How to find a new tech job

I must link to this post by Phil Montgomery, Marketing Guru and Tech Enthusiast.

An excerpt:

How to find a new tech job

Once you know what you are looking for, here are some suggestions, based on my own recent experience:

1. Don't let your ego dictate that you need the job with the biggest salary or biggest title. Choose the role based on your career roadmap and best fit - the happier you are, with the best fit, will produce the best long term opportunities.
2. Linkedin is easily the best job and contact finding service. Change your profile to show that you are now looking - insert a dummy company that says "looking for the next opportunity". Search the jobs available regularly, and apply for anything that looks promising. Recruiters regularly scan linked in looking for candidates.
3. Make sure you have Linkedin recommendations, and ask for them before you need them.
4. Always reply to recruiters, and build a relationship - even if you are happily employed. Recruiters remember people who helped them fill positions by recommendations.
5. Update your resume to two pages maximum. Remember that the aim of the resume is to get an interview, not the job. Be as results focused as possible, and have friends and colleagues critique the document.

Some of the most fantastic (and common sense) tips I have ever read about job interviews and job hunting. I agree with almost everything he says, including the part about using LinkedIn well and presenting non-confidential material to demonstrate past success.

"Brijj", a LinkedIn like feature on Indian job portal Naukri.com

Big salaries and big titles (even big companies) can be the biggest seduction, especially early on in the career. Fresh out of college, you generally have no clue about what you want to do or what technology excites you (but for a lucky few who know at the age of 12!). In my experience, I just waddled till the right breaks came through.

As a 10 year veteran now (ahem!), this is the advise I'd generally give to freshers:

Join a big, branded company for the first 2-3 years. With the credibility behind you, spend the next 3-4 years in a small company or start-up. No place lets you learn as much about diverse things, as a small company. Use that opportunity, at every turn. By the 6th year or so, you'd have a fairly good idea what you want to do next. Depending on that goal, let your 3rd company be a big player or an exciting start-up. Try and stay there for the next 10-12 years or more....

If you happen to fall into Plan B, do not despair. Join a smaller firm out of college, the best thing to do is slog it out as much as you can in the initial 2-3 years. Take on every task, related and unrelated. This experience usually gets you into the established companies that need the "grass root" skills only you have. By the 6th year, you should be able to get back to Plan A.

Do not let petty thoughts of politics and exploitation distract you. I don't know if its ambition or just too much TV, I see more young people now than before worry about that at the start of their career. Believe me, at that level you are too insignificant to be picked on. Everyone gets equally ragged, no discrimination there, and in many cases it actually helps you 'evolve'. If they make you work 14 hours a day and reuse your skills as a delivery-boy, that's just a perk of the job. Bet you heard that "builds character" speech already, eh? It's true :-)

For the remaining tips, I encourage you to head over to that article now.