Ask HN: What job search strategies work for you?

1. Don't look for advertised jobs. Phone a place you want to work, find out who their hiring manager or whatever is, physically drop in a resume and cover letter addressed to that person.

2. Do a first aid course if you haven't done one. Out of two otherwise equal candidates, a first aid cert is a nice tie-breaker. Or a "how to use a fire extinguisher" course.

3. Go lateral. It's easier to get a job when you have a job. I found work as a medical receptionist/IT guy. Now they have a wiki, dynamic PDF forms, better typography, Open Office, spreadsheets for time-sheets, text expanding software, and on-the-ground tech support for paper jams, etc.

I've never put my fire extinguisher skills on my resume... No wonder I didn't get any call backs!

I'm not sure if you're being humourous, but in Australia in an office you are not permitted to touch a fire extinguisher unless you are trained in its use. Even if there's a fire.

I'm inclined to think that in some large office you were informed that they already have people trained to respond to fires in the building and you should leave it to them as they know the various colour codes, etc.

I'll even acknowledge that someone told you that you were not permitted (by whom, and on what authority?).

O/wise, after many years in Australia your statement sounds sketchy.

eg: In NSW:

    Ensure installed fire equipment is suitable for specific fire risks at your workplace (eg foam or dry powder type extinguishers for fires that involve flammable liquids, Carbon dioxide extinguishers for electrical fires).

    Install signage so people can find fire equipment quickly and identify what type of fire it can be used on.

~ https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=73

Nothing about only trained people can touch the extinguisher.

Have you tried getting a new job in the last 20 years? I'm a tech hiring manager and if someone tries to apply in person they are automatically dismissed since it's safe to assume they are not competent enough to read the clear instructions on how to apply on the website.

Also only happend like two times in my experience

Also why would any company care if you have a first aid course.

I think it entirely depends on the market you live in. If I was wanting to apply for a job at a local company in a midwestern college town, dropping by in person might be seen as folksy and community oriented. Dropping in to the 29th floor of a random building in Manhattan to drop off a resume might be taken as you described however.

The world is more complicated than always/never.

I live in a nanny state. :-/

It's still great training to know the various types of extinguisher, and how to correctly operate one. It's not as simple as "aim and press trigger".

YMMV obviously. Context is important. I wouldn't apply to Google like that for example! But a local web-shop? Defintitely. And yeah, it is important to research first, such as checking if they have existing channels.

But never underestimate an in-person appearance. An resume is easy to chuck in the bin, a person is less easy to dismiss.

Is there an actual state law forbidding untrained people to use an extinguisher though?

It sounds much more like a job site policy that trained staff must exist and that they must be the ones that respond first (to use the correct extinguisher, etc) .. but it's difficult to imagine actual rules forbidding on pain of penalty (firing, fine, jail) an untrained person to step up (in the absence of any trained person being present, etc).

I'm in and from WA, although I've travelled a great deal, and here there's a lot of encouragement to have St John's Ambulance training, to take fire safety courses, to join SES and local volunteer fire brigades, etc. and I've never yet heard of any such rule as if your not trained, don't touch an extinguisher.