this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2026
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I have been applying via linkedin, company portal which show up on google search but somehow nothing is working out, cold dm, emails almost all eventually ending in radio silence. Not asking for some shortcut just that it all isn't making sense.

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/49576261

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[–] tonyn@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Network, make connections, know someone, get your foot in the door and prove yourself. Call anyone you know in your industry, talk to them and ask if they know of any opportunities. Use your voice to talk to humans over the telephone or in person instead of sending DMs or emails.

[–] hobata@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

If you do not have any network, your start of the career looks like this old meme.

[–] Horsey@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

You take an entry level position and suffer for at least a year or until you have the requisite experience for a job change. Truth of the matter is that there’s a lot of credential inflation; it’s gotten so bad that it’s become a bipartisan issue in the US.

Also, fun fact: getting a job is about who you know not about what you know. My husband and I have the same amount of experience, but he’s an executive, and I had peaked at middle management, but am currently working entry level because I can’t find another management position (and we don’t need more income). He’s the luckiest person you’ll ever meet; every time he gets fired, he gets a huge promotion and raise for looking on the job market because he knows a few good references. (he works in finance, which is prone to office politicking, thus easier to be fired)

[–] alexdeathway@programming.dev 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Horsey@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Essentially, the idea you need a master’s degree to do what your parents were doing with a high school diploma.

[–] refalo@programming.dev 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Like the name of this sub suggests, most companies that are hiring developers want someone with existing real-world experience building things. If you just went and got a degree and have nothing else to show, then you have the training but you don't have experience.

I would suggest meaningfully contributing to open-source projects, and/or making your own projects, so that you have something to show on your resume as "experience" until you get real projects at a real job.

[–] alexdeathway@programming.dev 1 points 1 week ago

yes, I have been active but lately too exhausted for meaningful contributions, would start again.

[–] synapse1278@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Make your CV interesting, a good option to do that is work on small functional projects that you can host (e.g on GitHub) and attach links to your CV. Go to job events in your area to talk to recruiters, get an idea of the companies in your area, get comfortable talking to recruiters by practicing.