I'm currently applying to staff+ IC roles, about half in DevOps/infra/SRE but also for related areas like Python, ML operations, build, and security. It's fallen out of favor to be a generalist, but I've moved fluidly between those areas for 15 years and plan to keep doing so. While I'd like to say I also feel no affinity to any particular industry, this time almost everyone I'm talking to is either an AI neolab or an AI-adjacent startup - that's just where the most interesting work is.
A Sankey diagram of my current job search
The same script run on my 2024 job search
I've posted about my process a few times on Bluesky because I like to be open about where I'm at and what I'm seeing. It feels odd to say that I used to enjoy parts of the job search process. But even for me, doing this in 2026 is an absolute grind between massive tech company layoffs, the impact of LLMs on both job expectations and the application process, and RTO mandates. (Plus there's some personal challenges like having given up conference speaking.)
Since spite can be a great motivator, I occasionally like to reminisce about past job search experiences. Of course there's low-balling and fake requirements and the ever-present ghosting. But I like to refresh my sense of cynicism by remembering the truly ??? job search moments:
Multiple interviews for a manager role. Got told they never hire non-managers into manager roles and that they'd be hiring me as principal IC. (You use this company every day.)
Applied to a team listed as being in the local office. Passed a tech screen and told that relocation would be necessary because that team didn't have anyone working there. (You also use this company every day.)
Applied for a Python coding role, got an automated email to schedule an interview - for a completely different DevOps/infra role.
Sought out for a remote director role. Passed the screen but told I'd be expected to relocate two years from now when their office was finished building.
Hired into a "flat title" organization. Had leveling introduced less than 6 months later.
Got a verbal offer with a trading firm. Was told they'd found my socials and that I'd be expected to set them private before receiving an offer letter.
In-person interview where I was given interlocking brain teaser toys.
Told mid-process that the company instituted RTO and that it was no longer a remote role. (This one has happened several times!)
Told the day before the interview that there's a pre-interview take-home.
Told the day of the interview that it was cancelled to update their process
Asked what other specific companies I'm interviewing at, to "not waste time".
(This is just what I could think of off the top of my head.)
Tech is small. There's always pressure for candidates not to talk about bad behavior from recruiters and companies, and that's especially true in a challenging market. But if I'm still running into these problems with over a decade of experience, I can't even imagine how bad it is for junior engineers right now!
I'm not currently on any hiring committees, but I have been many times. I always try to keep the candidate experience front and center when designing interview processes and administering them. My perspective is that no one should ever be surprised by a job interview outcome: a successful outcome is one where the applicant and the interviewer both agree on the result (whatever it is).
I also don't believe in bringing anyone in to interview unless there's a performance bar that would guarantee you hire them. If you're a small startup yet can't imagine a same-day verbal offer, odds are that you're lacking in capacity or internal alignment. Get your shit together before you start a job search, make sure you have the resources to pursue it, and be realistic about what you're asking for and what you're willing to offer for it.
As a non-HM, making the interview better is about all that I can do. But if an interview is bad, it's likely for the same reason as any other step being bad: because organizations lack clarity on what they want, can't articulate their needs to their employees, or haven't kept incentives aligned.
So when a company I was enthusiastic about starts fucking me around mid-process and I'm forced to back out, I rarely think of it as a "lost opportunity". Instead, I think of it as:
Bullet, dodged.