Job-hunting on Linkedin: Recruiters, Groups and Networking, oh my!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Job-hunting on Linkedin: Recruiters, Groups and Networking, oh my!

Erwin: Feb 17, 2006

VagueRant posted:

I currently work in a crappy retail/warehouse job, but I've been teaching myself programming trying to escape and break into software/web development. Any advice on what to put as a "headline"?

The common advice seems to say put your current job, but looking into developer jobs with "Warehouse Assistant at Shoppocorp" at the top seems to give the wrong impression. But I don't know if I can write that I'm a programmer/developer without being a professional. (Putting amateur or hobbyist seems like a bad idea? "Aspiring Developer & Warehouse Assistant"? )

Your headline does not have to include what you do now at all. "Aspiring Developer" is fine. If there's something else you can add that's both true and a plus, do so. Did you learn anything about Lean Manufacturing at your warehouse job? You have no idea how applicable that is to certain areas of software development.

But, keep in mind that as an Aspiring Developer you're shooting for entry-level stuff. You have a huge disadvantage (both real and imagined by hiring directors) to traditionally-educated developers so you'll either need to do time in the trenches at a crappy job for a bit, or find some way to distinguish yourself. Check out the Newbie Programming thread for general advice on getting into the industry.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2017 15:53

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 3, 2024 11:34

Erwin: Feb 17, 2006

This dude sent me a message on Linkedin in September 2016 with a job description and salary range. I responded politely and told him the range was too low, but thanks anyway. No response at that time.

Today he sends me literally the same message copied and pasted, a year and a half later, same salary range.

Hmm yes, I'm the one with the attitude.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2018 17:04

Erwin: Feb 17, 2006

Mr Newsman posted:

You are the one with the attitude.

This is sort of fair. My post implied that only one of us had an attitude, but I definitely had an attitude. Guy had literally copied and pasted the same job description, salary range, and location at me. It's not like he took 10 seconds to read our message history and say "hey, I know you weren't interested before but wanted to check to see if anything has changed." He only took any effort once I called him out on his copy-paste shotgun spam, and it was to get all huffy about it because I was the one of a thousand people he sent that to that got annoyed by it.

To me a recruiter is a salesperson. I'm happily employed, and he's trying to sell me on the idea of looking elsewhere. You can't sell me something by spamming my inbox with the same copy-pasted wording after I've declined. That's obviously a privileged position with respect to recruiters, because not everyone is in demand in their field, but that's where I'm coming from. A salesperson that gets angry with a potential client is risking quite a bit.

There are good recruiters out there, but they're a small minority. Maybe this thread is supportive of recruiters or something? If so I apologize for insulting his zero-effort shotgun approach to leeching off the economy.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2018 21:24

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Job-hunting on Linkedin: Recruiters, Groups and Networking, oh my!