[JSeymourATL]

> I've been struggling getting responses or meaningful feedback ...

Recruiters are NOT in the feedback business.

They lack brains, time, and professionalism. Plus, they're often afraid they might say the wrong thing, better to say nothing at all.

What to do?

Jump on Linkedin's advanced search feature. Zero-in on interesting profiles in your market of senior managers/executives you can possibly help. Ping them, tell them you're seeking career advice. Ask for a 10-15 minute phone call. You may be may surprised how responsive people are to your request. BTW, stay in touch with those folks with updates. Start building your network.

[mattchue]

Cold calling? That's pretty old-school :) My sales background jives with that, though, so I will investigate that option. Thus far, people in the industry that I have been introduced to are extremely helpful, so this definitely sounds like a good approach. It's more so hiring managers at companies I have applied to that I am struggling to get feedback from, but I suppose that's not exactly their job. Thanks for your response!

As a side note, why is it that recruiters seem to be strongly disliked by the HN community? As a new developer, I figured a recruiter would probably be the best person to talk to seeing as they handle a lot of hiring.

[JSeymourATL]

> why is it that recruiters seem to be strongly disliked by the HN community?

Chief complaints-- recruiters are spammers, individuals get treated like shark bait, and general lack of tech savvy/business acumen. *Of course, there are exceptions. Those guys can be GOLDEN. Always keep an eye-out for the exceptional ones.

> Cold calling? That's pretty old-school :)

Try using Linkedin Inmail & email first to warm-up the call. Keep in mind-- hiring managers can be crazy busy people. Try a few times to show you're serious. Make sure your message is buttoned-up.