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by sebg 503 days ago
- 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

2 comments

This advice is amazing. You get it, much more than I do. This really helps. Thanks!
Thank you for this helpful comment!

How to go about the 15 minute conversation part without trying to be too sycophant?

If you rearrange the way you see things it's simple to not be sycophantic at all. If you're interested in contributing to their work you will be of value to the team you are trying to join. Don't think about it as them doing you a favor. It's a positive sum game and by reaching out you're potentially making everyone richer.
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.