Ask HN: How to passively prepare for a job interview?
Hey there fellow HNers! I am currently at a stage where I am working within a Tech Consulting company for 5-6 years. My plan is to prepare myself well in the next 5-6 months and then possibly start actively interviewing for jobs. How can I do passive job search and interviewing in the meanwhile so that I can setup myself best after few months? I am in a data-science and machine-learning domain.
Thanks!
- scan indeed for jobs that appeal to you
- look at keywords they mention
- figure out if you know what those keywords are (what it means, why you would do that, why it's better than prior solutions, some real world examples)
- after a few weeks of this, you'll have a list of companies and words that you're interested in
- go on linkedin (or HN) and look for people working either at those companies and/or using those words
- ask them for a 15 minute chat to hear how they are approaching the problems you're interested in (not for a job, but to hear how they talk about it)
- use what you learned from the previous step to write some blog posts / articles / tutorials / tiny projects that let you see how much you know and then can later show people when you apply to those jobs
- reach out to the groups / companies you want to work and say that you're interested in that area and if you could have a chat about the work they are doing.
- remember that a) everyone is always hiring even if they don't have a job post, b) most job posts never make it public, c) shoot your shot
Thank you for this helpful comment!
How to go about the 15 minute conversation part without trying to be too sycophant?
You don't :)
Seriously though, the pitch is: "I want to get a job in what you're doing, and you have that job; I'd love to learn more."
I'd add: make it super clear that you are not going to asking them for a job or a referral or selling them anything during the conversation. That will increase the likelihood they'll take the call.
If you can get a warm intro to them, all the better.
I'd also suggest expecting people to say no, and not taking it personally. If you ask enough people, you will find some that are happy to spend time with you, but it won't be everyone. If you do achieve your goals, some of those people who say "No" might be future co-workers.
So just ask, accept whatever you get, and keep asking more people.
All job interviews are some combination of:
1. Coding - ie leetCode
2. Techno-trivia - knowing the basics of whatever technology they are using
3. System design
4. Behavioral
5. Getting the interview
Start with networking, thought leadership and open communication about your passions. Especially if you’ve got 6 months, just give it time and you’ll be surprised at the number of people that come to you if you just put yourself out there.
I purposefully avoided “thought leadership”. When everyone is a thought leader - no one is. And 99% of thought leadership you find is vapid especially on LinkedIn.
And these days if you are just a commodity enterprise dev, it’s almost impossible to stand out from the noise.
Those were my Plan B jobs last year and the year before and it is a shit show out there right now and it’s worse than I have seen since 1996. Including in 2000 and 2008.
Luckily, in my more targeted niche, I was able to find a job quickly both times. But I would have been up the creek if it weren’t for my last three or four years of experience.
You’re right, “thought leadership” is a loaded term. Maybe “proof of passion” would be a better one. If you write about topics you’re working on, no matter how niche and no matter which forum (it doesn’t have to be a blog, it could be anywhere with your contact details attached), then eventually people will find you. I don’t blog, but I’ve had people email me because of obscure GitHub repos they found that helped them debugging a problem.
It’s ultimately a numbers game. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely something specific will resonate with someone at some point. The best opportunities often come from the smallest connections.