The past year has been difficult for many recruiters, myself included. To those who have been affected by the tech layoffs, just know that you are not alone, and that the community is large with tons of support!

A quick background before I get into what's worked and what hasn't for me (this could be different for you depending on the circumstances).

I have a degree unrelated to the tech space, and attended Rithm School, a Full Stack Web Development program. After finishing at Rithm, I found it difficult to get far into interviews for my first job as a developer, let alone phone screens. The main reason I landed my first role was because I reached out to cohort mates that had posted a job opportunity at their company.

Now onto present day. After working at this small (<50 employees) startup for nearly a year, I was unfortunately laid off along with others across multiple teams. I took a few weeks off to compose myself, realizing that these things happen, and that I have to control what I can.

I started applying to any Software Engineer/Developer roles that I came across on LinkedIn. I received notifications that my application was viewed, and resume downloaded, but rarely any emails or phone calls from these companies.

I stepped it up, along with sprucing up my resume and tailoring it to each job, I reached out to both a recruiter and software engineer from the company if I could find their profiles. Even then, I'd say 9 times out of 10, I wasn't getting any replies.

I was losing a little bit of hope to be honest, but went back to the lessons we got in the last week of bootcamp. The biggest one, which also helped me land my first role - utilize your network (or expand that network).

I reached out to people from my cohort that I hadn't spoken to in a while, past coworkers who were laid off who had found new roles, and even newer grads from Rithm. It feels much more human to have a small conversation with someone by catching up, or even getting to know them for the first time.

This past week, I was able to set up 6 calls to catch up with some people I've talked to or worked with, as well as some people I haven't spoken to before other than through LinkedIn. I've also gotten my resume to a hiring manager from a past coworker who knows someone at a different company.

Even if these conversations don't go anywhere, being able to set up calls with these people gives me more hope than I did before I reached out to them. I landed that first role because I reached out to one person after being rejected by hundreds (yes, HUNDREDS) of people.

It only takes one, and I'm hoping that 1 of the 6 could bring me closer to my next opportunity, or even one later on down the line.

To summarize, don't be afraid to reach out to old friends, classmates, coworkers, or even strangers. However, send your messages with intent. A lot of folks are probably getting messages from a lot of others right now doing the same thing, but if you can form some meaningful relationships, you may have someone you can reach out to later down the line if you find yourself in a similar position again.