Applying to jobs is the ‘dumbest’ thing, says techie: Explains his strategy that made recruiters call him instead
In a job market where layoffs, hiring freezes, and intense competition have made the search for tech roles increasingly difficult, one Meta engineer’s blunt take on job applications has triggered widespread discussion online. Sharing his personal struggle and eventual turnaround, the San Francisco–based software professional claimed that blindly applying for jobs was a waste of time and explained how changing his approach led to recruiters reaching out to him directly.
Months of Effort With No Outcome
The engineer, Marmik Patel, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as a software engineer at Meta, in an X post described going through a long and exhausting phase of traditional job hunting. During this period, he submitted around 670 job applications and sent direct messages to nearly 1,000 recruiters and engineers. Despite the sheer scale of effort, he said none of it translated into meaningful opportunities.
Based on this experience, Patel argued that the hiring process in the tech industry is heavily skewed. In his view, a small percentage of candidates end up securing the majority of available roles, while others remain stuck competing in overcrowded pipelines with little visibility or response.
Frustrated by the lack of results, Patel decided to stop applying for jobs altogether. Instead of continuing with high-volume applications, he chose to focus on activities that could increase his visibility and impact. This included building products, creating content, and meeting people in person across major tech hubs such as San Francisco and New York City.
According to Patel, this shift marked a turning point. By prioritising real-world networking and showing his work publicly, he moved from chasing opportunities to attracting them. Over a five-month stretch from January to May, he said more than 80 recruiters reached out to him directly, including those from AI labs, Y Combinator-backed startups, and unicorn companies.
Why Visibility Mattered More Than Resumes
Patel believes the current job market rewards those who are visible and actively creating value. Rather than relying on resumes filtered through automated systems, he suggested that showcasing skills through products, content, and community engagement can help professionals stand out.
He also framed the hiring landscape as highly competitive, where passive approaches often fail. From his perspective, continuing to rely only on applications leaves candidates fighting for limited attention, while those who invest in building and sharing their work are more likely to be noticed.
