[slyall]

The "jobs that really excite you" are the ones you apply for in the first week and never hear back from.

[charlie0]

That's funny because it's the exact opposite in my case. I want to warm up first and save the more exciting companies for a week or 2 later.

[xboxnolifes]

Companies are frequently closing job applications less than 48 hours after posting them right now.

[johnnyanmac]

I've seen posts a few hours old close as I fill out the application. We are in very bad times right now.

[out-of-ideas]

> and never hear back from

i would not be surprised if that was the case for a lot of them

[actsasbuffoon]

I prefer to go for companies that win me over rather than ones where I start out excited about them.

That’s how it was with my current company. The description from the recruiter had me questioning if I even wanted to talk to this company because they wanted me 2 to 3 days-per-week in an office 3 hours away.

I spoke to the SVP of engineering and it was immediately clear that we got along really well and had similar values and priorities. He told me that they would knock the in-office requirement down to once per week because I seemed like such a good fit. They moved from a definite-no to a maybe.

I spoke to a lead engineer and he was one of the smartest, most thoughtful people I’ve ever met. He really impressed me with his answers to my questions. I spoke to the senior director of engineering and once again, really good connection. Impressive guy who cared about the same things that I do. They moved from a maybe to kinda-exciting.

I spoke to the CEO, and I have to be honest; I’ve had some bad run-ins with executives. I find a lot of them to be terrifyingly clueless. This guy really got it, though. I think he understands exactly how to make this company successful. They had officially become exciting.

They made a great offer that was an upgrade on both title and pay, thus becaming the most exciting out of the bunch.

After visiting the office twice they told me that my commute was insane, and I should only come in once per month. With that, my only real concern with the company basically became moot.

I’m building some really exciting stuff and the entire company is constantly freaking out about my work. I love what I’m doing. I can’t imagine any of the other companies would have been this much fun.

And to think, when the recruiter told me about them, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to talk to them!

Keep an open mind and get to know the company before you decide who is or isn’t exciting.

[johnnyanmac]

If you're not hyper-specialized to the point of being the best in an important niche, you won't get this behavior c. 2023 or so. Even direct referrals these days don't guarantee leading to an interview.