[thenerdhead]

Nobody can tell you what might be wrong without seeing with their eyes. You would be more successful if you anonymously posted something like a resume or recent application that people could provide constructive feedback to.

I'll give you a 5 minute review if you find my contact information from my profile and send me your resume. I've publicly helped people land all sorts of tech jobs in the last few years.

[throwaway_sp11]

Thank you for the offer. I dropped you an email. About posting the resume publicly, I worry that it's hard to anonymize properly and still get the point across. Although I might do it if I run out of things to try.

[akvadrako]

Why would you want to be anonymous? It's better to get your name out there in front of more potential eyes.

As for your question, I consider finding a good job without a personal connection to always be a grind. I have about 20 years of engineering experience with trendy buzzwords, high profile gigs and high praise from references.

Yet I still expect to apply to a hundred places and only get a handful of interviews.

[throwaway_sp11]

I'm just not comfortable with my manager knowing that I'm looking around.

[ornornor]

That’s totally reasonable, you never know how petty your employer can get if they know you’re interviewing.

[freedude]

Perhaps the problem is in the reason you are leaving.

[throwaway_sp11]

I don't understand, why do you say that?

[JohnFen]

People will assume (mostly correctly) that however you've treated past (or are treating current) employers is how you will treat them, too. So it helps to be sure that it's obvious you are treating your current employer professionally and respectfully.

[karmelapple]

To go along with this, I haven’t seen what kind of role you’re seeking.

Do you want to work at a small company, or a large one?

Do you have a specific kind of technology you’d like to work on?

And do you have a specific kind of company mission you’re seeking?

All of these can be addressed in a good cover letter. And as a hiring manager at a small business, I can tell you that although personal recommendations are great, someone who is clearly passionate about our market and who took the time to learn about our small company is equally interesting at the resume stage.

So… what are the answers to those questions above? Feel free to reach out to me privately if you’d like, too.

[joenot443]

I understand the desire to be anonymous. If it's any consolation though, many users (myself included) have their website and resume listed right in their bio and don't mind other HN readers popping by for a sniff. From my perspective, nothing you wrote seemed even the least bit incriminating, if anything, it just showed you're probably a high performer who knows their worth in the market.

Anyway, no pressure to reveal yourself any more than you'd prefer, just my own thoughts.

[zellyn]

Also happy to take a look. I work at Square, and we're often hiring…