Amy Miller

Must meet basic qualifications to even start the process. The ATS are going to use the basic qualification / minimum requirements to rank you also.

Another thing you can do is look at the business problem the company is trying to solve, and then think about what is the impact the new employee they are looking to hire is supposed to make. Try to add this info in the resume also.

Recruiter's job is not to get you a job.

  • For agency recruiter's, the job is to find companies that are willing to pay a fee for us to deliver a service, which results in making a hire.
    • They only get paid after you are hired.
    • It is generally like some percentage of your salary. So their incentive is to get you a higher compensation package.
    • Another source can be hourly billing, where the candidate is being paid $20 per hour, and the company charges the original company $40 per hour and keep the other $20 for themselves. You can be low-balled by shady recruiters.
  • For corporate recruiter's, they are on salary and probably on the same team as hiring manager.
    • Since they are paid salary, your compensation does not change their salary, and they have no incentive to low ball you.

How to apply for jobs

  • Tailor the resume to meet basic qualifications.
  • Apply online to get the information in the system.

  • Connect with these three people

    1. Recruiters - Search the company and find the recruiters that are working on things that you applied to.

      Hi (recruiter name),

      I am a (job title) working with (company) and am interested in learning more about how (company) hires (titles). I have applied online to (position), and found your profile which said you hire (titles).

      I'm not sure if my application has made it to your desk, but I wanted to express my interest directly. You can learn more about me here (LinkedIn profile, personal blog, link to resume, WHATEVER). If I am a fit for any (title) roles you're working on, I'd be happy to set up a call to discuss further. You can reach me directly at "kushajveersingh@outlook.com" or "706-461-9944".

      If I may be a better fit for another (role/team/recruiter), please feel free to forward this email to the appropriate contact - I'd really appreciate it!

      Thank you, Kushaj

    2. Peer networking - People that are doing the job you are applying for. The goal is to learn about their career path (how did they get where you want to be) and hopefully build a mutually beneficial professional friendship!

      Hi (name),

      I am an aspiring (title) looking to get into a company like (company they work at). I have applied online and reached out to recruiters, but I'd love to hear any words of wisdom you might have as you've successfully landed at (company)! Since we have similar backgrounds, I was hoping to learn something from your success.

      Do you have any advice or tips you'd be willing to share? I would greatly appreciate it. If I can ever return the favor please let me know!

      Thanks, Kushaj

    3. Leadership - Hiring managers, or project managers. Try to include info about the business problem they are trying to solve and how you can help.

      Hi (name),

      I am an aspiring (title) looking to get into (company they work at). I have applied online and contacted out to recruiters at your company, but I wanted to reach out directly in case you have any open positions I could be considered for. I'm really interested in (company) after learning about/because of (key thing you've learned about them/read in the news etc)

      My experience is in (1-2 things you're great at) and I'm looking for a role where I can (1-2 things you really want to do in your next gig). Any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated! If not for your team, I would be grateful if you could share my (LinkedIn profile, resume, personal blog, etc) with anyone else you know who may be interested in my background.

      Thanks for taking the time to read this! Hopefully our paths will cross in the future.

      Sincerely, Kushaj

    4. (optional) If there are people from your university

      You are from my same college, we both graduated from the university of georgia, and we had the same degree and I was just curious you got an internship at my dream company, what advise do you have for someone like who is coming like two years behind you and was looking for the same career path.

      • Write something like simple, to which someone can quickly write an email response, to give you some direction.

Resume length does not matter much. The only thing that matters is that the information should be relevant. If the information is relevant you can go to 3 pages.

Interview prep with recruiters

  • They will provide you with all the information that you need for the process.
  • Answer your questions about what to expect.
  • Give insights how you are going to be measured.
  • Ask them "What do I need to be successful", links to websites, training materials. Or even say a variation of this line "I know I have once chance to make a great impression what are the areas I should study up on, what are the things that I absolutely need to nail and what kind of information do you have for me to help me be successful in this interview".

When to respond to recruiter messages, when you are not looking for jobs

  • What is in my background, that made you specifically send that message
  • Ask about what business impact you are going to have, how am I impacting the financial, shipping a new feature.

Salary

  • Cost of labor is the main factor when determining the ranges. This means "Software Engineer in Oregon cost this". Next the salaries of top performers at the company is brought into the equation, did we loose talent due to compensation. And then from all this data the final value is calculated.

Salary negotiation

  • The person that goes first is the loser is bullshit. Instead, the person that goes first controls the situation.
  • Total compensation consists of base salary, some sort of joining or one time bonus, and equity (mostly negotiable as they are based on vesting). Ask the negotiator directly what is negotiable.
  • The things that are not negotiable are time-off, benefits.
  • You should not tell your current compensation.
  • Do not agree to arbitrary deadlines, where recruiters push to get a verbal agreement right now, or you need to sign in a short period of time. Because if you have earned an offer letter from a company, you deserve to have that letter in your hand. Do not fall for the trap that the offer cannot be printed, till you say yes.

On LinkedIn have a solid About section about what you do like "I am this job title with X years of experience, I'm skilled in these tools, I've accomplished those things".

I'm Amy Miller, I am a tech recruiter, I've been working in big tech for several years, work for a few big names in the Seattle area. My focus is on mid to senior level engineers and placing two to three people every single month.

Last update: November 21, 2023
Created: November 21, 2023