Lessons Learnt: Over 70 Interviews in Just 5 Weeks

5 weeks, 39 unique companies, and over 70 remote interviews. In this talk Josh will be sharing some of the lessons he learnt, and mistakes he made while searching for a job in the UK. He will present some interesting data on the interviews, discuss what he did right and wrong, the pain points he suffered, what he enjoyed, and finally - offers some advice for hiring managers and job seekers alike.

Transcript

1. Lessons Learnt: Over 70
   Interviews in Just 5 Weeks
   Josh Michielsen
   jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
   

   View Slide

2. About Me 2
   jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
   • Background: Web Design, Software Dev,
   Sysadmin, DevOps
   • Previously Senior DevOps Engineer @
   Bankwest
   • Relocating to Cambridge, UK on Dec 3rd 2018
   • Meme dog owner
   

   View Slide

3. View Slide

4. 4
   Agenda
   1. Context: Why?
   2. Methodology
   3. Reviewing the Data
   4. Honourable Mentions
   5. Lessons Learnt
   6. Things That Make My Blood Boil
   jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
   

   View Slide

5. 5
   Context
   • Relocating to Cambridge, UK on 3rd December 2018
   • Joining Condé Nast International as Senior Software
   Engineer, Infrastructure & Operations
   • About 1 hour from London by train
   • Long-term partner completing a PhD at Cambridge Uni
   • Fully-funded!
   • Moved to Cambridge in March 2018
   • Started PhD October 2018
   • Cancer Research UK “Grand Challenge”
   jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
   

   View Slide

6. 6
   Methodology
   • Applied for DevOps Engineer, Platform Engineer, Site Reliability
   Engineer roles
   • Looking for: Cloud, Kubernetes, Golang, Scale
   • Single 3-page CV
   • Standardised Cover Letter
   • Didn’t fill out applications with long, fluffy questionnaires
   • Interviews between 6PM and 1AM
   • Phone and teleconference
   • Recruiters limited to 2 companies
   jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
   

   View Slide

7. 7
   Reviewing the Data
   Status Progression:
   • 39 unique companies
   jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
   

   View Slide

8. 8
   Reviewing the Data
   Status Progression:
   • 39 unique companies
   • 20 rejected by me before an offer
   jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
   

   View Slide

9. 9
   Reviewing the Data
   Status Progression:
   • 39 unique companies
   • 20 rejected by me before an offer
   • 8 rejected me
   jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
   

   View Slide

10. 10
    Reviewing the Data
    Status Progression:
    • 39 unique companies
    • 20 rejected by me before an offer
    • 8 rejected me
    • 6 ”ghosted” me
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

11. 11
    Reviewing the Data
    Status Progression:
    • 39 unique companies
    • 20 rejected by me before an offer
    • 8 rejected me
    • 6 ”ghosted” me
    • 5 offers!
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

12. 12
    Reviewing the Data
    SECOND INTERVIEWS
    23
    FINAL INTERVIEWS
    9
    FIRST INTERVIEWS
    39
    TAKE HOME ASSESSMENTS
    8
    TOTAL INTERVIEWS
    79
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

13. 13
    Reviewing the Data
    SITE RELIABILITY
    DEVOPS
    SENIOR
    LEAD
    23 % 56 %
    63 % 25 %
    Seniority Role Type
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

14. 14
    Honourable Mentions
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

15. 15
    Lesson: Time Management
    • Use a calendar service – e.g. https://calendly.com
    • Saves a lot of time going back and forth scheduling an interview
    • Schedule your breaks! There were nights where I didn’t have time to eat
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

16. 16
    Lesson: Time Management
    • Use a calendar service – e.g. https://calendly.com
    • Saves a lot of time going back and forth scheduling an interview
    • Schedule your breaks! There were nights where I didn’t have time to eat
    • Stick to you schedule
    • Don’t feel bad for keeping interviewers on time
    • Don’t accept interviews outside your time window
    • Don’t forget to consider the time required to speak with recruiters
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

17. 17
    Lesson: What’s Important
    • What I considered important changed over time
    • In the beginning:
    • Limited search to Cambridge & remote
    • Priority on salary followed by tech
    • It didn’t take long for that to change
    • Extended to London
    • Priority changed to culture, then tech, then salary
    • Diversity, inclusion, and flexibility took precedence
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

18. 18
    Other Lessons
    • “Trust your gut”
    • I was able to reject companies quickly by trusting my initial
    reaction after an interview
    • Saying no!
    • Be honest and upfront
    • Ewww, startups…
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

19. 19
    What Makes My Blood Boil
    • Bro culture
    • Take home assessments with no relevance to the role
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

20. 20
    What Makes My Blood Boil
    • Bro culture
    • Take home assessments with no relevance to the role
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

21. 21
    What Makes My Blood Boil
    • Bro culture
    • Take home assessments with no relevance to the role
    • Take home assessments that require more than 8 hours of work
    • Long, fluffy questionnaires in application forms
    • Won’t discuss salary upfront
    • No/low investment in the process by engineers
    • Companies that require on-site interviews
    • And then expect you to pay to get there!
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide

22. Thanks!
    Questions?
    jmickey | jmickey_ | jmichielsen | j@mickey.dev
    

    View Slide