage in people's posts, and be consistent in making a good impression. Over time, as you become a familiar face- asking for an intro to a portfolio company won't be that hard.
While this may feel more intimidating than passively applying on platforms like ZipRecruiter or Glassdoor, this strategy will pay off.
One of the hottest startups right now, Fast, held a hiring event - did you even know about this? Oh, right - you're not on Twitter.
Good news: VCs LOVE cold emails! Much of their business comes through cold emails, so they religiously open and read every message-- a much higher open rate than what you'd get from a busy hiring manager. Still, this is not a place to pray and spray. Be deliberate, targeted, and thoughtful in your emails.
An example email template you can use (it's cover letter-esque):
Data Science Role @ (Startup Name)
Hello,
I'm a data scientist @ Lyft and I noticed your portfolio company [X] is hiring (embed link). My experience working on the Marketplace team here at Lyft and my deep interest in (problem the startup is solving) make this role extremely interesting. Would you mind passing my information to the team?
Thank you for your consideration,
Your Name
Posting a job on LinkedIn, Monster, Dice, and even Craigslist costs money. Tech companies are frugal, especially early on. And later on, when they're big, they tend to lose sight of taking down jobs they've posted on these platforms, or they keep them posted for other legal reasons (like immigration). More than anything, if you do exceptionally well in a VC's portfolio company (even if the startup folds), a good VC is better than any job board - they'll likely hook you up with your next job. I've seen it happen so many times.
Many platforms have job boards that are either not advertised, or not well known.
Some of the platforms you know already have job boards you might not be using:
Stop thinking of LinkedIn as the "job place." There are many job-focused communities out there where you can have career conversations and find job opportunities.
This is just a starting list of places you might want to check out - in the end, nothing beats having a strong network. If you invest some time into building this now, it will pay dividends for the rest of your career and give you access to the best tech jobs.
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Third-party data has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable; however, its accuracy, completeness, or reliability cannot be guaranteed. Candor does not receive compensation to promote or discuss any particular Company; however, Candor, its employees and affiliates, and/or its clients may hold positions in securities of the Companies discussed.