I don’t have time to do job applications and honestly I feel like they’re a waste of time over getting a referral or direct help. What else can I do to get seen by recruiters and managers? I’m on linkedin but I hate posting. I don’t need my whole network to see I’m looking for a job/unemployed lol.
Any tips on directly messaging recruiters/managers on Linkedin/Twitter? I try that route but I either get no response or ghosted.
Hi 
,
I think more context is needed. What’s your training/background and what are you applying to? Even with the relevant degree, do you have a portfolio/website? I would reach out to trusted people in your network that are in the field, and if not ask them if they know someone in the field who can look at your stuff and have an honest one-to-one with you about what the strengths/weaknesses are.
Re: getting ignored, often recruiters that are actively hiring will list it on their linkedin, so those are better bets (or ones within some sort of network you’re in).
I’m a recruiter (head hunter, specifically), and this is what I usually look at:
Not wanting to post is understandable, however the organic reach achieved on LinkedIn is insanely great. It could definitely help you reach recruiters outside of your current network.
You could also enable the #OpenToWork feature. If you don’t want to display the badge to your entire network, click the “choose who sees that you’re open", and select that you want to keep this to recruiters only. We’ll do the rest when lurking in the shadows. 
Other than that, what @toastedpitabread mentioned is great. Indeed the recruiters that use the #Hiring feature might be more responsive.
Last, try to pinpoint companies that specialize in what you do / want to do. Not specific to you, but some companies are more inclined to hiring junior developers than others, for example.
In terms of messaging recruiters, I’m not sure what to say. Feel free to send me a private message on here (as you would messaging recruiters on LinkedIn), and I can give you some feedback if you’d like.
My two cents, hope this is somewhat helpful
Thanks for your insight, @ghostlovescore
Like micro0881178160 I don’t have a lot of time to do job applications, even with the linkedIn “one click” feature, because I’m already holding down two jobs trying to keep a roof over my head while I update my skills and try to find a (single) job that will actually get my bills paid.
You mention being very specific about location, but how much does that really matter these days? Between the changes brought on by the pandemic, and the nature of software development, is physical location REALLY that important?
Yeah, I’d love to get a job within walking distance of downtown Dover, NH … but with an internet feed, I can code from anywhere, and tools like Zoom have proven effective for meetings.
What are your thoughts on that?
My other dilemma, and I don’t know how common this is among CodeCademy students, is that I’m trying to get BACK into software dev, after 20 years of doing something else.
A resume with a CS degree and ten years experience in testing and dev quickly gets flagged for “senior” positions, but that’s not what I’m looking for right now.
One of the reasons I’m on CodeCademy is to catch up with the changes that have happened since I worked full time in the field, e.g. Java Applets aren’t a thing anymore, JavaScript has matured into a full featured 4GL, CSS wasn’t even a thing back then …
So, yeah, I’m not new to dev, but a lot of what devs are using these days is new to me.
And (as I mentioned above), on top of trying to get my skills up to speed and translate all my old applet demos into something showcaseable on the modern web, I only have Sundays and Thursdays off from the dead-end #dayjob to work on everything, including applying for dev jobs.
What advice do you, as a headhunter, have for those of us in this predicament? (TIA for your time.)