Tips and tricks for getting hired for "niche" tech work

Here are some thoughts if you ever find yourself spending many years in one particular technology and in the position of looking for new work for the first time in a long while.

• Look to local event sponsors Look for community events that are happening in your region around your technology, and check out the sponsors list. These are companies that by definition a) have a vested interest in that technology, and b) have spare money to throw at things like sponsoring events. ;) Often these are “downstream” users of your technology, who are more likely to have a “you-shaped” hole in their team.

• Know your audience You might be a household name in your particular niche community, and your GitHub profile might be an amazing showcase of all the code you’ve written over the years, but remember the people you need to reach first: recruiters and hiring managers. Consider making this information more accessible to them, for example, creating a “portfolio” page that highlights some of the toughest problems you've solved that you're most proud of.

  • For bonus points, put those achievements in the STAR format which is commonly used among tech recruitment firms, and helps showcase your skills in the best light.

  • For extra bonus points, each time you write one of these case studies, make a post on LinkedIn about it and cross-link. Now you start to build a history in the very first place recruiters are going to look that demonstrates what you can do.

• Consider diversifying Despite spending a long time in one particular technology, chances are that your expertise expands far beyond that. Highlight programming languages, databases, API integrations, “hot topics” like security or performance and scalability. Consider positioning yourself more broadly, rather than over-indexing on one particular tech / community.

Ever been in this situation yourself? What are YOUR tips and tricks? 👀