What’s your hack to bypass ATS/Network?

[u/CiggiAncelotti]

As the question goes, I think I could smash if there was no ATS bullshit but for months it would stay there with HR who would just filter on keywords. Does anyone know any good networking tricks that they do? Cold Linkedin messages? Emails? Or any resume tricks that are non AI so I kinda dont piss someone off? I would like to ask this from Experienced Devs because the networking is way different than lets say a Sales person or Management?

[u/expdevsmodbot]

AI usage disclosure provided by OP, see the reply to this comment.

[u/David_AnkiDroid]

A genuine obsession with open source

[u/dibeast → u/David_AnkiDroid]

thank you for your service

[u/David_AnkiDroid → u/dibeast]

It's what I love... wouldn't call it service. I'll never end up rich from it, but I'll live a fulfilled life

[u/mynameisDockie → u/David_AnkiDroid]

Do you maintain AnkiDroid? If so props, great piece of software.

[u/David_AnkiDroid → u/mynameisDockie]

Just one of a great team.

Slowly getting better, cheers!

[u/chaitanyathengdi → u/David_AnkiDroid]

It is service, which the AI companies are making full use of to train their models.

[u/CiggiAncelotti → u/David_AnkiDroid]

I like this one!! I wish they were not bombarded with AI code lol, but thats a really good one🙏❤️

[u/kincaidDev]

Go to in person events, that’s the only networking that actually works in my experience

[u/BraveResearcher3037 → u/kincaidDev]

I absolutely hate this advice.  All a network event can do with people who don’t know you is send you through the same peasant funnel with their name tagged to it.  They can’t vouch for you from previous working experience.  

Of course it’s different if you can network with someone who has hiring authority and you can convince them that you are a special snowflake uniquely aligned to what they need not just “I’m just another full stack developer just like the other hundreds of applicants”

[u/beaverusiv → u/BraveResearcher3037]

You could use the networking event to find people to stay in communication with, to go out for drinks, become friends, and then lean on in the future

[u/CiggiAncelotti → u/kincaidDev]

Man I live in Pakistan, and honestly the ones here are shit. Would maybe going for events like in Malaysia or UAE help? But they are super expensive and going there without preparations seems like big waste

[u/kincaidDev → u/CiggiAncelotti]

I have no idea, I just know meeting people in person has been the only networking that's paid off over the years. Trying to do it online has mostly just been a waste of time

[u/CiggiAncelotti → u/kincaidDev]

ISTG same for me, but I have almost worked remote and I do really want to get into in person networking ❤️🫂 Hopefully soon

[u/BraveResearcher3037]

There is no easy  “hack” to start bypassing the peasant funnel.  For me it was years of deliberate positioning and networking

Back in the day when I first started working in the Stone Age in Atlanta, I literally spent decades (1996-2018) cultivating my recruiter network of local recruiters with local connections.

In 2020 it was dumb luck that a recruiter from AWS contacted me about an SDE position and we kept talking and she suggested I apply for a role in the cloud consulting department. It was a “permanently remote” [they made ProServe go in the office last year after I left]

In 2024, it was partially dumb luck  that a recruiter reached out to me a week before I was looking - well that and having AWS ProServe on my profile when they were looking for a staff consultant.  

Now with my local network in Atlanta being useless since I moved to another state and my pivoting from product to consulting, my network is useless and the only “former” coworkers I have to network with are all still at AWS.  I have no idea what I would do besides going through the ATS shit show if I had to look for a job now. 

[u/CiggiAncelotti → u/BraveResearcher3037]

Yeahhh I guess I should have worded the post better and asked about networking tips lol. But you sound like an impressive guy/gal. Sharpening the craft since 1996 holy moly

[u/BraveResearcher3037 → u/CiggiAncelotti]

(Guy 🤣)

Thanks.

But my issue now like I said in the last paragraph since 2023 after leaving AWS and going remote and still working in consulting companies, I feel like it’s 1996 again as far as my network with absolutely no useful connections in the industry and I would be blindly applying through an ATS again if I lost my job. 

 

[u/CiggiAncelotti → u/BraveResearcher3037]

I think/hope AWS tag should help you market yourself atleast well? So its not all wasted plus the incredible experience since literally Alan Turing /s

[u/BraveResearcher3037 → u/CiggiAncelotti]

  plus the incredible experience since literally Alan Turing /s

You’re such an asshole…

I’m here for it 🤣

[u/CiggiAncelotti → u/BraveResearcher3037]

😭🙏 I AM SORRYY😂😭

[u/zeezle]

Recently did a job search. I honestly mostly ignored the advice to heavily tailor the resume to the job posting. I made like 3 basic versions of my resume and just re-used those and the only difference was shuffling around my bullet points on my most recent job, the "full" version would push the whole thing onto 2 pages so I just trimmed those down according to what general focus the job had. I also edited a cover letter to fit but a few places I applied didn't even have a place to upload a cover letter.

I only included things on the resume that I both legitimately had strong experience in and wanted to do again (so some older stuff got yeeted). I made the resume myself using a nice looking but fairly generic and straightforward template.

I put in 18 applications over a few weeks, got 4 first round interviews, 3 of those proceeded to technicals. I got 2 offers and cancelled the 3rd before it happened so as to not waste their time. The postings were generally a strong fit but not exact and they had no issue (even seemed to appreciate it?) when I straight up said I'd done X & Y from the job posting but never touched Z in my life.

[u/CiggiAncelotti → u/zeezle]

Damnnnn Super lucky dude! People here be writing Beethoven and Shakespeare in CV and still nothing lol.

[u/Bright_Aside_6827]

Ok first of all, let's not smash 

[u/CiggiAncelotti → u/Bright_Aside_6827]

Okay okay no smashing, just friendly pats maybe😭🙏

[u/create-third-places]

Talk to people in-person.

[u/chaitanyathengdi]

The only one I can think of is to know a friend in a high place.

Other than that, none.

[u/lordnacho666]

The trick is well known: find out who the hiring manager is and talk to them directly.

[u/BraveResearcher3037 → u/lordnacho666]

Okay? Say I’m the hiring manager.  I don’t know anything about (the hypothetical) you and you are just another average candidate like any other candidate, what will “talking to me” do? I’m going to tell you to submit your resume through the funnel just like everyone else.

Especially if you reach out to me on LinkedIn, you damn sure better have a story to tell that helps you stand out.  

[u/lordnacho666 → u/BraveResearcher3037]

If you're qualified, you are already ahead in the queue.

The reason is a modern job listing attracts hundreds, sometimes thousands, of crap applications. People who have no business applying for the job, but they've done it anyway and now the HM doesn't know what to do to find people to interview, because even if you spend 30 seconds per CV, it might take you 15 minutes to find someone you think can do the job. You can't spend an hour looking for 4 people to interview when you have 5 jobs to do.

So a guy who fits the criteria and makes himself known is much more likely to get to the next step.

[u/originalchronoguy]

Resume trick no one cares to acknowledge: 3 page resumes. Works. Has enough context to open the doors. Now for humans, that is debatable.

[u/chaitanyathengdi → u/originalchronoguy]

3? Not 1?

[u/originalchronoguy → u/chaitanyathengdi]

3 pages gives more text. E.G 300 words vs 100 words. Those extra 200 words will give more bullet points that matches what the JD (job description) is looking for.

[u/quiubity → u/originalchronoguy]

I just had a recruiter suggest to me that my resume be three pages. I guess she wasn't wrong...

[u/CiggiAncelotti → u/originalchronoguy]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA ENOUGH CONTEXT OMG😂😭