Hello everyone,

As someone with a background and deep passion for security, I’ve navigated the labyrinthine world of not only tech recruitment, but others as well, more than a few times. I’ve encountered a myriad of challenges that I believe many of us face but seldom discuss openly.

Generic Job Descriptions: Has anyone else noticed how many job descriptions in tech seem like they were written from a template? It’s frustrating to sift through dozens of job descriptions only to find they all seem eerily similar, making it challenging to understand what a company is truly looking for.

The Never-Ending Interview Process: Multiple rounds of interviews, technical assessments, and then maybe a ‘cultural fit’ interview. The process can be draining and time-consuming.

I’m keen to open a discussion and hear your thoughts and experiences.

  • Have you faced similar challenges in tech recruitment?
  • How do you navigate the complexities?
  • Any tips for job seekers in tech, especially those interested in security?

Let’s discuss!

  • MasterBlaster@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    You are spot on. I’ve had Decades of experience and success in this industry. However this year I was laid off in one of those 6 to 10% staff lay off things. Since then I’ve applied to over 100 jobs I’ve had at least eight interview processes.

    I go through two to four interviews some of them two to three hours long. And I get to the very end, and then I never hear from them again.

    Some have me go through leet code type algorithm questions online with 20 minutes to solve the problem. For me, that’s pretty much impossible. Others have me spend several days creating a project from scratch, they review it and maybe they talk to me about it afterwards.

    Others don’t do a very good job of hiding the ageism, e.g. insisting I tell them what year I got my CS degree.

    Given the level of experience I have with new technologies as well as old, I find it hard to believe that I’m not fit to be employed all of a sudden.

    First piece of advice, do not be over the age of 50. It won’t matter how good you are.

    Second, even if you think you’re really good at interviewing and going through the application process take seminars and classes on the topic and keep tweaking.

    Third, it doesn’t matter if you completed successfully one or more multimonth projects in a particular technology. If you don’t know every little detail when they interview you, you are immediately written off.

    I had one not even bother to interview me because I did not have enough years writing React code.

    Another wrote me off because it has been a few years since I tech lead an Angular project. My most recent company used React. The one before used Angular.

    Apparently we must spend all our personal time continuing development on technologies not in use for our jobs at the expense of our families or we aren’t worth the trouble.

    Oh yeah, and we must be able to succeed solving random algorithm problems in under 20 minutes on the spot. That means we basically need to be able to solve them all because we’ll never know which one will get.

    • akrot@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      That’s some solid advice. If I may add, I had many instances during the technical interviews, where I just told them I don’t know or I don’t care or I don’ think it’s relevant for what I want to do. Few of them looked shocked and moved on to the next question, but it worked for the company I work at now. I’m based in EU though, maybe US culture is different.

      • MasterBlaster@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Here in the USA there is apparently a glut of unemployed developers as up to 300k were let go between last November and July.

        I’m typically competing with over 200 applicants, so they probably just keep interviewing until they get exactly what they want. Plus, ageism.