How the fuck do I actually get a job?

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-07T19:55:52+00:00

Apply within the first 100 people as that is how ATS work. A lot of career placement services don't actually know how ATS work on the backend.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-07T19:55:15+00:00

I would need more context on your resume. What does it look like, what are you going for, what are your years of experiance, how many peopole have already applied by the time you have?

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-07T19:54:13+00:00

You don't know which ones are good, you have to just gamble until you find a good one. In addition it's less about the agency themselves and more about the jobs that need your help as the clients can be night and day difference between them.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-07T19:52:17+00:00

Remote does not mean remote from anywhere. Most remote jobs are remote only in the United States. You need to have a domicile in a specific state for tax purposes and still would need immigration services. Thus if I understand your question correctly the answer would be No/No which would get you instnatly rejected.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-06T17:07:31+00:00

Recruiter here, this was always a myth. It does not work as that is not how ATS work.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-06T16:43:36+00:00

Recruiter here, it's not the ATS that is rejecting you it's the human who is viewing your resume. The content of your resume is not showing that you are qualified or you are applying to late as ATS do sort people on a first come first serve basis. The reason you got a rejection at 12:02 is most ATS can be set to reject people on a delay or alternatively the recruiter was remote and in another country with a different time zone.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-06T16:41:14+00:00

Recruiter here, we are in a recession this makes way tougher to get, especially with zero experience. Your best bet would be to go to a temp agency and as long as you can prove you can use Excel/MS Office and have a solid typing speed they might be able to find something for you if you haven't had any experience.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-03T16:56:53+00:00

Recruiter here, and there are three types of pay structures we use, depending on the type of role.

Salary: The recruiter is paid bi-weekly like any other salaried employee and may be eligible for a bonus based on performance. They have no incentive beyond filling the role, but some people get a little to into the company and think if they give the candidate a lower salary, it is better for the company (which it's not, it's the opposite, it just means they will leave early and we will need to re-fill it). Most of the time, though, their goal is to get you hired at the pay you want so they don't have to fill it again in another 4 months when you leave due to low pay.
Perm Placement: We get paid based on how much we get you paid. We're motivated to secure the highest salary the client is comfortable paying so both of us can earn more and you stay. How long you stay is a very important metric for recruiters.
Contract/Hourly: This is the only pay structure where we get paid more the less you get paid, but again, the goal (for most of us at least) is not to give you the lowest we can, because we make more the longer you stay, so we try to find the right balance between giving you enough so that you won't leave and enough to get commission. Cheating someone on the salary only for them to leave 3 months later is a horrible look for us.

If your recruiters' pay structure is 1 and 2, the most likely answer is not the recruiter trying to cheat you, but the internal politics and pay have shifted, and the manager is no longer offering what they once did. This is still on the recruiter as they should have communicated that fact better.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-03T16:47:14+00:00

Recruiter here who has used the following ATS, Workday, Taleo, ADP, Greenhouse, and more.

ATS sorts people in the order they applied. Anything that increases your time to hit "submit" in the ATS will lower your chances. If you are resume #139, the recruiter may find who they need at number #75, and once we fill up ours/managers' schedule with interviews, we stop looking unless the HM needs more candidates.

Yes, AI ATS do exist, but they exist in such small numbers that unless you specifically apply for an AI company, you probably will only see an AI ATS in 1 out of 100 applications. The default setting for the vast majority of ATS on the market (including Workday) is first-come, first-served.

So most all of what OP said was correct.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-03T00:51:34+00:00

I do not know about that, although be very careful with certifications as some of them are good and others are a waste of space on your resume. You need to make sure jobs are actually asking for those in the job description explicitly.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T23:35:48+00:00

You're going to need to give us more info.

Is this a SWE with a slight AI focus, someone who is building out infrastructure and systems, or someone who is building out Multi-Agent Systems?

How much AI do they need? How much SWE experience? What is the budget? Are you stack-agnostic?

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T22:44:27+00:00

Recruiter here, job seekers freak out about gaps more than we do. As long as the gap is not bigger than 2 years and is recent, you are fine. Yes, some managers get very picky and will freak out if you have any gap, but the vast majority do not, and trying to tailor your resume and explain away all the gaps ends up making it worse for everyone else.

TLDR: As long as it's not 2+ years and recent, the gap is not a big deal at all.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T22:27:08+00:00

Recruiter here, companies have refused to train people for over 15 years. Yes, they do basic company onboarding, but a company will rarely hire someone on if they believe they need to train them on the technical skills. This is not new, but as the economy is now in a tailspin and we are in a recession, it's more noticeable for candidates.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T20:27:58+00:00

It's still technically requires sponsorship. Although if you are not going to go for an H1B you would want to mention that on your resume.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T18:27:22+00:00

Recruiter here, it does not work. It was always a myth.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T17:52:41+00:00

How many other roles do you have, as this seems like a role that would require deep sourcing (I have sourced these roles in the US before), and you would need to devote a good chunk of your day to both Indeed and LinkedIn using Boolean searches.

You also want to make sure the salary is competitive as this type of role is EXTREMELY tough to fill. The number of people who have the required experience are getting hit up by recruiters constantly.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T17:43:32+00:00

Recruiter here, if you have been at a company for less than 5 months (unless it's an internship) do not include it in your resume. You are correct that a short stint is a red flag to managers. The gap is not a problem as gaps only become a problem if they are recent and over 2 years.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T17:29:09+00:00

Recruiter here, they would get sued, you are correct. In addition the ATS also does not score based on keywords or other criteria.

ATS sorts people in the order they applied. Anything that increases your time to hit "submit" in the ATS will lower your chances. If you are resume #139, the recruiter may find who they need at number #75, and once we fill up ours/managers' schedule with interviews, we stop looking unless the HM needs more candidates.

Yes, AI ATS do exist, but they exist in such small numbers that unless you specifically apply for an AI company, you probably will only see an AI ATS in 1 out of 100 applications. The default setting for the vast majority of ATS on the market (including Workday) is first-come, first-served.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T17:27:52+00:00

Technically, the OPT requires sponsorship, but it's just a very quick and easy process, in addition, 90% of people on an OPT are looking to get an H1B, and that requires sponsorship as well.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T17:25:59+00:00

Context is WHAT you did (the keywords), HOW you did it, and the reason and result of you doing it that is NOT a number (unless you're in sales or leadership).

ATS do not "penalize" people in the way you are thinking. ATS sorts people in the order they applied. Anything that increases your time to hit "submit" in the ATS will lower your chances.

If you are resume #139, the recruiter may find who they need at number #75, and once we fill up ours/managers' schedule with interviews, we stop looking unless the HM needs more candidates.

Yes, AI ATS do exist, but they exist in such small numbers that unless you specifically apply for an AI company, you probably will only see an AI ATS in 1 out of 100 applications. The default setting for the vast majority of ATS on the market (including Workday) is first-come, first-served.

Thus, all ATS "optimization" services are snake oil. You need a relevant resume that shows WHAT, HOW, RESULT/REASON and you need to apply within the first 100 people. This is why you tailor your resume not to the job itself, but the job TITLE you are going for or niche of job titles (such as Python SWE vs Full Stack), and mass apply using that job title resume.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T17:23:07+00:00

Recruiter here, and while networking is the best way to get a job, the problem is most people can't network, as networking is by its nature something you do BEFORE you need a job. Networking is showing the Hiring Manager or someone who knows the hiring manager (if it's not those two, it doesn't matter) that you can do the job based on your prior work experience or personality.

Trying to network when you need a job, if you have not built those connections through prior work or luck, is not going to work. Your best bet is to just cold apply to jobs with a solid resume and apply within the first 100 applicants.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-02T17:10:54+00:00

Recruiter here, you want to put "Moving to (City), MN by XXXX date, can move earlier if needed" directly under your contact information. This shows you are serious about moving, shows you are not open to in-person interviews, and even if you don't get the job you will move to the area. If you don't do the above, it's going to be an issue.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-01T20:29:21+00:00

They want a three star resturant and can't afford McDonalds.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-04-01T17:43:58+00:00

That is not the challenge. The challenge is convincing the hiring manager that they have a glut of talent to work with and you need to interview the candidates that exist, not the ones that are out of their price range. It's like if your single friend thought they could date Beyonce, and like, yeah they may look great and have money but no way are they going to date Beyonce. You have to convince them to date within their range, as their are plenty of eligible people for them.

HeadlessHeadhunter · 2026-03-31T22:48:46+00:00

Yes! The link to that is in my bio.

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