I’m pretty young and not an engineer but I’ve found that by being interested in a lot of things and seeking out people / companies rather than specific roles I’m always in high enough demand.
When I see or meet someone interesting I make time to talk with them about it. When I see a role online I reach out to someone in that role. I often write “cover letters” that are actually focused on what’s cool / challenging about the situation a company could be facing.
I think knowing people and being known is the best option.
I can't recall the psych principle, but people are genuinely more likely to pick the political candidate whose name they simply know, even if they know they're not great, over the candidate they don't know. Then add primacy bias to that, and … well, you get it.
Knowing more people increases the likelihood you'll be brought up, the likelihood you're the first name on people's minds, the default choice when the dust settles.
I’m pretty young and not an engineer but I’ve found that by being interested in a lot of things and seeking out people / companies rather than specific roles I’m always in high enough demand.
When I see or meet someone interesting I make time to talk with them about it. When I see a role online I reach out to someone in that role. I often write “cover letters” that are actually focused on what’s cool / challenging about the situation a company could be facing.
I think knowing people and being known is the best option.