Thanks for sharing!

Given this is already in Python, I’m wondering if it would be worth adding an OpenAI module to it to allow some personalization of the outgoing message - perhaps commenting on a recent post or news item. But LinkedIn has blocked OpenAI browsing via robots.txt so it would need to be done via Selenium. You could do this without AI too. But it may introduce more errors (pulling the wrong info). There is a lot of benefit to keeping it simple.

I like the ability to add alternate messages. At scale, this would let you A/B test messaging pretty effectively.

I think this might work for a very specific subset of roles. Perhaps, as you say, programmers at a certain level. Or perhaps a VA. Not sure how this would work for broader engineering roles. How would you hire for a marketing job like this?

I would still go through and try to refine your target market - it’s not all companies that are hiring but some specific subset. I am not in your target market so you might just ignore most of what I’m saying. But I do think you should find the right people to reach out to that need this.

I am in my 40s and mid-career. I have gone the corporate path for 15 years and working at a startup now. I started my career working for an entrepreneur and moved into larger multi-nationals to get more experience and better pay. But I have always wanted to work for a startup or a small company where I can have more impact.

I agree in general that the training and network benefits of working for a larger company are real. At some point, you may start to plateau. Some people are able to be pulled through the ranks quickly but there are only so many positions at higher levels. I neglected internal corporate networking, and put too much reliance on my output and contributions.

There are other ways to switch, but for me I went back to school for an MBA to rebrand myself. I didn’t want people to look at me as a purely technical lead and I also wanted to increase my options as I am more risk-adverse now with a family. I can’t say this was easy either, as most companies who hire MBAs are looking to put you through a rotational program or work you 60 to 80 plus hours a week. Neither of which I am willing to sign up for anymore. I was hired at a startup through my network.

I would say that career changes are hard. You can change industry or change your role, but in my view not both in the same time.

Working at a startup now, I can tell you that unknown factors can always change promises / contracts so you are definitely taking on more risk.

But a counterpoint to all the above: if you plan on having a family, you will likely become more risk adverse naturally as you move through your career. And even if you don’t, I do think ageism is real, even at 35+. So in some ways, the best time to take a risk on a startup is when you are young and don’t mind sleeping on a futon. But that is also the time when you have the least experience to bring to the table and perspective.

This sounds awesome. I’d be interested in looking at the script if you are still willing to share?

I assume this does not work via LinkedIn API since LinkedIn locks down some of those features? So you are interacting with specific browser elements? Really interesting.

Interesting that this is working for you… I will need to test it.

As a recipient, I get these all the time and spot their lack of specifics immediately. But I’m sure they work for some people. I like the mention of the character limit to throw in some mystery.

On the outreach side, I have used Sales Navigator in combination with (a now defunct) 3P tool to manage LI outreach. Campaigns were highly targeted against specific groups that had high loyalty (that I also belonged to) EG alumni of universities or specific nonprofits, so the response rate was higher.

From the employer’s perspective:

I’ve hired for technical roles at mom and pop (<40) to snall sized (1000 ppl) companies.

1. Larger employers have standardized job descriptions for a reason. But even smaller ones may need to vet these before they go out to make sure they are in line with hiring manager expectations, legal requirements, company requirements.

2. I’m not sure if I would delegate any technical questions to an AI. The company systems and processes, gaps in the team, the industry, and the company all factor into the questions that should be asked during the interviews. Also, the questions should tie into the applicants resume and work experience so it is more of a discussion.

3. The app would need to allow some human intervention on the scoring system so you are not getting too many or too few applicants to the next stage.

From the employee perspective:

I appreciate that technology and digitization is pushing things to evolve. But as an appliicant

1. I can’t get behind interviews that don’t have any human interaction. This is a two-way conversation between me and the employer, and there is nothing more soulless than filling out applications that already answer questions that were on my resume, only to speak to an AI avatar or key in answers into yet another system that will decide whether I make it to the next round. As an applicant I would not apply to a company that used this system.

2. There are already a lot of these automated screening systems in place today that will kick out resumes if they don’t keyword match the job description properly.

This is an arms race. Applicants are using AI to generate resumes and cover letters, and employers are using AI to read and screen them. So frankly the signal to noise ratio is jumping off a cliff. And the people who are applying who I talk to are telling me it’s getting even harder and harder to find new work.

Again, I appreciate technology is evolving so processes have to adjust. But most people are not CPUs ready to be hooked up to the matrix.

I would suggest that you reach out to HR and others that have been in hiring roles to get better feedback.