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Job Hunt Diary: Nibbles, No Bites

Posted on January 20, 2023January 20, 2023 by Greg Bulmash

Friday, January 20th

It ain’t easy, it ain’t easy
It ain’t easy to get to Heaven when you’re going down
— David Bowie

Yesterday, as Amazon let 8,000 more employees know their fate, Microsoft announced 10,000 layoffs, followed by 12,000 being announced this morning by Google’s corporate parent.

I am a special snowflake with a very impressive resume… and so are a lot of the people being let go. And because Developer Relations is a community, I am or will be having to compete with people I know personally or by reputation for many of the roles I’m trying to get. In Developer Relations, there’s a very common personality type of helpful people. We found our way into this because we like and are good at helping each other and the developer communities we serve.

It’s also hard seeing recruiters who helped me get or get interviewed for great roles getting laid off. But when companies decide they’re going to let thousands go and freeze hiring, they need fewer recruiters.

Some people hate recruiters. I only dislike the ones who send me spam about contract roles that are undesirable geographically and professionally. No, I’m not interested in a role that requires 5 years experience in a language I don’t use that’s on-site 2,100 miles away. Besides the fact that the role is totally not in my wheelhouse, the commute would be a bear. Most of those are working out of boiler rooms in South Asia, don’t understand the technologies (or how to do a good search), and don’t understand U.S. geography at all. When I asked one if they had anything local to Seattle, they sent me something in Jacksonville, Florida.

I make a habit, however, of collecting local agency and corporate recruiters as contacts because they’re genuinely friendly and helpful people. Even if I never need them to help me, being able to refer friends to them often helps both parties. Plus, part of my job description in Developer Relations is to be the guy who knows a guy. I’m not nearly the kind of superconnector some of my friends are, but I try to make introductions where and when I can.

I haven’t been open to contract roles in 10 years, but I cannot afford to be picky about the terms of employment right now. So I’m open. That said, contract roles usually are hourly and aren’t lead/managerial roles, so the rate of pay isn’t anything I’d be happy with long-term because it would just slow the bleeding, not stop it. Still, slowing the bleeding is better than bleeding out before the economy starts swinging back to where I’m a rare and valued commodity again. Plus, the people I’ve met on contracts have often become friends and/or part of my professional network.

Whether it was being laid off or between contracts, I haven’t been involuntarily unemployed for longer than 6 weeks in over 11 years. It looks like this hunt will be longer and harder than any since the 2008 meltdown where I was unemployed for over a year. But I’m going to do what I’ve always done… learn, build, be helpful, and trust that the momentum on the upswing will propel me to new heights.

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