How to "opt out" of the job hunt meat grinder

John Sonmez contrasts two career situations. In the first, he describes the stress of applying to many jobs, getting little response, and going through interviews designed to eliminate candidates quickly. In the second, he says that writing his blog and building a reputation led a company to contact him directly with a job offer.

Reading notes

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• He describes the traditional job hunt as a funnel that forces candidates to compete for one opening.
• He says many applicants are filtered out by keywords and quick resume scans before reaching a hiring manager.
• He presents the interview process as a system that eliminates candidates as fast as possible.
• He says chasing opportunities pushes developers into a meat grinder.
• He gives an example of a later offer that came to him through his blog and local reputation.
• He says positioning himself as an expert flipped the process in his favor.
• He concludes that developers should specialize, build a name, and start early.
• He says this approach can increase leverage when negotiating salary.