schalkventer/gist:8794de9bf6ee3efa480e0e46b907ae06

## gistfile1.txt
I'm currently reviewing applications for a junior front-end position I advertised recently. For those that applied, it's going to take a while to get back to you. I've gotten about 300 applications. However, I think it would be useful to share some general feedback based on the applications I've received thus far. The goal here honesty, so I hope it doesn't come across as harsh, but my goal is to provide a (hopefully helpful) perspective from the other side of the hiring table.

1. The tech hiring space is a dumpster-fire at the moment. We need to start with the acknowledgment. It is not that you are not good enough, or doing something wrong. The the market is over-saturated with junior applicants. According to Offerzen applications rose by 300% in only 12 months.

2. Due to the above, you only get a couple of seconds of eyeball time. There is no way someone can properly review your application. Let's say hypothetically I spend 5 minutes on each application, given that there are 300 applications, this would take me 25 hours just to figure out how I want to interview. It sucks. I hate it. I don't know what to do about it.

3. For the above reason, don't sweat the small stuff. I retrospect, when I started as a junior I wasted a lot of time fine-tuning my CV and cover letter to perfection. This is super subjective (I can't speak on behalf of what is common in the hiring space), but I haven't downloaded a single PDF from an application yet. If it's not in the email/DM I'm probably not going to see it.

4. Also, super subjective, but don't use ChatGPT or an overly professional tone/template. Given how prevalent these tools and templates are every message looks the exact same. I've even gotten messages where the "I'm applying for [insert position name here]" wasn't even removed. Ironically, the ones that stand out are the ones that just go "Hi Schalk. Is position-x still available? I'm interested in applying. Here is a link to my Github and Linked".

5. I often just quickly scan LinkedIn to see if someone has prior experience in the role. Where I have complete control over hiring (such as with Front-end Development South Africa) all our hires have deliberately been people with no prior experience - in order to give people an opportunity to gain experience in the field. Unfortunately, when I'm hiring on behalf of a client I have a responsibility to consider the person that is best for said client.

6. I generally also give the Github heatmap a quick look. There is no way I'm looking at any code or opening any repos on your profile. All I care about is how consistently you've been coding. Even if the heatmap can be gamed by committing some nonsensical code - this at least shows some commitment to your coding journey.

5. The most useful thing you can do right now for your career is to attend meetups, online Slack/Discord communities, open-source projects and/or conferences (email organisers to ask for free/discounted tickets if you are student/unemployed - this happens more than you think). There have been circumstances where I've bumped applicants straight to interviews just because I've interacted with them before (given they made a good impression). Investing in new hires comes with it's risks, and if the risk can be mitigated by knowing something about your character it is a no-brainer.

6. In closing. I know it doesn't mean much, but I know what your are going through. There isn't much I can do, apart from just expressing sympathy - I've been in the same place in 2013, having been unmedicated up until that point, I came out of a massive depressive episode - never leaving my room for an entire year. Searching for a job with no prior experience and very little marketable skills can break someone emotionally. I was extremely lucky, and eventually ended in the right place at the right time. But things could have gone very differently. All I can say is that I hope you find you find your right place and right time too.
	I'm currently reviewing applications for a junior front-end position I advertised recently. For those that applied, it's going to take a while to get back to you. I've gotten about 300 applications. However, I think it would be useful to share some general feedback based on the applications I've received thus far. The goal here honesty, so I hope it doesn't come across as harsh, but my goal is to provide a (hopefully helpful) perspective from the other side of the hiring table.

	1. The tech hiring space is a dumpster-fire at the moment. We need to start with the acknowledgment. It is not that you are not good enough, or doing something wrong. The the market is over-saturated with junior applicants. According to Offerzen applications rose by 300% in only 12 months.

	2. Due to the above, you only get a couple of seconds of eyeball time. There is no way someone can properly review your application. Let's say hypothetically I spend 5 minutes on each application, given that there are 300 applications, this would take me 25 hours just to figure out how I want to interview. It sucks. I hate it. I don't know what to do about it.

	3. For the above reason, don't sweat the small stuff. I retrospect, when I started as a junior I wasted a lot of time fine-tuning my CV and cover letter to perfection. This is super subjective (I can't speak on behalf of what is common in the hiring space), but I haven't downloaded a single PDF from an application yet. If it's not in the email/DM I'm probably not going to see it.

	4. Also, super subjective, but don't use ChatGPT or an overly professional tone/template. Given how prevalent these tools and templates are every message looks the exact same. I've even gotten messages where the "I'm applying for [insert position name here]" wasn't even removed. Ironically, the ones that stand out are the ones that just go "Hi Schalk. Is position-x still available? I'm interested in applying. Here is a link to my Github and Linked".

	5. I often just quickly scan LinkedIn to see if someone has prior experience in the role. Where I have complete control over hiring (such as with Front-end Development South Africa) all our hires have deliberately been people with no prior experience - in order to give people an opportunity to gain experience in the field. Unfortunately, when I'm hiring on behalf of a client I have a responsibility to consider the person that is best for said client.

	6. I generally also give the Github heatmap a quick look. There is no way I'm looking at any code or opening any repos on your profile. All I care about is how consistently you've been coding. Even if the heatmap can be gamed by committing some nonsensical code - this at least shows some commitment to your coding journey.

	5. The most useful thing you can do right now for your career is to attend meetups, online Slack/Discord communities, open-source projects and/or conferences (email organisers to ask for free/discounted tickets if you are student/unemployed - this happens more than you think). There have been circumstances where I've bumped applicants straight to interviews just because I've interacted with them before (given they made a good impression). Investing in new hires comes with it's risks, and if the risk can be mitigated by knowing something about your character it is a no-brainer.

	6. In closing. I know it doesn't mean much, but I know what your are going through. There isn't much I can do, apart from just expressing sympathy - I've been in the same place in 2013, having been unmedicated up until that point, I came out of a massive depressive episode - never leaving my room for an entire year. Searching for a job with no prior experience and very little marketable skills can break someone emotionally. I was extremely lucky, and eventually ended in the right place at the right time. But things could have gone very differently. All I can say is that I hope you find you find your right place and right time too.