[rimeice]

Honestly, I disagree, my partner just did exactly this. 50+ “cold” applications with a single first round interview. Tracked down where the head of design of one company was going to be at an event, cornered her, chatted for 10mins and was then fast tracked through an interview process and had the job signed 2 weeks later. I know that is a sample of 1, but I’ve spent most of my time as the hirer, going the extra mile to stand out does make a difference even more so in this f’d up AI infected hiring world we’re now in.

[ghaff]

Certainly, some companies just aren't hiring today so even knowing the right person probably doesn't help. But my (few) jobs over the past 25 years--including one right after 9/11--came through personal connections and didn't even involve a response to a job posting. In fact, in the last case, the job position was created for me. I'm a bit sorry I never checked to see if there was an associated posting on the jobs site.

But I've certainly been lucky. A few dodged bullets.

[usernamed7]

again, if i did this i would not have a job right now. This is my lived experience. This is what I had to do. It is not what I wanted to have done. That's why I wrote my post, because someone out there might really be struggling with this job market and need to hear about it.

I'm not saying taking a more personal approach doesn't work. Sure, if you've got an event you can go to or you've got a network you can tap, do that. But neither were options for me. Nobody in my network was hiring, and the one event i could have attended (where relevant people would be) sold out within a few hours.

[rimeice]

Fair, proof is in the pudding and you scored a job with your approach. So congrats and 100% not knocking that, hopefully my comment provides a bit of perspective from the other side of the fence.

Also thank you for sharing your experience here.