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2024-09-22

✅ Job Search: Complete

Finally. I got an offer. I signed. My job search is complete.

What happened and what did I learn?

I was laid off near the end of March.
Mid September, I’ve finally signed an offer.
It took about 5.5 months.

Finding my first job out of college back in 2015 took about 6 months, but every other job search I’ve conducted has been much faster. Almost always less than a month.

In reflection, I believe that finding a job has been easy for me for the majority of my career because the market was good. With recruiters banging down my door, interest rates near zero, and hiring in a seemingly constant frenzy, I never really had to figure out how to get a job.

In a favorable market, an optimal strategy isn’t necessary for success.
In a tight market, it really helps to know how things work.

📑 How I Got a Job: A High Level Overview

1. Reflect
2. Plan
3. Adapt
4. Learn
5. Network
6. Prioritize
7. Communicate
8. Interview
   1. Informational
   2. Coding
   3. Front end
   4. System design
   5. Behavioral
   6. Universal
9. Schedule
10. Compare
11. Negotiate
12. Accept

🪞 Reflections

1. 🎉 I’m very happy with the results of my job search.
2. 💰 Learning, reflecting, planning, practice, preparation, iteration, persistence, optimism, realism, lots of friends, the kindness of strangers, naturally aligned incentives, manners, and good luck paid off.
3. 🎢 Surprise, shock, grief, self doubt, fear, and a 6-month long roller coaster of despair and relief… This job search has been intense.
4. 🔜™️ More to come. I intend to fill out the details and point to references for the high level learnings above and continue reflecting here.