Ask A Recruiter - Tech

How often are recruiters seeing people applying to jobs outside their industry? Is it always going to be a lateral move or demotion?

Hot take: AI in tech won’t erase jobs, but it will make the gap even more important between those who can use it effectively and those who can’t. As models continue to improve, I see a shift from &quo… more

Hiring decisions often happen faster than candidates realize.
Small signals — clarity, curiosity, consistency — make a big difference.
Yet most applicants never get feedback on what actually worked or didn’t.… more

I’ve heard a lot of struggles within tech with memory and chip shortages. Coats are skyrocketing, is that impacting recruiting right now? Are companies cutting cost to compensate?

Isn't it too much when a role asks for a 3-minute intro video? I’ve spent an evening scripting and re-recording, only to get ghosted. An answer would be the bare minimum...

I once joined an interview feeling nervous, but the recruiter opened with a simple “tell me what excites you lately”. That question changed the whole tone and made it feel human. Small moments shape t… more

Think about the resumes that worked in 2016 vs now – reflect on how your definition of a strong candidate has evolved. What used to impress you then vs. now? I feel like things have changed SOOO much

Did I make a huge mistake by doing this? I'm not very comfortable with screen interviews, and so I asked the hiring manager that I've been talking to if we could schedule an in-person intervie… more

When you recruiters chat internally about candidates, is it strictly professional, or does gossip creep in? What kinds of things get joked about later, and how much does that influence decisions? From… more

I once spent hours preparing for deep technical questions and ended up discussing teamwork and communication instead. It reminded me that interviews are rarely just about code. What surprised you most… more

For hiring managers / recruiters: How long is your current day-1-interview-to-offer timeline compared to 2-3 years ago?
Seeing data that says it went from ~40 days (2023) to ~70 days (2025). Is that ma… more

Have you ever felt boxed in by working on a single product or industry? I feel like I started in one type of role and now I look CRAZY and definitely get no responses if I apply for something else. B… more

I was asked to interview a candidate. I’ve actually never interviewed someone before. Any good resources or places to look for good questions?

I don't see a future in the company I'm working for. We as a team have a contract that ends this year, my team lead proposed 4 projects that didn't go very well, and I'm sure that the … more

I’ve noticed some interviews feel like real conversations while others feel like rapid fire tests. I always leave the conversational ones feeling more confident about the team. Do you think interview … more

With the market shifting, where are you still taking career bets? Is it startups, internal moves, side projects—or are you playing defense for now? Curious where everyone's head is on on the futur… more

With another round of mass layoff across the tech industry, are we ever going to get out of this market, and return to "normal".

I’m near the sunset of my career but I think there are going to be layoffs in my area. What’s the best way to position myself to get a job but not make it obvious that I’ll probably retire in the next… more

When someone has a “messy” career path with a whole lot of layoffs, short stints, pivots, do you feel comfortable putting them in front of a hiring manager? If not, what would make you feel safer doin… more

I ask this because I have a feeling that my portfolio is getting passed up for some reason I can't figure out yet, but what’s the most common thing in a candidate’s profile that quietly makes you … more

I’ve noticed a major shift in our hiring meetings lately. We’re finally moving away from "Where did you go to school?" and toward "What can you actually build under pressure?" I recently inter… more

What if this hire goes wrong? Hiring is scary. How do you manage risk when the candidate pool is completely new to you? What’s been most reliable so far?

In a previous role, I heard many positive things from the recruiter about the team culture and the work. Once I joined, the reality felt very different. I shared honest feedback during my exit interview.more

Does anyone have a workplace bully? I do and it’s been so consuming lately. I want to change roles because of it. How do I deal with this?

Do recruiters not see older people as an asset? I'm almost confused as to why ageism even exists. More years means more lessons learned, more bullets dodged, and in general, just more EXPERIENCE. … more

Hiring managers and interviewers what AI skills are actually moving the needle in your hiring decisions right now?

I'm a senior platform architect trying to figure out what to sharpen.

What separates someone w… more

I’ve realized that confidence in interviews often comes from preparation, not personality. Anyone can build it. How do you prepare before interviews?

I keep running into job postings where I feel 80% qualified—but not 100%—so I hesitate to apply. I know “just apply anyway” is the advice then I rarely hear back. Anyone cracked the code on getting in… more

I have a coworker leaving to "explore" whats out there — in this market!? With the market shifting, where are you still taking career bets? Is it startups, internal moves, side projects—or a… more

When candidates cold message you, what’s the difference between a note that makes you want to help vs one you ignore? What builds credibility for you?

Happy Monday everyone! And good luck to everyone looking for a job. I know it’s hard out there.

I recently started applying to jobs below what I can do to see if I can have better luck. But people are… more

(United States- based) Program Managers and Project manager roles tend to be Salaried and exempt from overtime.

Before I stepped into the role I’m in, I took the salary and decided by 2080 hours (40-hours week). … more

Is it wrong to borrow other people's questions in interviews for my own purposes when I conduct interviews? For example, I like that instead of going into full metal algorithms, I've seen top … more

I am applying for new role, when i apply new role, in my CV is it ok to omit few experiences? If they were short term like 3-4 months only? Is it ok to have overlapping time frames? Also is LinkedIn h… more

When you are interviewing candidates, what matters more to you - How polished their answers sound, or how clear and honest they are?

Have you ever seen someone less “impressive” on the surface turn out… more

For those who've recently interviewed for senior technical roles (Platform Architect, Solutions Architect, Principal Engineer level) at financial services firms — what's the interview process looking like these… more

Our team recently had a heated debate about "Core Hours" versus "Async Work." Personally, I found that my productivity soared when I stopped trying to mimic an 8-to-5 schedule and started work… more

I do think recruiting is one of the most important things in business, that's why some founders focus on it and do not delegate it at first. I wonder if any recruiters here experienced being one o… more

Do your internal job postings ever get filled? In my company they always check if there is interest internally before opening externally, but they hardly get filled. Does it work in your companies?