A bit of a rant on job searching

(I originally wrote this on LinkedIn, so consider this a bit of reverse-POSSE.)

I think one of the most frustrating things about being a software engineer searching for a job is the terrible job listing/search websites out there.

ZipRecruiter search is ridiculously awful. They seem to have thrown a bunch of AI at things so they can tell you a job is a “Good match” or “Poor match” or even “Not a match” and then you can’t even filter or sort on that. (And a problem that is probably more unique to my job search is how it likes to recommend healthcare worker jobs if you search for “PHP.”)

LinkedIn keeps track of jobs you applied for and somehow doesn’t let you remove them from that list. (And there was weeks when it kept showing me jobs managing chain restaurants like KFC in Nashville.)

Otta is actually probably my favorite even though sometimes it feels like every software engineer job there is for Python, Go, and/or React. (And it is quite focused on startups and big-tech.)

That's just the job listings, then you have to wade through a mess of job application portals and sites that will, if you’re lucky, ingest your work history from LinkedIn or a standard resume and not require you to re-enter your job history again with a lot of questionable custom UI elements.

The final step is the almost total lack of response you get to job applications. Even just a semi-automated “we will not be going forward with your application” is too much to expect, I guess. I know the number of applications can be overwhelming, but do the people applying a kindness and tell them no.

I just want a job making the people’s lives better through software. I hope I don’t go insane having to use terrible software in order to get one.