I was on my way to a friend’s place when a junior from my undergrad hit me up after a while. I figured he just wanted to catch up, and before I knew it, we jumped on a call.
We chatted about random stuff — beautiful sunsets in Southern California, nothing special. But soon we got to the real reason for the call. He graduated earlier this year and still doesn’t have a job.
The first thing I asked was when he graduated. He said May/June, and I got super casual and told him it’s completely normal right now. The job market is tough with the current macroeconomic conditions. It’s not like before, where getting multiple offers before graduating was a given — especially for people from decent schools. Some of my friends have been struggling for 6 months to over a year. It’s especially hard for those trying to maintain their immigration status in a foreign country, and on top of that he’d taken a loan from his family. He doesn’t have a massive ROI expectation looming over him, but the pressure of repaying his dad’s retirement fund is real.
Since he reached out hoping for advice, I tried to give him something beyond the usual tips.
The Lollapalooza Effect
It made me think of Charlie Munger’s Lollapalooza Effect — where the biggest impact often comes from combining multiple tendencies or approaches, not just one. That’s the same mindset you need when job hunting right now.
The main goal is to grab the hiring committee’s attention — whether it’s a recruiter or a technical manager. With the supply-demand shift in the tech world lately, just getting through the screening process and landing an interview has become the dream for many.
What I Suggested
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Take care of your body first. Not having a job is stressful. Focus on a fitness hobby — tennis, soccer, badminton, gym, hiking. Movement matters.
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Don’t neglect the basics. Sleep and nutrition matter a lot more than you think in a marathon like this.
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Attend local meetups. Meet new people and post about it on LinkedIn. You never know who’s watching.
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Reach out to professors working on cutting-edge projects. Don’t give them the generic “this aligns with my interests” speech. Show real interest — send a pull request or dig deep into their work before reaching out.
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Professors have ties to research labs. But to get recommended, you’ve got to put in extra effort. Tailor your email like you’re writing to an influencer.
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Contribute to open-source projects — really contribute. Not just tweaking the README file.
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Look for short-term internships to get some U.S. experience on your resume.
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Apply to startups, especially those in accelerator programs like YC or Plug and Play. If sponso