This might work if you already have a network, but otherwise good luck getting through to people on the phone. HR will answer the generic questions, but tell you to apply online. Cold "calling" people on LinkedIn is a shot in the dark. Some people don't mind you doing it, most will ignore you.

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Yoric 6 days ago | parent | next [-]

You can start building a network by reaching out to alumni, former colleagues, open-source contributors for projects you're contributing to [1], etc.

Hardly ideal, but it's a start.

[1] And if you're not contributing to an open-source project, please do it, it's a great way to learn stuff, improve your CV, network and of course give back.

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devnullbrain 6 days ago | parent [-]

I find this kind of advice underspecified. The people struggling the most to find work are juniors: what projects are big enough that the applicant would a) know and care about them and b) get a benefit out of the network but also c) have fruit low enough for a solo junior to reach?

I tried this way-back-when and ended up submitting fixes to projects that were open source but had no real path to accepting patches from people outside the cathedral.

	▲	Yoric 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		From the top of my head: Firefox (https://codetribute.mozilla.org), LibreOffice, Gnome, ...

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pizzathyme 6 days ago | parent | prev [-]

If you just graduated college or have no network, you can reach out to alumni and mention that connection. Or, you can ask personal friends/family for contacts (will probably be local companies, which may be a first step job).

Or you can reach out over social media. "Hi there, I follow you on X and am just getting started in the industry. Do you mind if I ask a few research questions?" A friend of mine just used this technique to land a role in an industry where he had no contacts.

If the situation is "good luck getting through to people on the phone", then that probably means this person is not a real friend of yours, they are a stranger, and you shouldn't try. You should be reaching out to people who actually know your name, or you have a mutual friend.

	▲	nitwit005 6 days ago \| parent [-]
		Reaching out to alumni works in some cultures, but in much of the world they will universally ignore you.