Hey everyone! I wanted to share that after months of searching I have accepted an offer as a Software Analyst 😊 I actually got this one just through a cold application, but I think hardcore tailoring my resume/cover letter and applying early was key to getting an initial response in my case. The Behavioural and Technical Interview prep guides were extremely helpful in preparing for my formal interview- I went in feeling confident and prepared. I actually didn’t even think the technical interview went that well, but it goes to show that confidently explaining your thought process and showing a solid understanding of key concepts can go a long way, even if you’re unsure of the correct answer. My #1 advice would be to start applying and networking RIGHT NOW, don’t wait until you feel completely ready for technical interviews or until your resume is perfect. My Leetcode skills frankly suck, I have nothing on my GitHub, and if I waited to fix those things before starting my job search, I never would have gotten this interview or offer! Good luck to everyone searching! Like I said, I am truly not a very competitive candidate, so if I can do it, you can too. Play to your strengths, use the many guides provided by Nate & Anna, track everything, and stay consistent!

So I got laid off my previous company HundredX which was a startup based out in Texas. I had gotten some severance so I didn't start looking as I was recharging. Well maybe I should have started right away because little did I know this job search would not be for the weak. Countless applications, reframing my resume and cover letter, continuously adding recruiters, responding to countless emails, applying for roles that may or may not fit your background, questioning my sanity, numerous job sites, updating job profiles, hitting up people I haven't talked to if ever in ages, getting few interviews, getting ghosted after one interview, completing all rounds of the interview process only to not get selected and when asking for feedback no response, random off shore recruiters calling you at odd times, when given feedback all they say is that they wanted more "experience" in this area, finally making it through to the end and all things are right in the universe only to get the "we flipped a coin and we really loved you but ultimately decided on another candidate", asking AI for all the life lines and rewrites. Is this you? Because this was/is me. What can I tell you is that no matter what put on that smile and keep on going. You've worked too hard to get this far. And yeah if it was a cakewalk then everyone can do it. And it would get boring fast. Just keep recharging your batteries with your loved ones, friends, outlets and anything you can. Take little breaks so that your head doesn't explode from over thinking or being drained. And look for positive outlets. I found that here with @Anna Miller and @Nate Hobi and the Insiders here. It was definitely a breath of fresh air. I got some new ideas being here and started applying them. So thank you for the support. And with that it has been a long time coming but I just signed onto a role with Apple. I can finally breath.

Join me on Monday 10 AM PST on a live Q+A call on all things job search and networking. If you want to join live to ask a question RSVP to the zoom here: bit.ly/44LzGA0 See you there 👋

Happy almost Friday! 🍹 I joined the 7/16 call after finding this community via one of @Anna Miller's LinkedIn posts. I'm Ashley, most recently a senior security engineer (in practice, a fullstack SWE with security domain knowledge) and currently on a career break after a mass layoff. For a few months, I've been casually applying to software security engineer (with a focus in product security or application security) and security researcher roles as potential avenues for my next career move. It's been a mix of application-stage rejections (from both cold apply and referrals) and (re)connecting with recruiters in my LI DMs about current hiring needs as I've been keeping my LI up-to-date the past few years. I actually have been in talks with a recruiter (via an introduction by their colleague in my DMs) for a role at a company that feels most aligned with my values as a security practitioner and a whole human, but it's scaring me since technical interviewing (system design, live coding, technical storytelling) is still a skill I'm still learning. There's a firehose of advice out there, but I'm loving the Insider Guides for being simple, realistic, and practical. Connecting with humans mean more than ever! <3