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"Americans enter the job market with the mindset that its open, fair AND HONEST."

There is nothing fair and honest about the US job market, especially with HR acting as gatekeepers.  They are a huge obstacle in the way of having your resume in front of the hiring manager.

It is pretty easy to verify employment history and references on people who live and work in the US.  Verifying anything on H1B's and people who just got off the boat is virtually impossible.  It could take weeks to months to get verification back and the US HR drones know that so they don't bother.  So foreigners have a clear advantage - aside from the low cost to the employer.

So you have to learn how to work the system to get past HR and to the hiring manager where you at least have a chance.

"Americans enter the job market with the mindset that its open, fair AND HONEST."

There is nothing fair and honest about the US job market, especially with HR acting as gatekeepers.  They are a huge obstacle in the way of having your resume in front of the hiring manager.

It is pretty easy to verify employment history and references on people who live and work in the US.  Verifying anything on H1B's and people who just got off the boat is virtually impossible.  It could take weeks to months to get verification back and the US HR drones know that so they don't bother.  So foreigners have a clear advantage - aside from the low cost to the employer.

So you have to learn how to work the system to get past HR and to the hiring manager where you at least have a chance.

Agree with everything you wrote.

This got overlooked with the sidebar on fraudulent hiring of guest workers. Because my ego is the size of a f*cking bus I will repost. 

I say that in order to be credible when looking for work you need the following. This is for I D who is the main questioner here currently but I would surmise that a salty old dog like Pxsant already knows this quite well.

Here:

Quote

When I did SW contracting my best successes were in fairly tightly defined language+platform+project type domains. I wasn't everything to everyone. I was something very specific to the rare but extant places that needed that combination of interests.

Example of a successful schtick/niche that lasted me for about 10 years from 93 to about 2005: C++ language; Windows OS with Borland and then Visual Studio tools as platform; Windows application rewrites as the project type.

I believe that Pxsant should figure out a similar triad of qualities for best success in locating a post-retooling job, not just figure that learning Java expertly will open doors.  But he already knows that...

This is just as and even more important as a job search principle in looking for software development jobs as the learning and online courses and sample apps.

Why: practically EVERY job you see listed is described like this:

Quote

The software engineer will be responsible for [building specific kind of app] on [operating system and development toolchain] with [computer languages].

I totally distrust job ads that don't somehow cover all three points. If all three attributes aren't listed, the job ad is too generic to be real. They are usually bogus headhunter/agency ads, or some neophyte / loser business that doesn't know what it's doing at all.

It's very effective targeting. When I had all three concepts lined up and in alignment with a job's requirements, I usually got an offer on the spot or at least was told "give us your rate, and please hurry, we need you."

In my own case the platform and languages used in most of industry drifted away from what I knew, and I lacked interest in tooling up again for it.

I agree what you wrote here about the three point. Unless they are specific they are just fishing for resumes. The same thing applies to project management, business analysis and other work.  I ended up doing PM/BA because I got tired of trying to retool in the language of the month. PM/BA is a lot more stable from a skillset perspective.

Another big buzzword now is agile/scrum. Its the big holy grail at the moment. Now I am a scrum master . Same pig different lipstick 

Based on the projects that I am involved,  the stuff that is red hot now is the following: Mathematica, R, NONMEM, PSN, Monolix, SAS - I have yet to encounter any body shop kind of people. Its all about computational computing and they PAY.

I D, I'm not recommending to invent a cluster of three attributes at random at all.

What I would recommend to pursue what Pxsant is talking about (with the crash course approach he champions) is to study Indeed.com and find listed Python jobs that seem really interesting to you. Those will contain the project type+platform information.

You can then get a sense what the market wants at present and then you can mold your new job search + job study persona.

Damn, I'm on a roll of inventing shit these last couple of days!

Language:   Python 

Ok.

Project type:  Computer Security 

That's totally not an application type. WAYYYY too generic and broad. You really need to focus in on something that someone is already doing in the market.

Example: Python+"scripted DDOS bot attack testing"

Using Python to do something specific.

Platform:  Not sure

That may or may not matter. Python comes from the Gnu world so Python under the Windows, Linux, Sun, and Apple ports will all act exactly the same.

But citing a platform of preference would really help. I'd say Linux would be top dog for any Gnu based language.

You're looking for a study group? What on earth do you think this discussion is, anyway?

Job searches are experiential. Not theory craft.

I'm not saying that my "triad" is sacred. But it seems to fit an awful lot of IT and programming positions and I've been beholden to it unconsciously for 30+ years when looking for work.

You have to start pounding the pavement and looking at real life situations that already exist. Then model a job direction on some in-demand job situation you've observed in real life.

Here's some non-technical advice from someone who
remembers Eddie Cantor and Fred Allen:
BE ENTHUSIASTIC AND ENERGETIC when you interview
Go to a really good barber or hairdresser
Lose your beer belly or love handles
Wear up-to-date clothes
Learn new skills every year (especially trendy ones)

Is this all superficial? Yes. Does it work? Yes. Keep knocking on doors and somebody will let you in.

P.S. I agree with the Gorn that it tales a year to become proficient in a brand new skill, but as a former boss of mine once said, "You only have to be one step ahead of the client!"

My latest views on the subject of this thread. 


1) Stay completely away from big companies with their HR departments. 

The policy against hiring older workers is really not all that stupid, even if it is discriminatory and illegal.  The problem is cultural fit.  Big companies have rigid reporting structures and don't want problems in the chain of command.  A person reporting to someone 20 years their junior could be a problem.   Also, the broader culture stereotypes older people as being slower and possibly trespassing in a space (a workplace) where they don't belong.  Being present in such an environment can be very unpleasant for the older worker.

2) That leaves smaller companies.

This is where an older worker wants to look for a job.   It's best to figure out how specifically you can add value and what specifically the company's problem is and what they are looking for.   Personally, I've never done this kind of research on a company, but it sounds like a reasonable thing to do.

3) If you get an interview, take a Shark Tank approach to pitching yourself.

Notice how the sharks want proof they will get their money back.   "What are your current sales?"  is the first question they ask.  It proves that a person can service the market they say they can.    From there on out in a Shark Tank interview it depends on how the person comes across.  Are they enthusiastic?  Does  the product make sense?  Is the person likable?

How would an older, unemployed, older worker prove sales?   Well, maybe you can't prove sales if you are unemployed in the sense someone is paying you a salary, but you can prove a user base, even if it's unpaid.

You can do that through web and mobile apps which people are using.  Or one might provide useful free information and build a following and then monetize it as this person has done:  http://www.buydonthold.com/category/blog/. 

I really like Masonson and believe in his strategy (and have made a little money using it).  The general idea is that you look at a list of high-performing ETFs, which he maintains here:  https://www.etfscreen.com/buydonthold/bdh-decision-page.php and then buy and sell them based on an overall market momentum change which is indicated by (I think, currently 3) signals which he tracks. 

Masonson published a book about his "Buy, Don't Hold" strategy and then published his blog for free for many years.   It's still free, but now he's asking for $20/year for special emailings to subscribers.   A service which I readily signed up for.

What stands out in my mind about Masonson is the goodwill he generates.  He comes across as someone who is genuinely altruistic.  I don't think I'm naive in this regard.  As I said, for many years he did a lot of work to publish his blog that *may* help people invest more wisely.  I say, *may* because I know that modern portfolio theory generally is against market timing.