Re:Ask HN: Coder at heart, PhD in pocket. Job advice please
by scmoore on Friday January 23, 2015 @09:57AM
(#8935107)
I think this is good advice, but I worry about wasting the interviewing companys' time. Of course in my experience they rarely worry about wasting my time, but I guess I'd be concerned about becoming known as someone whose interest in a position isn't trusted.
I suspect that this is my inner Cinderella -- be humble, scrub the floors, and one day my hiring manager will come. I feel like that princess is really hurting my bank account.
Re:Ask HN: Coder at heart, PhD in pocket. Job advice please
by MalcolmDiggs on Friday January 23, 2015 @12:34PM
(#8936077)
I think these are valid concerns. It's definitely a selfish thing to do; but in this particular case, I'm okay with it for some reason. I guess it's a "ends justify the means" kind of thing. I draw the line at lying about my intentions. If they ask me, I'll definitely tell the truth about how seriously I'm taking them. Regarding reputation, who knows. I think many hiring-managers' hubris gets in the way of them thinking they're a warm-up company.
Re:Ask HN: Coder at heart, PhD in pocket. Job advice please
by lingua_franca on Friday January 23, 2015 @01:11PM
(#8936286)
do u think companies interview many candidates for a single position bcoz they want to hire all of'em? of coz not, they want a pool of candidates and pick the best one, and there's even a waiting list...u need to do the same, two way straight.
My advice would be to line up 10-20 interviews that you absolutely don't want. Jobs that are too junior for you, jobs that are a terrible fit culturally or ethically. Companies you wouldn't be caught dead working for. Then just march in there and get practiced at interviewing. There's no pressure, you don't actually want the job; you're just there to get really good at doing exactly that. Spend a few weeks doing this, have a job interview every evening after work, or every day on your lunch break.
Later on, apply to the jobs you really want and it'll feel like a walk in the park. You'll be a pro at it.
I personally still do this to this day; a decade into my career. I'm on the job hunt right now actually. I had 3 interviews yesterday and only one of them was real. These days I like to mix it up, and have at least one warm-up interview the same day before any big interview for a position I really want. Practice makes perfect.