Improve Your Chances of Landing That Tech Job Interview

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One of my close friends is a hiring manager at Google. She recently posted about an open position on her team and was immediately overwhelmed with applications. We’re talking about thousands of applicants within days.

What surprised me most, however, was the horrendous quality of the average submission. Most applicants were obviously unqualified or had concocted entirely fake profiles. The use of generative AI to automatically fill out (and, in some cases, even submit) applications is harmful to everyone; employers are unable to filter through the noise, and legitimate candidates have a harder time getting noticed—much less advancing to an interview.

This problem exists even for companies that don’t have the magnetism of the Google brand. Recruiting is a numbers game with slim odds. As AI becomes increasingly mainstream, the job search can feel downright impossible.

So how can job seekers stand out among the deluge of candidates? When there are hundreds or thousands of applicants, the best way to distinguish yourself is
by leveraging your network.

With AI, anyone with a computer can trivially apply to thousands of jobs. On the other hand, people are restricted by Dunbar’s number—the idea that humans can maintain stable social relationships with only about 150 people. Being one of those 150 people is harder, but it also carries more weight than a soulless job application.

A referral from a trusted connection immediately elevates you as a promising candidate. Your goal, therefore, is to aggressively pursue opportunities based on people you’ve worked with.

A strong referral has two benefits:

1. Your profile gets increased visibility.
2. You “borrow” the credibility of the person who gave a vote of confidence.

So how do you get one of these coveted referrals? Start with groups you’re part of that have a well-defined admission criteria. Most commonly, this will be your university or workplace. Engage with university alumni working in interesting roles, or reconnect with an ex-colleague to see what they’re up to.

Good luck out there!
—Rahul

ICYMI: Despite 2024 Layoffs, Tech Jobs Expected to Take Off

In 2024, the technology sector saw additional cuts after massive layoffs in 2022 and 2023. Despite these numbers, however, engineers seem to be doing just fine. U.S. employment for electrical engineers is expected to grow 9 percent from 2023 to 2033, compared with 4 percent for all occupations. And the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, revealed that technology-related roles are the fastest-growing categories globally, with the most rapid growth in demand anticipated for big data specialists, financial-technology engineers, AI specialists, and software developers. Read more at
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-jobs

ICYMI: Electric Vehicles Made These Engineers Expendable

When veteran Wall Street Journal reporter Mike Colias began writing about the automotive industry in 2010, the internal-combustion engine still served as the beating heart of legacy carmakers. Since then, the hard pivot to electric vehicles has sidelined engine design and upended a century of internal order at these companies. Colias has observed the transformation, and the recent detour back to plug-in hybrids, from a front-row seat in Detroit.
Read an excerpt from his new bookInevitable: Inside the Messy, Unstoppable Transition to Electric Vehicles, which tells the tale of one power-train engineer at Ford whose internal-combustion-engine expertise slowly became expendable.