Today I want to share something that’s close to my heart – the biggest mistakes I see engineers make when they’re looking for their next job opportunity.
I’ve been interviewing engineers for almost two decades now, and I keep seeing the same patterns over and over again. Whether you’re just starting your career or you’re a seasoned professional, these insights could save you months of frustration and help you land that dream job.
So let’s dive into the seven biggest mistakes I see, and more importantly, how you can avoid them.
Today I want to share something that’s close to my heart – the biggest mistakes I see engineers make when they’re looking for their next job opportunity.
I’ve been interviewing engineers for almost two decades now, and I keep seeing the same patterns over and over again. Whether you’re just starting your career or you’re a seasoned professional, these insights could save you months of frustration and help you land that dream job.
So let’s dive into the seven biggest mistakes I see, and more importantly, how you can avoid them.
#1: The Outdated Digital You
The first mistake is having an outdated job profile. Whether it’s your LinkedIn profile, your code on GitHub, your personal website or any resume at any other platform – it needs to be current.
But here’s where people get confused. Up-to-date doesn’t mean listing every single technology you’ve ever touched during your career. Some of those might be under NDA, others might not be relevant anymore.
Instead, focus on the technologies you’re genuinely excited about and would like to work with. Show your passion, not just your job history.
#2: The Concrete Wall Strategy
The second mistake is what I call “The Concrete Wall Strategy”. I see candidates bulk-sending their resume to every single job posting that contains a few keywords they recognize. It’s like throwing darts at a concrete wall and hoping one will stick.
Here’s the thing – after a million attempts, sure, one might stick. But you’ll waste thousands of hours in the process.
Instead, try this: Pick a specific domain you’re passionate about. Maybe it’s fintech, maybe it’s game development, maybe it’s healthcare. Then narrow that down to just a handful of companies that really excite you because of what they do. Throw your darts into the board instead of the concrete wall.
And here’s the key part – tailor your resume for each role. Don’t just copy-paste. Highlight the skills and experiences that directly match what they’re looking for. Throw your darts into the center of the board and you’ll win the game.
#3: Going in Blind
Mistake number three is skipping research about the company. And I mean really understanding the company, not just browsing their homepage to check the box.
Start with the basics: How does this company make money? What’s their core product? Are they a freshly baked startup still raising funds, or are they a mature company that’s gone public?
Who are the company competitors? What’s the company outlook for the next few years? Whether they want you to work at your current location, relocate or work remotely, understand why they’re hiring in that location specifically and which other locations you’ll interact most with.
This research isn’t just about impressing the interviewer. It’s about making sure this company is actually a good fit for where you want your career to go.
#4: Not Understanding the Role
The fourth mistake is assuming you figured out the role from the job description alone.
Let me give you an example: A DevOps role at a retail bank is somewhat different from the same one at a software startup. An SRE position at a cloud-native company might not match the same SRE at a company running multiple data centers.
The day-to-day reality could vary from what you’re imagining. So take notes during your initial research. Split these notes into categories. Prepare to ask specific questions about what a typical day looks like, what tools they use, what their biggest challenges are, how do they measure success.
By the end of the interview process, you should have a crystal-clear picture of what’s expected – both from you and from the company.
#5: The “I’ll Make It Work” Trap
Mistake number five is downplaying your own preferences and thinking “I’ll eventually make it work.”
I see this all the time. Here’s an example. Someone is looking for a new job because their current role has too many on-call responsibilities, and it’s affecting their family life. But then they go and apply for roles with similar on-call requirements, thinking it’ll somehow be different.
Another example: candidates go through an entire interview process, pass all the technical rounds, only to realize at the final stage that their family isn’t actually ready to relocate.
From day one, be honest about your requirements, whether that’s a visa sponsorship, family relocation or specific work schedule to accommodate your family needs. It saves everyone time and prevents disappointment later.
#6: Being Just Another Resume
The sixth mistake is being an average candidate instead of demonstrating how you stand out. Depending on the role and the company you’re applying for, you could be competing against hundreds or even thousands of other candidates.
Here’s what most people do wrong: they present a generic story. Either sending a message on LinkedIn or attaching a cover letter, the majority starts with something like “I have 15 years of DevOps experience or I have 10 years in SRE”. That gives me little data on why you would succeed at this role.
Instead, demonstrate that you’ve done the initial research I mentioned earlier. If I’m hiring for a storage company and the role mentions ELK stack, start with something like: “I saw you’re hiring for an SRE role in a storage company, so I have specific experience building large-scale monitoring systems at geographically distributed data centers.”
That one sentence opens doors because it shows you took time to understand both the company and the role.
And here’s the secret sauce: Add something genuinely unique about yourself. Tell a story that makes you stand out of the crowd. Maybe you contribute to open source projects, maybe you were involved in some charity events, maybe you have an interesting hobby that reveals your superpower. Sharing these details makes you memorable.
#7: Actually Applying for Jobs
Now, this last one might sound crazy, but hear me out. The biggest mistake is actually applying for a job at the very beginning of the process. Here’s an alternative approach: having someone to refer you for the job opening, after you’ve done the whole research.
To enable this, you should build a network of your peers and leverage it. This peer network should be industry-diverse too. I’ll give you an example. During COVID, pharma companies continued hiring while travel and hospitality companies were not, mostly laying people off. After COVID, it flipped. And it might flip again.
If you don’t have a network yet, that should be your top priority. Take online group courses, attend local meetups, go to conferences – even if you have to pay for them yourself. Have lunch with former colleagues and ask how they’re doing.
Your network isn’t just for finding jobs when YOU are ready to change. One day it might act as your safety net if you face a lay off. Studies show that anywhere from 40% to 85% of jobs are filled through referrals, depending on the industry.
Even if you don’t get the job through a referral, make sure you leave a good impression with the recruiting team. They remember the most interesting candidates and are likely to stay in touch when a new position opens up.
The Bottom Line
To wrap this up, I want to leave you with something one of the VPs I worked with once told me:
The company doesn’t interview me – I interview the company.
Let that sink in. The interview process goes both ways. You’re not just trying to impress interviewers – you’re evaluating whether their company is the right fit for your career, for development goals and future you.
I’d love to hear your own job search story and experience, so feel free to post it in the comments below. Thanks for listening, and I wish you good luck interviewing your next employer. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, so don’t miss the next episode. It is now available on all major platforms and you can find links below.
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