If you can't find a job right now, you're not alone...

Summary

In this video, the creator shares their journey of unemployment after losing a job six months ago. They discuss the challenges of living in an expensive city, declining job offers due to a desire for a fulfilling role, and the importance of networking and referrals. The creator reflects on lessons learned, including the necessity of continuous job searching, the value of real interviews, and the significance of cultural fit in the hiring process. They also touch on the disappointment of missing out on equity due to inflexible terms and the emotional rollercoaster of job hunting.

Takeaways

• 💼 Lost job and severance ran out, currently unemployed.
• 🏡 Living with parents during tough times, considering it normal in some cultures.
• 💻 Tech market is tough, but personal choices also contributed to the situation.
• 🔄 Reflecting on the past 6 months and lessons learned.
• 🌐 Believes in the power of networking and reaching out to old contacts.
• 🔄 Realized the importance of always being open to new job opportunities.
• 📈 Learned that doing real interviews is the best way to improve.
• 🤖 Interviewers might be suspicious if performance is too perfect.
• 👥 Importance of fitting in with company culture, the 'airport test'.
• 💡 Value of referrals in job hunting, even when not fully qualified.
• 🚫 Declining a job offer due to unfavorable equity vesting terms.

Q & A

How long has it been since the speaker lost their job?

The speaker has been unemployed for about 6 months since losing their job.

What was the speaker's reaction to living with their parents during the pandemic?

The speaker found living at home during the pandemic to be a lifesaver and suggests normalizing it.

What is the speaker's educational background?

The speaker is a software engineer who studied computer science at Rice University.

What was the reason the speaker declined job offers they received?

The speaker declined job offers because they were not genuinely excited about the opportunities, preferring to wait for a role that aligns with their interests.

What was the speaker's strategy during their time off before starting to look for a job?

The speaker decided to enjoy life, take a break from work, and not actively recruit for a new job.

What lesson did the speaker learn about the importance of always being in the recruiting process?

The speaker learned that one should always be recruiting, even when not actively job hunting, to keep leads warm and opportunities open.

Why did the speaker decide to start looking for a job again?

The speaker needed money and was also getting bored after a period of not working.

What was the outcome of the speaker's interview with the company they had previously received an offer from?

The company informed the speaker that they did not have the headcount to hire them, despite the speaker's previous success with them.

What was the speaker's experience with the interview process after a long break?

The speaker found that doing real interviews was the best way to improve, even if it meant making mistakes and feeling embarrassed.

Why did the speaker get rejected from a company they felt they performed well at?

The speaker was rejected possibly due to the interviewer's suspicion of cheating, despite the speaker's strong performance.

What was the significance of the speaker's interview with the company in downtown Manhattan?

The interview was significant because it was for a role the speaker was genuinely excited about and it included a system design interview, which is crucial for senior roles.

What was the final outcome of the speaker's job search as described in the script?

The speaker received an offer but declined it due to unfavorable equity terms that would have locked them in for a longer period.

Outlines

00:00

😟 Struggling with Unemployment and the Tech Market

The speaker shares their experience of losing a job six months ago and being unemployed since then. Their severance pay has run out, and they're living off savings while facing the challenge of affording rent in an expensive city. Despite receiving decent job offers, they declined them, which they now reflect on in the video. They discuss the importance of always being open to job opportunities and maintaining a passive search to keep options open. The speaker also talks about taking a break after working non-stop for three years and enjoying a summer in New York City, which was a refreshing change from the hustle of work life.

05:00

🔄 The Ups and Downs of Job Hunting

The speaker describes their journey of job hunting after a period of unemployment. They recount a conversation with a company where they had previously received an offer but were told that there was no longer any headcount available. They express regret for not taking the offer when they had the chance. The speaker then discusses the importance of doing real interviews to improve, as opposed to mock interviews, and shares an experience where they felt they performed exceptionally well in an interview but were rejected, leading to a discussion about the unpredictability of interview outcomes. They also touch on the importance of referrals and how they can help in the job search process.

10:01

🚀 Overcoming Challenges and Landing an Offer

The speaker talks about their preparation for a job interview in Java, a language they were not proficient in, and how they managed to relearn it quickly. They discuss the importance of system design interviews for more senior roles and how they managed to pass one despite feeling inexperienced. They also mention the significance of cultural fit during interviews, often referred to as the 'airport test', and how it can impact the hiring decision. The speaker reflects on receiving an offer from a company they were excited about but ultimately declined due to unfavorable equity terms. They conclude by mentioning two other significant job opportunities that they will discuss in future videos.

Keywords

💡Severance

Severance refers to the compensation given to an employee who is terminated or laid off from their employment. In the video, the speaker mentions that their severance has run out, implying they are now living off their savings after losing their job. This term is crucial as it sets the stage for the speaker's current financial situation and the need to find a new job.

💡Recruiting

Recruiting in this context refers to the process of seeking new employment or being sought by potential employers. The video's speaker reflects on their decision to not recruit actively for a while, which is a central theme as it led to their current unemployment. The term is used to discuss the speaker's past choices and future actions regarding job hunting.

💡Optics

In the video, 'optics' refers to the impression or image one presents in a professional setting, often through non-essential tasks like Slack updates or meetings. The speaker discusses how they enjoyed not having to maintain 'optics' during their break from work, highlighting the relief from performative aspects of a job.

💡Hustle Culture

Hustle culture is the belief that constant hard work and dedication are the keys to success. The speaker mentions rejecting 'hustle culture' during their time off, which is a significant theme in the video. It reflects the speaker's choice to take a break and enjoy life without focusing on work or career advancement.

💡Tech Market

The tech market refers to the industry or sector involving technology companies and their employment landscape. The speaker comments on the poor state of the tech market, which is relevant to their job search struggles. It provides context for the difficulty in finding a new job within the technology sector.

💡Referrals

A referral in job hunting is when someone internally recommends a candidate for a position. The video speaker emphasizes the importance of referrals, mentioning how a friend's referral helped secure an interview despite not meeting all job description requirements. This keyword is tied to the speaker's strategy for finding a job.

💡System Design Interview

A system design interview is a type of technical interview that assesses a candidate's ability to design large-scale systems. The speaker discusses preparing for and passing a system design interview, which is a pivotal moment in their job search journey. It illustrates the challenges faced by software engineers in senior roles.

💡Equity

Equity in an employment context refers to ownership shares or stock options given to employees. The speaker talks about receiving an equity offer from a company, which is a significant part of the compensation package. The term is tied to the decision-making process when considering job offers.

💡Backdated Equity

Backdated equity means that the vesting schedule of the equity grant is weighted towards the later years of employment. The speaker discusses the implications of backdated equity, which influenced their decision to not accept a job offer. This term is crucial in understanding the risks and rewards associated with the job offers the speaker received.

💡Airport Test

The airport test is a hypothetical scenario where you consider whether you would enjoy being stuck in an airport with a coworker. The speaker mentions the importance of cultural fit, as indicated by the airport test, during interviews. It underscores the value of interpersonal relationships in the workplace beyond technical skills.

💡Senior Software Engineer

A senior software engineer is an experienced professional in software development, often required to have advanced technical skills and possibly leadership responsibilities. The video speaker reflects on their status as a senior engineer and the expectations and challenges that come with it, particularly in the job market.

Highlights

Loss of job and subsequent financial concerns

Exhaustion of severance pay and reliance on savings

The importance of living with parents during tough times

Decline in tech market and its impact on job prospects

The decision to decline job offers despite market conditions

Reflection on the last six months of unemployment

The value of taking a break from work

The realization of needing to find a job for financial and personal reasons

Lesson learned: Always be looking for job opportunities

The mistake of not accepting previous job offers

The process of reaching out to old professional connections

The importance of doing real interviews to improve

The challenge of being perceived as too competent during interviews

The strategy of using referrals to increase chances of getting a job

The experience of relearning Java for a job interview

The significance of passing a system design interview

The importance of cultural fit during interviews

The dilemma of equity backdating and its impact on job acceptance

The emotional journey of receiving and then losing a job offer

The decision to extend the recruiting series to cover ongoing job search

Transcripts

about 6 months ago I lost my job and I'm

still unemployed my Severance has since

run out my mom texts me every single day

concerned about my well-being and how

I'm going to afford rent in the most

expensive city in the United States and

for the first time in a long time when

my friends invite me out I have to look

at the number of dollar signs on the

restaurant to decide if I can go don't

worry I'm not on the streets just yet

clearly I lived at home during Co and

that was honestly a lifesaver because I

have some savings now that I can use

during these tough times we should

normalize living with our parents it's

quite common for IND culture but not so

much in others and I'm not sure why now

I'm sure you can agree that the tech

Market is absolutely trash right now

there really is no argument there but I

can't really blame the tech market for

all of my problems because I actually

recruited and got some pretty decent job

offers but then I declined all of them

so the obvious question you're probably

thinking is why well in this video I'm

going to tell you and if you're

following the recruiting series then

welcome back I'm going to reflect on the

last 6 months and then tell you all the

lessons I've learned along the way

because hindsight is 2020 baby in this

market the companies have all the power

so maybe it's about time I just accept

that Beggars can't be choosers but I'm

not ready to do that because I have

confidence in myself and it's just like

I tell all of you it's not if we'll get

that dream job it's just a matter of

when I'd rather take something I'm

genuinely excited about rather than

something just because here's how the

last 6 months have been if you're new to

the channel or just to recap my name is

num I'm a software engineer I went to

Rice University and studied computer

science I've Ed at slumber Microsoft

Gusto and then in June of 2020 upon

graduation joined bolt a fintech startup

in San Francisco I was there for just

about 3 years of which the first two

Fondest Memories ever the last one not

so much we had multiple rounds of

layoffs and then I 2 was unfortunately

let go in June of 2023 and if you want

to watch that entire Saga unfold check

out this video right here I signed a

severance agreement which covered some

benefits and then gave me the equivalent

of X weeks of pay if you're interested

in a full breakdown of the severance

document page by Page comment the word

Severance below that Severance has since

been depleted and now I'm living

entirely off of my savings but just for

a minute let's go back to the good old

stays since I've been working basically

non-stop for the past 3 years I never

really got an opportunity to take a

break so I purposefully decided not to

recruit I had just moved to New York

City it was summertime and I decided to

just enjoy life for a bit in a way I

didn't realize how exhausting it is to

do a job and I'm not talking about the

coding or debugging or even designing

the fun stuff I'm talking about all the

work you do just to make it look like

you're working the slack updates

standups responding in Threads messages

or what managers like to say Optics well

for the first time in a very long time I

had no Optics no one to respond to I

could just truly be myself my time was

my own without digressing too much I

enjoyed a summer in New York City one of

the best things you can do I spent time

outdoors I experimented with new

creative YouTube videos and then some

days I just bummed on the couch and

watched TV it was a well-deserved break

and honestly the first time I just said

Fu to hustle culture and did nothing at

some point it became evident that I

needed to get a job for two main reasons

one I needed money money is nice it buys

things and two I was getting a little

board and I've never felt this before

because when you're working you always

want to not work but try it for a bit

just go do all the things you've been

meaning to do that you've put off and at

some point you'll get bored of that too

which is a good thing it means you've

recharged your batteries and you're

ready for something else so I started

looking and that actually brings us to

lesson number one always be looking it's

like the common adage always be selling

at least that's what investors tell

Founders a always BBC closing always be

closing well I'm realizing that's

exactly how recruiting is too it doesn't

matter what you're doing you should

always be recruiting in the past 3 or so

months when I was just chilling I should

have put out feelers and set up coffee

chats and passively applied to companies

online you don't have to be in full

recruiting beast mode but keep the leads

warm put a little bit of effort in

because once it gets cold and you have

to start from scratch it's so much

harder for what it's worth I'd actually

gone through a pretty intensive

recruiting cycle in Spring of 2023 while

I was still employed so I guess I did

listen to my own advice back then I'd

actually gotten some pretty dope senior

software engineering offers but I ended

up turning them down because my manager

convinced me to stay which I know was a

mistake because in just a few weeks

after that I was laid off super messed

up I know I'm over it I've healed thank

you so anyways I decided to start

looking for jobs the first week of

October like just about October 1st 2023

but this time it's not proactively like

in the spring it's out of necessity and

honestly I was pretty complacent because

in the back of my mind I was just like

oh the offers I got in the spring

they'll probably take me back if they

have head count I mean yes that's how it

usually works if you think about it from

their perspective they spent so much

time energy resources hiring me they

liked me I was ready to come but then

decided not to so so as long as there's

no burned Bridges we should be good

lesson number two always reach out to

Old Flames no I'm not talking about your

ex partner girlfriend boyfriend whatever

I'm talking about your ex-coworkers

managers friends as long as you didn't

burn the bridges that's a professional

relationship you can leverage so I

started to reach out to my network but

I'm not going to go into a full

recruiting breakdown of the entire

process yet since it's not over and I

don't have a job imagine if I titled

this video how to get a job but then I'm

unemployed trying to give you advice

that'd be a little strange but what I

can tell you is what I've been through

so far the experience in these last 3

four 5 6 months here's the first

conversation on the calendar the company

I'd already gotten an offer from in the

spring George picks up my heart is

beating super fast my hopes are up and I

don't want to recruit if I don't have to

so if I can just accept this be so great

but they unfortunately tell me that they

just don't have the headcount they're

super nice about it and this company is

honestly goed great benefits great

people great pay I should have taken it

when I had the opportunity s tier

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AI Essentials now let's get back to the

video so then I continue looking I set

up some first chats do some first round

interviews and they go okay as good as

you'd expect the first couple interviews

after a long time of interviewing to go

to come across as competent but

confident but not too confident so

humble at the same time that's a fine

line it takes practice and the only way

to get better is by doing more of them

people are so obsessed with lead code

questions and yes that matters a little

but doing real interviews not mock

interviews not practice interviews

that's how you get better you need to

fail make a fool of yourself and feel

embarrassed when that call ends and

you're like oh my God what was that

that's how you move forward lesson

number three do real interviews by this

point I've done so many first round

chats and companies are telling me that

they're looking for more senior

Engineers with one company actually

having two levels for senior they have

like a junior senior engineer and then a

senior senior engineer I know it's super

strange but I apparently fall in the

middle or the junior senior engineer and

they want the higher one it was crazy

then there's this one company that's

objectively not that good I'm not trying

to be entitled I'm just saying compared

to even in this trash Market the

compensation offers the caliber of

engineer the caliber of company you can

get this one wasn't it it's Warner Media

Pretty Legacy entertainment Powerhouse

and then I absolutely cred crush it

which this is the first time in this

process that's happened I walk out and

I'm like oh my God 45-minute interview I

did that in 15 minutes all test cases

passed code was clean there's no way I

don't get the offer well isn't it only

when you feel so confident that things

don't go well because I've done

interviews where I feel like I failed

and I somehow magically passed but it's

never the other way around why why is

that why so yes they reject me and the

recruiter calls and he's like hey num

quick question I know you didn't but

just in case had you seen the interview

question before or did you use AI to

solve it I was like what no of course I

didn't he claims that that didn't

contribute to the rejection but come on

let's be honest if they had any inkling

that that's what happened during the

interview they're not going to take a

chance so they rejected me now I'm not

trying to say I didn't pass cuz I was

just too cracked but I guess they think

I cheated but I don't even know what

advice to give you here like maybe make

more mistakes which is mostly me

trolling but I'm not sure I guess look

more human than I did lesson number four

be good but not that good again mostly

trolling but I guess in the age of AI

with all these llms you could have it

open on another monitor so don't do that

but when you're doing the problems I

guess speak more to the camera maybe

stutter a little bit act more nervous

I'm not really sure it hasn't happened

again after that but if it does I'll let

you know so by this point the first

interview I crushed but then got

rejected definitely broke my morale but

no worries story gets better I get an

interview with a company I'm actually

really excited about for a couple

reasons I use them they're really good

and my ex-coworker works there and only

has good things to say about them so I

mean that's that's like a winning combo

unfortunately the job description says

they're looking for six plus years of

experience in the industry but also more

specifically in Java and the last time I

used Java was in college we had a couple

classes couple assignments there's no

way I know how to write industry level

Java and honestly I don't even remember

the syntax anymore none of my

internships use Java and both used go so

this is right about the time when I fly

back to Houston to be home for a bit so

I decide I should probably start

prepping no distractions regardless I

end up applying with my friend's

referral and get the interview which

just goes to show you that even though

the job description says I wasn't qual

ified if you have a warm internal

connection they can go to bat for you

and you can kind of finesse your way

lesson number five always get referrals

I was so hyped but also so nervous cuz I

actually really wanted this job so I

wanted to do well shout out to my boy

for the referral I end up going home and

then I relearned Java from scratch

essentially in two days and I live

stream the entire process I'm not sure

if any of you tuned into that I pull up

for the first round and I actually end

up passing with the only feedback being

that if the candidate knew more Java

they would have done better but all the

skills were there so thanks to the

interviewer for realizing skills matter

not programming languages anyways I get

the onsite but now I'm even more scared

cuz it's a system design interview and I

haven't done any of these yet if you

aren't familiar these are really

important for any role that is basically

not nrad software engineering and you

can't really get any offers that are

senior unless you kill the designed

portion of the onsite which makes sense

because the hardest part of building new

features is designing them in the first

place not just to work correctly but to

also be extensible scalable and all the

other buzzwords and while I've worked on

my fair share of medium problems I'm

still quite Junior in the grand scheme

of things so I haven't worked on any

Netflix level architecture that I can

talk about confidently but we out here

and we try our best I was doing a lot of

these first round interviews and even

some virtual ons sits from home either

in New York or in Houston but this

specific company's onsite was actually

in their downtown Manhattan office

remember when on-sites meant that

companies would fly you out put you in a

hotel and then you would interview

onsite like literally in a conference

room with these other real Engineers

yeah the good old days pepper rich

farmer members I'll spare you all the

details but if you're interested just

comment and maybe I'll make a video with

like a real deep dive of this specific

interview and maybe some other ones too

but I pass yes I pass the onsite I

passed the system design interview I

have no idea why because my system was

not that efficient but I think I just

really got along with the other two

interviewers in the room and I think

people forget how important that is

lesson number six don't forget the

airport test people are so caught up in

doing well in the interview like

actually passing it in terms of code

quality or correctness that they forget

that they're going to have to work with

these humans and these humans are going

to have to work with them and that might

matter even more than getting the

question right it's like the vibe or the

airport test where essentially if you

were stuck in an airport with one of

these co-workers or this candidate

you're interviewing would you hate your

life or would you go and grab a drink

with them you'd obviously want the

latter because it means that they fit in

with your culture and you enjoy being

around them anyways I end up getting the

offer just about a week later and I am a

hype but there's one thing no one told

me which was that this company gave you

Equity that was backdated just like

Amazon where your Equity Grant was

weighted towards your later years

instead of your first couple so if you

had a 4-year vesting period you'd only

get 15 or 20% your first two years and

then the bulk of it in your third and

fourth from the company's perspective

this makes sense because it incentivizes

employees to stay longer they have to if

they want to get the bigger parts of

their Equity Grant but I'd already been

burned from one startup before and I

wasn't trying to F around and find out

again I asked if the equity terms were

flexible but they said no because they

weren't going to make an exception just

for me at this point it didn't matter

that the company was profitable that

they were probably going to IPO soon or

even that the dollar amount of equity

they were giving me was substantial I

just didn't want to get locked in like

that so this company ended up becoming

the one who got away it was a little sad

because I was going to get the

opportunity to work with one of my ex-

co-workers again who's actually on the

same org as me at bolt but it wasn't

meant to be it's okay though he lives in

New York I see him all the time we're

good friends last but not least I know

I'm missing the two stories I promised

you the company I really wanted but I

just failed the interview and the

company that I wanted I got I started

celebrating and then they said actually

sorry no well as I'm recording this I'm

realizing this video is becoming really

long and those two other companies they

deserve videos of their own because the

tea is quite hot and spicy Masala chai

so I'm going to make a game time

decision right now sorry to my editor

who's probably editing this video right

now we're going to extend our original

recruiting series we're just going to

keep these stories going so you can

follow along as I get that coveted dream

offer we already talked about the broken

senior only developer Market I shared

every single interview question I've

been asked so far and now you know what

the past 6 months have been like next up

is the almost

$500,000 per year offer I just didn't

end up getting and that company that

pulled it away at the very last minute

so much more to come stay tuned cheers