How to Land a New Dev or IT Job: Advice from HR Professionals
While 2023 was a dismal year for tech layoffs, 2024 is proving that we’re not out of the tech unemployment doldrums yet. According to recent reporting by Amina Niasse at Reuters, the tech industry continues to outpace other sectors of the economy when it comes to layoffs, with more than 42,000 tech workers laid off so far in 2024.
I’ve already written about how tech layoffs are impacting developers, and a follow-up article touched on some of the ways that developers have managed to land new jobs in a tight job market. In the interest of providing another perspective on how tech workers can maximize their chances to find new jobs, I reached out to a number of HR professionals, recruiters, and executives in the HR services sector for some additional tips and advice that job seekers may find useful.
Finding a New Role in a Competitive Market
Several of the HR professionals I spoke with agreed that the job market is currently filled with a lot of applicants looking for a relatively limited number of roles, but they encourage people looking for work to keep a positive attitude and continue to work towards finding a new role.
Tailoring your resume and application for each opportunity can help you stand out amongst a sea of AI-generated resumes and cover letters.
“The job market is more difficult right now, but there are still tons of people getting good jobs. Getting a new job might have taken 3 months a year ago, and it may now take 6-9 months — or longer — in the current climate to find a new role,” said Caitlin Byrnes, an HR and recruiting consultant. “Stay positive, work your network of contacts, refine your resume and your pitch, and you’ll find a new role eventually.”
Top Tips from Tech Recruiters
“The biggest single piece of advice I would give to a developer looking for a new role is to prioritize keeping their portfolio, resume, and online profiles (LinkedIn, GitHub, etc.) up-to-date with their latest projects, skills, and achievements,” said Luan Lam, chief people officer at Harness. “This gives the potential new employer a glimpse into your most recent skills, projects, and achievements, demonstrating that the individual is actively engaged and knowledgeable about the latest developments.”
Another suggestion is to focus on quality versus quantity when it comes to the jobs you’re applying for. Kaylie Boogaerts, director of people at Checkly and a remote leadership and culture consultant, suggests being selective about the roles you’re applying for, and then tailoring your resume and application for each opportunity, which can help applicants stand out amongst a sea of AI-generated resumes and cover letters.
“When we opened a Senior Engineer role half a year ago, we received over 1,300 applications,” said Boogaerts. “You can stand out from other candidates by showing work results on your resume and cover letter, pointing out what experience or skills are relevant to the role, sharing if you’re a customer [of the company’s products] and what you like — and what you might improve — about the product or the company.”
Navigating the AI Gauntlet
One relatively new wrinkle in the job search equation — for both people being hired and the people that hire them — is the advent and widespread use of AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to assist in the generation of resumes and cover letters, and to also help screen applicants.
It’s undeniable that AI is having an impact on both sides of the hiring process, but the idea that hiring is now completely handled by AI-powered applicant tracking systems (ATS) isn’t entirely true; and some experts caution that adoption of AI within HR isn’t as widespread as many people presume.
Hiring companies are being flooded with AI-generated cover letters and answers to application questions that tend to be generic, overly long, and are often filled with misinformation.
“The perception among job seekers that a significant portion of HR screening is done by AI is not entirely unfounded,” said Lam. “However, I do think that since AI technology is not widely adopted within the HR sector, a lot of us are still relying on eyeing every resume to ensure we are not skipping over anyone great.”
On the applicant side of the AI equation, Boogaerts mentions that companies are now being flooded with AI-generated cover letters and answers to application questions that tend to be generic, overly long, and are often filled with misinformation.
“It’s become popular to use AI to apply for jobs, and I think that’s great. It makes researching the company a lot faster and you can get good inspiration for cover letters or potential application questions,” said Boogaerts. “However, a lot of obviously AI-generated job applications are just bad.” (Boogaerts has also written a blog post that provides tips for job seekers looking to use AI for their job applications.)
While AI is helping applicants more easily generate resumes and cover letters, job seekers should be mindful and courteous when dealing with stretched and potentially overworked HR professionals. Byrnes said that many HR teams have been impacted by staffing reductions, so the increased volume of applications and resumes being received are often being reviewed by HR teams that are dealing with layoffs and cutbacks in their own ranks, which can lead to delays in getting resumes processed.
Resume Red Flags to Avoid
Making sure your resume is aligned to the role you’re applying for is a must, but some job applicants make things more difficult for themselves by doing things that could throw up red flags for HR professionals reviewing their resumes.
One obvious example is stuffing your resume with hidden keywords using a white font color, which makes the keywords invisible to the human eye but supposedly helps an applicant’s resume rank better with the ATS that the hiring HR team might be using.
“Trying to game the system with tricks like using white fonting is an outdated tactic that’s more likely to get your application rejected,” said Jon Stross, co-founder and president at Greenhouse, one of the leading providers of ATS software for HR teams. “Many modern applicant tracking systems are wise to this and will simply filter out resumes that employ them. Rather than attempting to slip something past the screening tools, take the time to carefully tailor your resume and cover letter. Highlight specific accomplishments and responsibilities that map directly to the job description.”
Lam from Harness cautions applicants to avoid applying to multiple roles from different departments at the same company at the same time, which can demonstrate that “if you’re a jack of all trades, you’re a master of none.”
‘I like to see applicants that are engaged and passionate about their craft. Keep showing and demonstrating that […] you’re passionate about your chosen profession.’
– Caitlin Byrnes, HR and recruiting consultant
Frequent short employment stints on a resume — like several employers in a row with a tenure of 12 months or less — can also be an issue. “Potential employers tend to prioritize applicants who have a strong level of commitment in maintaining long-term employment,” said Lam.
That said, many job seekers have found themselves with multiple abbreviated employment periods through no fault of their own thanks to COVID-19, frequent tech industry reorganizations, and the current climate in the tech industry. In those cases, Lam provides some suggestions.
“With multiple short stints on resumes, my suggestion is to provide additional color/context without having to write a paragraph about it.” He gave this example:
ABC Company, May 2021 – December 2021 (Company shut down due to loss of funding)
XYZ Company, March 2022 – July 2022 (Company reorg, moving G&A function offshore)
“This type of information is quite important to showcase because it speaks about the market volatility and not the lack of commitment/performance of the individual,” said Lam.
For job seekers that have been out of work for an extended period of time — say 12 months or longer — Byrnes suggests that applicants focus on communicating what they’ve done during that time period to improve their skill set; like taking online classes, consulting work, or other activities that show the prospective employee has been active and engaged during their unemployed period. “I know I like to see applicants that are engaged and passionate about their craft,” said Byrnes. “Keep showing and demonstrating that you have a growth mindset and that you’re passionate about your chosen profession.”
Standing Out and Getting Noticed
All the experts I spoke with encourage applicants to go beyond simply emailing resumes and completing applications online. Building your job networks offline — by attending meetups and other local gatherings — can help you discover leads and prospective employers in person. Establishing personal connections can reap major dividends, whether meeting people at a local get-together for like-minded developers, or reaching out to hiring managers on LinkedIn.
Byrne also said that not all jobs get posted publicly, so it helps to sometimes reach out to a company you admire or would like to work for and pitch yourself directly, which shows initiative and that you have a genuine interest in working for the company. Similarly, Byrne recommends applicants looking for jobs at startups to reach out to smaller companies directly with a message and a thoughtful pitch to a founder, which can help you rise above the stack of submissions from other applicants.
Establishing personal connections can reap major dividends, whether meeting people at a local get-together for like-minded developers, or reaching out to hiring managers on LinkedIn.
Stross echoes that point, stressing that focusing on roles you’re truly interested in and have passion for will help get attention from the HR team. “Resist the temptation to apply to dozens of jobs with a generic resume. Instead, focus on ten roles you’re truly interested in and tailor your application materials to each one, as this shows you’ve put in the effort and are making a thoughtful decision to apply to a place where you can thrive and add value to the business and culture.”
While the current job market might be challenging for many, Stross suggests that job seekers stand a better chance of success by focusing on some basic fundamentals that he’s seen others use with success — starting with thoughtfully aligning your resume with the job description using the employer’s own language, to demonstrate your skills transparently.
“By making connections, customizing your application, and showcasing your qualifications, you can position yourself for success in today’s job market,” said Stross.
