Ask HN: How many positions should I apply for at the same company?

5 points by electromech 2y ago ↗ HN

In the case of companies that have many open positions (Microsoft, etc.), I'm not sure how many of the positions to apply for. Currently I'm only applying for one at a time.

Background: I'm job searching (Senior SWE) and not getting traction anywhere -- not even getting automated rejection emails when positions are filled. Maybe I'm getting flagged as a bot? Not sure. I'm a generalist (frontend, backend, SRE, lots of languages) which is a blessing and a curse: many of the positions could be a good fit, but I'm not a perfect fit for any particular one.

3 comments

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akerl_ 2y ago ↗

You’re going to have way better luck if you tap your network and bypass the generic “apply here” submission queue.

Beyond that, for most companies I’m familiar with are feeding your application into a system. Submitting for a ton of roles is likely not getting you anything different than submitting for one and then having the recruiter route you to the best fit.

electromech 2y ago ↗

Thanks. I just had lunch with an old coworker this week. It sounds like the market is tough right now -- lots of "open positions" but few are actually hiring.

"having the recruiter route you to the best fit" is kinda what I want, honestly. I guess I have to apply for enough positions to get to that stage.

eftalyurtseven 2y ago ↗

I believe you can apply over and over again for SWE jobs, there are lots of open positions but a few are hiring.

If you don't have any reference, you can contact directly to the recruiter