How do I go about "networking" to find a better job?

Question

I don't really know who the players are in town, and I've been told that for the freedom I seem to need to enjoy my job I should try to find a smaller shop without all the "nickel and dime" time tracking bureaucracy.

I've been here (Halifax, NS, Canada) for two years, but most of the software folks I know are people I work with or those who have left to a single competitor (another large consultancy). The focus with my colleagues is more towards "older" tech - people who are used to working in Cobol and who have past experience with mainframes. I, on the other hand, would like to work with something more along the lines of C# or Java (something "newer" for lack of a better term).

How do we developers who are not actively headhunted find jobs in town, especially when attempting to enter as a junior resource with limited experience in the specific languages being used?

Answer 1

Did you try Linked In? Not sure if it's considered "improper" to link to stuff like that here, but still. Tt could be a good idea to at least register, if you're not already there, and check if any of the people you've met during those past two years are there too. I really don't know if LI is "big" in Canada, perhaps it totally unheard of. Good luck!

Answer 2

I would focus on doing two things:

1. Sign up with at least one networking site for some exposure. Try LinkedIn.
2. Spend lots of time learning and self-training via webcasts, books, and online material. Try MSDN and Safari

It can take months, but it is important to be working towards something.

Answer 3

If there is a software developer user group in your area you should attend their meetings in order to socialize and get to know some people. You might even learn someting new and usefull :-)

Answer 4

Besides online social networking, did you consider joining a group or a community that shares the same interest as you do ? Linux user group comes to mind although you will probably find a agile or XP (eXtreme Programming) group more Java or C# oriented, see Halifax agile or XP Halifax.

Answer 5

I went through a job change last month, and here in the US in Ohio, it seems that the trend is for a lot of companies to not post their own job openings, and instead use 'consulting' or 'head hunter' firms instead. I suppose that gives them less HR department expenses, and a level of comfort that if a person isn't working out, the head-hunter agency can take them back and give them someone else? Anyway, out here, these guys would kill for some Java developers. I used to get calls from people once a month trying to lure me away from my current job. Out here in my area, that means doing one of two things: 1) go to one of these head-hunter firms and get "placed" on a job. 2) Just start sending out resumes to tech companies that you would want to work for, even if they aren't listing a job currently. There is a chance that they are actually hiring, but have positions listed through a firm. And if not, all you wasted was a little time and a stamp.

Answer 6

If the local online job-search websites don't turn up anything, you could try looking in the local newspaper. Old-fashioned, yes, but there just might be something there.

Attend job fairs, try to find local companies that might have something interesting for you to do. See if there's a local Users Group you could join, maybe? Skulk around the CS department at the local University, and see if they've got any kind of open lectures or User Group-type meetings?

Answer 7

Philippe's post gave me another thought... if you are interested in Java, try finding a JUG (Java User Group) meeting in your area. Make some friends, and see if anyone knows who is hiring!

http://java.sun.com/community/usergroups/

Answer 8

Hmmm, I'd say the best way of getting a job in a given locality is by direct contact and the hard graft that that entails. Try this little procedure;

    GetJob()
    {
      Get your resume together;
      Have friends scrutinize it and revise accordingly  
      repeat
      {
         Take out your phone directory, highlight the companies you want to work for
         for each interesting company
         {
           Send a resume by post.  
           Contact the company by phone and ask if they're hiring.  
           Get contact details for the senior IT person
           email them your resume as a PDF
         }
      } until happily employed
   }

Answer 9

Does it have to be through networking?

The reason I ask is that generally only the really small companies can afford to only hire through social networks. Most of the ones with more than a couple of dozen staff need to fall back on recruiters and this gives you an alternate approach.

I took this approach at my last job change, I'd only been in the city (Sydney) a year or so and was working for a largish place that I absolutely loathed. With few local contacts I took the recruiting approach, after literally dozens of phone interviews and a fair number of face to face ones I finally found the right place. And I knew without a doubt that it was the right place, which is a sensation I'd never had before.

What I can tell you about the recruiting experience is that it sucks, but with sufficient time and effort it can produce results.

The keys to success are as follows:

1. This will take time, so you will need to stay in your current job until you find a new one.

2. Talk to as many recruiters as possible, they will all say that they are out there looking for the perfect job for you, they are lying. They have a bunch of client companies that they recruit for they will show them your CV then put it in a filing cabinet.

3. Keep a list of everyone you talk to and every company they put your CV into, trust me this will make life lots easier as things progress.

4. Where cover letters are needed make customized ones, the best way to do this en mass is to have a couple of dozen prepared chunks that you mix and match to suit each position you need a letter for. You can distill these chunks from the first few letters which you will just have to custom write from scratch.

5. Finally and most important, at interviews you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you, make sure you ask about hours, overtime, dress codes, the tools they use, the hardware you will get etc. Remember also that the interview is an indicator of the sort of people they hire, if the interview is dead easy then it means most of the existing employees are probably retards.

Answer 10

I'd suggest looking at local IT recruiters, e.g. Robert Half International, Sapphire Technologies, and others. Sometimes they will be looking for junior developers with some technologies.