Can't find an IT job? Here are the reasons why.

Some IT pros are having little luck finding new positions.

You've been having trouble finding a tech job, even though there are supposedly loads of positions out there? Well this writer says you are missing a few key strategies. You only use the Internet to look for postings, and you're too timid to call a hiring manager after submitting a resume. Sound familiar? There are other reasons too.

Submitting resumes through job sites can put 2 additional barriers between you and the hiring manager you're trying to impress:
- a automated scoring system that rewards you for having a pathetic keyword-filled excuse for a resume.
- a HR person that.. well, all bets are off on that one.

Fortunately, there are other ways to get someone's (positive) attention at a company where you want to work. See parent post for details. :D

On the hiring side of things, referred resumes get looked at a lot more closely than the batch of resumes that job sites spit at employers. So you might as well take etnu's up on his offer below. ;)

Don't rely on the internet, but use it to find available jobs and then use the traditional methods of getting that job. I have found jobs through job sites. It works, but the thing that puts you head and shoulders above the rest is using the traditional methods in addition to the internet: sending them a targeted electronic resume to hit those keywords, calling for more info on the job advertised helps, but generally you can glean what they want from the ad. I found that having a few targeted resumes that could be quickly tailored to the advertised job really made life easier.

Next, get in the door. Telephone and ask for an interview. Show up on time for the interview and be dressed professionally and be polite. This is where relying on the internet gets you into trouble. If your just emailing applications you're only doing half the job...you have to press the flesh as the saying goes.

Once you have interviewed, a hand written thankyou card is a damn good idea. This is where you can really take advantage of the internet -- in the old days everyone wrote thankyou cards, these days it's a lost art so here is where you use the laziness spawned by the internet to capture your competitors and allow yourself to jump ahead. A good letter not only thanks the interviewer for their time, but is a great way to reiterate your strong points and maybe improve on any mistakes you made in the interview. Also follow up calls are important. And even if you don't get the job, send a final thank you for being considered. They might have been on the fence regarding the decision to hire you or not, and if another spot opens they might be calling you back sooner than you think.

Finally, there's an old adage out there that when you are unemployed you should spend 40 hours a week looking for a job. This is a good idea, but I found that spending 10 -20 hours a week searching and applying and spending the remainder studying was a big boost. When I was job hunting, I'd usually spend all nighters preparing since job interviews are usually much harder than any final in school since you really have no idea what sort of questions you will be asked.

If you want further reading ( 7 Habits of highly successful people)


Quantity always wins out over quality. Blast your resume everywhere. Flood them. Include a search & replace cover letter if they ask for it, but don't worry they won't read it. They will barely read your resume. Remembere what you learned in AI about a stochastic model? Well, this is it.

Don't worry if you are good match or not. The hiring managers certainly won't. I always get more hits on random resumes than specially tailed ones for jobs I'm perfect for.

Use lots of buzzwords - all the buzzwords. If it asks for 10 years of Unix, don't put 10 years of Solaris - no match.

Never answer your phone. Always make them leave a message. That way, you can look them up, find out what the hell job you applied for, then call them back and act like it is your dream job.

There is not much you can do about foreigners/citizens/non-citizens. People like to hire people like them. Don't ignore jobs when/if they all you back. Just don't be heartbroken if you don't get an offer from people who have a different accent.

Research and memorize the latest trick questions. They still ask those.

If you are very experienced, get out your 10-year-old data structures books and practice tree traversals, linked lists, and complexities for common algorithms.

Forget any wizened insignt you've gained over the years. It is probably over their head. You know what answer they want to hear. Give them what they want. They probably don't like interviewing any more than you do.

Clearly recruiters are doing a poor job for us. If you don't know it yet, they are not working for us, but for the employers.

Secondly, employers no longer can afford, or have the luxury of employing I.T. people long term. Most I.T. employers don't know if they will have work three months from now, let alone next year. This includes some of the largest organizations - global companies.

We have to get two basic paradigms shifted:
- I.T. People need to market themselves; and
- I.T. People need to become more flexible in their employment expecations. The same goes for I.T. employers - they should be more flexible in engaging I.T. Professionals for temporary assignments.

Have a read at some more on this topic here.