Mavish Mahomed-Silva, PMP’s Post

Hey tech fam! Just wanted to drop in and share a bit about my recent dive into the tech job market. Over the past three weeks, I’ve been actively applying and chatting with HR folks from US tech companies. It’s been quite the journey seeing how varied the pace and approach can be from one company to the next. Something that’s really caught my attention is how the US tech job scene stands out compared to Europe or Russia. It's not just about the hiring process itself, but the whole ethos around it feels different. This got me curious - for those of you in the tech world who’ve navigated the job hunt in 2023 or are in the midst of it in 2024, how long did it take you to land that tech position? And what do you think tipped the scales in your favor? Was it sheer luck, a powerful referral, or perhaps a resume that just couldn’t be ignored? Eager to hear your insights and gather some wisdom! P.S. DALL·E still can't manage the correct number of fingers; getting the word "Manager" right also remains an unattainable achievement for it. But thanks for the art. At least it can showcase the current state of the epic battle I'm waging on the US market.

When Evan and I started work on Hello Interview, we personally met and worked with dozens of individuals directly. It was just us! We had to get our hands dirty with the problems people were facing as well as understand how to best support coaches with the platform. We also had to know our software was good enough for someone else 🤣. Stage one is complete. While I'm spending slightly less time in sessions than earlier this year thanks to an *amazing* slate of coaches offering their time, I'm still proud to be dogfooding our platform heavily (my stats below!) and using the insights to help drive an ambitious roadmap. We have a lot of problems we'd like to solve in how folks gets placed in tech jobs, hopefully making the entire process less painful for the people connecting talent with opportunities. If you've got deep thoughts about how to transform the ways that tech professionals get jobs, I'd love to chat. DM me!

Tech companies laid off more than 9,500 people in May, in June the number grew 4 times and it was 41,000. Considering the AI disruption and the job market, the layoffs will continue for some time. I know the market is tight, and many of you are looking for your next role. It’s a challenging time, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. To help you with your job search, I'm offering to answer your questions for free in the comments. Whether it's about updating your resume, preparing for interviews, or networking effectively, ask away! Your career is important, and I want to provide support and guidance during this transition. Let’s work together to turn these challenges into opportunities. Note: Please try to ask one question, so I can reply to everyone.

Every single conversation I’ve had lately is the same—no matter the role, title or seniority level. The job market today is rough. Trying to predict the future is impossible. There's a growing disconnect between the glossy promises of tech utopia and AI making us all rich and the jarring realities of layoffs and job uncertainties. As we rethink the conventional 9-5, crafting a unique career path without a roadmap becomes an exercise in exploration and courage. A common sentiment is, “I don’t want to rely on a 9-5 as my only source of income, but how do I get additional sources?” We don't have all the answers. But we need to have that conversation. To start with: Are you on the lookout for opportunities or have openings to fill? Drop in the comments, and let’s end the week by connecting some folks to opportunities. I'll kick us off with some awesome folks you should hire.

There's no denying it – the job market is tough right now. I’ve seen so many people sharing their frustrations about applying to dozens (or even hundreds) of jobs with no response. It's easy to feel discouraged. Instead of applying for open roles, I decided to take a different, proactive approach and see if I had any success. This week, I landed THREE calls with companies I would love to work for! While these opportunities might not lead to an immediate offer, I’ve found it’s a great way to build connections, get your name out there, and stay top-of-mind when future openings come up. Here’s what helped me land those calls: -Leveraging ChatGPT: I asked ChatGPT to generate a list of advertising, marketing, design, and staffing companies in the Detroit area. -Reaching Out Directly: I connected with recruiters from those companies via LinkedIn or email. My messages were short and to the point – I shared my resume, highlighted my relevant experience, and asked when they were available for a chat (even if they didn’t have open roles). Leveraging My Network: If I had a mutual connection at a company I wanted to work for, I asked my connection for an introduction. How have you gotten creative with your job search?! #Networking #Recruiting #DetroitJobs #CreativeIndustry #CareerTips

I think Indeed.com is broken. I have maybe 2-3 conversations a week with founders or marketers looking for work. These are highly skilled indiviuals with experience spinning up departments from scratch and being accountable for a P&L. But they're applying to literally hundreds - like 3-400 positions- and hearing nothing back. Literally nothing. My best guess is that it is so easy to apply to jobs on Indeed that we're seeing a crazy high volume of applicants, so employers can set automatic filters for people who have done the exact role before. This biases against problem solvers and generalists is my guess. Curious, as hirers or applicants, are you seeing the same thing? Seems like open space for a new market entrant.

Tech Recruiting Demystified Series #1: Launch and Intro In the last year - I've connected with many cool human beings and with many impacted by layoffs, the economy, and federal rate cuts. After personally connecting with folks and listening to their stories, their struggles, and circumstances - I figured I'd share knowledge and advocate for each job seeker out there. After having worked at multiple tech companies, startups, architecting various end-to-end recruiting journies paired with extensive talent research and serving as an advisor to AI companies - I'll share with you insights with hopes that'll benefit your circumstances. Topics I’ll be writing about will range from job search tips, research, tech company insights, and all the way to niche topics like integrating AI tools to elevate you. Ideally, I hope to spread knowledge and make it opensource so opportunities are accessible to you - the job seeker.  Echoing the sentiments by a humanitarian I highly respect, Winnie Byanyima - every human being should live with dignity. In my case, I’d like the do that by creating equitable access to jobs and socio-economic mobility by educating job seekers out there. Vid on who Winnie Byanyima is here (skip to 2:17 if you'd like): https://lnkd.in/g5UEPtXT Sign up for my Substack below

(1) Half a million IT people were made redundant due to changing technologies like AI. Think layoffs from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc. (ref. https://lnkd.in/d-ayT3qd). And there will be more (ref. Richard Baldwin - Globotics Upheaval). (2) Companies complain about labour shortages. The German economy alone has 500 thousand more jobs than people looking for one (ref. https://recruitonomics.com—great labour market analysis by an economist). (3) Recruiters unfavour career job-switchers, looking for a good fit, prudent career path, proven track record of whatever, relevant experience, and education (ref. any career-related book like Dawn Graham's "Switchers" or what recruiters say on LinkedIn). Since (1) and (2) are just facts, lagging behind changing conditions could only be (3). Right?

After a short break from LinkedIn.. I'm back! I struggled for a while with knowing what to post about or what was relevant to both me, and my network! Moving into a new industry can be a daunting one, but the world of AI and research is so exciting and interesting, I know that I wont have a shortage of things to talk about! Career moves can be terrifying, but making the move for the right reasons, opens so many doors and introduces you to so many interesting and inspiring people. To anyone going through a career change, redundancy, or generally needs a sounding board, give me a shout! Sometime just having a chat can make all the difference