Framework for job hunting.

1st of August, 2023•10 minute read

2023 seems to be the year of change, with rising inflation and interest rates impacting the tech market powered by near 0 interest Venture Capital (VC) money. But it's not all doom and gloom – unemployment remains low, and the economy looks to be stabilizing. However, if you, like many others, find yourself being made redundant, here's a guide based on my process to help you find a new role.

1. Keep a cool head

• Understand it's likely not about you, companies run into issues, think back and learn from the experience.
• It's a shock if you're made redundant or bankrupty occurs, take some time to process, then focus on yourself and avoid rash decisions based on emotions.
• Take time to assess your future, priorities and what is important in your next role, you can use this exercise to help.
• Reach out to friends and past collegues who've recently changed role to understand their experience.

2. Contact the right authorities

• Reach out to the UWV (or your country's equivalent) to understand your rights. In my experience they are very helpful.
• Seek legal counsel to protect your interests. If facing a redundancy you need to understand:
  • Is this legal?
  • Is it a good offer?
  • What are the implications? For example: work visa status, unemployment entitlement etc
  • Note: Some employers give you a budget or cover part of this.

3. Get your resume right

• Read "The Tech Resume Inside Out" by Gergerly, it has some great advice, you can get a free copy if you've recently lost employement.
• Use a clean and concise template, keeping it to two pages. I have a simple google doc I've been slowly editing over the years.
• Polish your LinkedIn profile if needed.
• I don't use cover letters personally, but they could also help, it's a time investment though so you decide.

4. Set up job alerts

• Use Google, Linkedin, and Startup.jobs at a minimum for daily alerts.
• Customize alerts to match your job preferences and check it at least once a day, I checked first thing in the morning and after lunch.

5. Build your database

• Time to get serious. You need to track what you're doing or it's going to become extremely messy very quick. I use Notion, but the same thing can be achieved in a spreadsheet, table, or any other tool that works for you.
• notion database template

6. Apply for roles

• Use the outcome of the exercise in 1. to help decide on roles your interested in.
• If you have 3-4 active pipelines (in interviews), it's a good idea to be more selective with further applications to avoid overload and burnout.
• Note: It's worth applying for roles that match your skills and interests, even if you're unsure, worst case they become practice interviews.

7. Work on your story

• Research common interview questions and prepare answers, once you've done this you can then Google the company you're interviewing with to see if anything comes up on glassdoor, blind etc
• Use the CAR/PAR (Context/Problem, Action, Result) method and prepare at a high level your stories for more natural responses. (Coming soon, examples)
• Dedicate time to programming problems and system design for IC engineering roles.
  • Resources: roadmaps.sh, Neetcode, System Design Primer

8. Define your questions

• Prepare 5-10 questions to ask during interviews to support you with understanding the company, the role, and your fit.
• Example questions

9. Show up to the interview

• Of course right? No. I mean mentally, this is your time to shine! You'll likely be nervous, so heres what I found to help.
  • Try to slot interviews a few hours after you would wake up, this way you'll be fresh.
  • Review your stories, the values of the company, ideally the LinkedIn of the interviewers and spend 5-15 minutes doing breathing exercies or meditation to clear your mind.
  • Be yourself as much as you can, share something interesting during the introduction, ideally a sticky story. For example: I trained my 2 cats to sit and I enjoy listening to vinyl as I get to hear the artists story.

10. Aftercare (5-10min)

• Write up your notes concisely while fresh in your mind, I found it useful to note how I felt about the company after the interview.
• Can be good to write down some of the questions you were asked (or at least the themes).
• Make a note of any blind spots so you can cover this with 7. later.
• Update the database from 5.
• Write down new questions you might have for the next interview.

11. Learn from my mistakes

• Don't focus to much on the theory of something, give concrete examples.
• Avoid delaying between interviews as much as possible, this lets others get further down the line.
• Apply as soon as you see a role you're interested in, don't wait.
• Tweak your resume if needed to align a little better with the role, this is especially true for Engineering managers as the variance on people management vs technical input varies widely.
• Remember this is as much about you finding the right role and company, as they are finding the right person.
• Lastly, there is a HUGE amount of luck involved, always reflect on what you could have done differently, but don't discount the universe at play.

That's all folks, goodluck!