Ask HN: Filtering out the cargo culters in a job search

I just started looking for new work seriously on Friday. So far, almost every posting I've found is actively recruiting committed cargo culters: "If you love JavaScript as much as we do...", "If you believe that Docker is the future of computing...", etc.

It's not that specific techs are used as much as it's that the job post predicates one's eligibility on their commitment to buzzwords. I use this stuff now, but I don't want to work somewhere that judges competence based on one's commitment to fads.

I'm seeing tons of "We're actively moving into AWS", from big important things like financial companies, insurers, etc. I don't know if they're just saying this because they think they need to to attract applicants or what. I know AWS very well, but I don't believe there is anything particularly magical about AWS itself, and I'm confused as to why enthusiasm for this vendor's cloud platform is apparently pre-requisite for so many jobs that are supposedly about building good solutions, rather than pumping up Amazon's sales.

It seems like if I say in the interview "Why are you guys shifting to <buzzword>? What's wrong with <current system/old buzzword> that drives this?" it'll just be an immediate dismissal or suspicion that I'm only asking because I don't know buzzword well enough.

I've had this happen before. I want to know how to minimize my chances of encountering such places at all.

Does anyone have advice, or know of job boards that are perhaps popular with those who remember a pre-AWS, pre-GitHub-Stars-driven world?

Any tips on how to avoid employers who are looking more for cargo culters than they are looking for people who are thinking about what they're doing and are capable of explaining why they're doing it are great. Some kind of "kool-aid free" assertion would be great.

Would really help if I didn't have to throw out 99% of the otherwise-applicable job postings.