It’s February 2025, and my position was eliminated without warning. Back in 2023, I was laid off from a job I loved during a company-wide layoff in which a large portion of the company was let go. The role I took after that layoff seemed promising at first, but I quickly learned it wasn’t what I thought it would be.
This time around, my goal is to find a great fit—one that will help me grow as a developer and provide a clear career growth path. Over the last 13 months, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on what would be best for me, and here is what I am using as my moral compass:
- I want to work for a product team again because I enjoy solving problems that impact real users. I find this very fulfilling.
- I would appreciate the flexibility to work on both frontend and backend tasks. I love learning while working.
- I want to work alongside others who inspire me to do better and learn. I’ve always leveled up quickly this way.
- I’d like a company that invests in employee growth with meaningful reviews and feedback.
- I greatly value the “build it well over build it fast” mentality.
- I would prefer not to work in the WordPress tech stack for personal reasons. (I’m flexible on this rule, but it would have to be for a great cause.)
What Does Being Prepared Look Like?
After my first layoff, I wasn’t prepared. This time around, I’ve been working on everything that I hope will make me an appealing candidate:
- Personal Site is fully updated and ready to go.
- My resume, cover letter, LinkedIn, and GitHub profiles are ready to go. I now manage these fully in
.mdand use Stellar Pages for everything 😄. - I have actively continued my education even while I was employed because I feel it’s important to stay sharp in this field.
- I was already brushing up on my DSA skills prior to being unemployed.
In the meantime, I’ve put together a simple list of what I am focused on with my newfound free time:
- I’d like to learn new skills and build demo projects in React Native, Python, Next.js, and a few others.
- I’m working on improving my DSA skills—one, because the refresher is nice, and two, because I enjoy learning about these things.
- I’m going to focus on applying across various platforms instead of relying solely on LinkedIn. So far, I’ve never had much luck there.
Career Sites & Resources (A-Z)
In 2023, I was caught off guard because my resume wasn’t ready and I didn’t have many resources in place to act quickly. This time, I’m already prepared and have been researching various hiring platforms. Here are few that I’ve found and my initial thoughts. While preparing this list, I focused on a few key criteria:
- Ease of use
- Quality of listings
- Freshness of listings
- Free VS Paid, I did not pay for their services at this time.
Daily Remote (Paid)
This site appears to be updated pretty regularly and has an easy to use search UI that is similar to OK Remote. However, this site requires a paid subscription. You cannot access listings without encountering a paywall.
Direct Applications
Applying directly on sites can be a great way to get noticed. While most LinkedIn positions get hundreds of applicants in minutes, this might be alternative trying to stand out.
When directly applying, be meticulous in reading their instructions. I have encountered multiple listings “with homework”.
Forums & Social Media
In 2025, forums, social media, and discussion channels seem to be some of the best ways to make real progress in job searching. If I’ve learned anything from past job hunts, it’s that having friends, contacts, or someone willing to make an introduction significantly improves your chances.
My friend Sal sent me this link, which I wouldn’t have found on my own.
Ideas
- Join community- or niche-specific channels.
- Share posts on various social media platforms.
- Ask family and friends—you might be surprised who can help.
Google Jobs
Searching for something like "POSITION_TITLE in CITY_NAME" on Google can yield relevant results. So far, I’ve found many local job postings that I hadn’t seen elsewhere. However, many of them are either unrelated to what I’m looking for or have poor reviews.
HN HIRING
This site stands for Hacker News’ “Who is Hiring?” After a quick browse, I like its minimalistic approach—it helps avoid distractions.
Note: Job postings appear to be at least a week old, so there may be a regular cycle for new listings.
Indeed
While setting up my profile, I realized it’s been at least five years since I last used Indeed. It was easy to create a profile, but the site has a lot of upsell offers.
Based on feedback from others, I have mixed feelings about whether Indeed is still worthwhile.
This one is obvious since most people have a LinkedIn. Unfortunately, I’ve never had much luck on the platform. Recruiters reach out, but often for unrelated jobs, contract roles, or occasional matches. However, cold applications haven’t worked for me.
Lately, LinkedIn feels more like a social platform filled with debates and low-value content rather than a serious job search tool. There are also too many upsells for LinkedIn Premium and excessive email spam.
FlexJobs (Paid)
This is a paid platform. Initially, I thought I would be able to use this site but was hit by two pay walls. The first was immediately after account creation. The second occurred when I used a link in an email and tried to view a job posting. I requested that they remove my account and they responded within a few days.
Proxify.io
This platform is different from the others. Instead of mass applying, you go through a screening process to be matched with jobs. Unfortunately, this ended up not being a great fit for me since the desired monthly amount is aimed towards non-USA wage expectations. I think if I was a newer dev, or could get by with a lower salary this would be an interesting platform.
Overall, this platform is similar to other contract-based job services.
Key Differences:
- You must select a specific profession.
- Once the application is submitted, you have to wait for approval before proceeding.
- Upon success you might get work in some form or just be on file.
We will review your application carefully. Take a break and have a coffee 🙂 We’ll get in touch with you soon to let you know the status.
Note: I had to use a different browser to complete my profile due to checkboxes not displaying correctly.
Remote OK
This site seems promising. After a quick job search, I found many roles that I hadn’t seen elsewhere. Creating my profile was simple, and the site worked smoothly.
I’m looking forward to giving it a try.
https://remoteok.com/remote-jobs
Remotive (Paid*)
This site seems easy to use and is relatively up to date. I wanted to create a profile and see what options I could do with an account but was met by the ”👋 Only paying users can Log In 👨💻” notice. I did not move forward for that reason.
The upside is users can fully browse listings for free.
We Work Remotely
I created a profile and browsed the listings. The jobs seem similar to LinkedIn’s. I also had issues with site crashes and verification emails not sending.
After setting up my profile, I didn’t find any strong matches, so I’m unsure if this site is useful for me.
Welcome to The Jungle
This site has some of the best matches for me personally. The profile setup process was smooth, and the app experience is solid. Looking forward to using it more. So far I have applied to multiple listings that seem to be a much closer match to my skills.
https://us.welcometothejungle.com/
USA Jobs
This one is definitely hit and miss for some folks. I mostly say this because a lot of the jobs have strict living requirements and are in person to some degree. Additionally, some positions may require security clearance or the ability to acquire one.
X.com Jobs
I almost overlooked x.com as a job search platform since I primarily use it for developer-related content. However, I stumbled upon the job board almost by accident since it’s a little buried in the UI.
I haven’t applied to anything yet, but I noticed unique job listings that I haven’t seen elsewhere. It’s unclear how long listings have been posted which could be a deterrent for some. You must have an account in order to view any content 😢.
Takeaways
This time, being unemployed feels different. Being prepared not just financially but mentally has taken a lot of the sting out of it. I’m excited to learn new things and continue my education during this period. Also, I think having a solid list of options outside of LinkedIn gives me a bit more hope.
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Article by Micheal England.