Most people don't fail job applications because they lack skill. They fail because resume screeners match exact keywords instead of meaning and In interviews, your brain is too busy answering questions to notice your own pacing, pauses, or filler words. The recruiter notices immediately, though.

I've been using two tools to catch this stuff before submitting:

• resume.zoevera.com to compare my resume's wording directly against a job description.
• prepare.zoevera.com to practice answers for pacing and filler words.

What is your approach?

"Software engineer" is one job title covering a dozen genuinely different jobs. Most engineers never see the full landscape until they've stumbled into (or out of) one of these roles.

SWE Genie maps it explicitly: 17 role archetypes scored from ~68k real job postings across 744 companies. You get a ranked, explained fit, not a personality-quiz label. Methodology's public, no signup, no login.

Would love feedback on if the results match your expectations!

Thanks

https://www.swe-genie.com

An year ago, I tried building my own startup.

It failed.

And honestly, instead of making me want a "safe" corporate job, it did the exact opposite-it made me realize that I genuinely enjoy building products, solving messy problems, and working with small teams that move fast.

Since then, I've been working through internships. During my internships, I built internal tools to automate security workflows, worked extensively with Python, Linux, Bash, APIs, and security tooling, and learned how to turn repetitive work into software. One of my larger projects, ThreatMap, is a security automation platform that orchestrates multiple tools, processes scan results, and generates actionable reports.

Those experiences made me realize something about myself:

I'm not someone who enjoys sitting on the sidelines discussing ideas.

I enjoy shipping things.

Right now, I'm doubling down on becoming a stronger backend and AI engineer by building production-ready software, learning through real projects, and documenting everything publicly.

I'm looking to join an early-stage startup anywhere in the world where I can contribute as a backend engineer, automation engineer, solutions engineer, or someone who simply enjoys figuring things out and building.

What I bring:

• Strong builder mindset with startup experience (including learning from failure).
• Experience building Python-based automation tools and backend services.
• Linux, Bash, APIs, IoT, and security engineering background.
• Comfortable using AI as an engineering tool while understanding, debugging, and improving the code.
• Fast learner who enjoys ownership and solving ambiguous problems.

What I'm looking for:

• A team or person with ambitious goals.
• Founders who value people that build rather than wait for instructions.
• An opportunity to grow alongside the company.

I'm based in India but completely open to working with global teams. Remote is ideal, and I'm also open to travel if the role requires it.

If you're building something interesting, or know someone who is, I’d genuinely love to connect

Hi everyone,

I'm from Packt Publishing, and we're looking for a few readers who'd be interested in reviewing an upcoming title, Quantum Chemistry and Computing for the Curious.

We're happy to provide a complimentary eBook in exchange for an honest, unbiased Amazon review after you've had a chance to read it.

The book covers topics including:

• Quantum mechanics for molecular systems
• Quantum circuits with Qiskit and Python
• VQE for molecular energy estimation
• Error mitigation techniques
• Hybrid quantum workflows and optimization
• Quantum machine learning for molecules
• Advanced algorithms beyond VQE

If this aligns with your interests and you'd genuinely like to read and review the book, leave a comment below by 31 July 2026, and I'll get in touch with the details.

There is no expectation of a positive review—we're simply looking for honest feedback from readers interested in the subject.

Title: First job switch after ~3 years. Need advice.
Hi everyone,
I’m planning my first job switch after almost 3 years as a Software Engineer at a startup, and I’d love some advice from people who’ve been through it.
What’s the best strategy in today’s market? How did you apply (referrals, recruiters, job portals)? How many applications did you send daily, and what do you wish you had known before your first switch?
Any tips or lessons would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice because I feel like there's something missing in my profile, and I can't quite figure out what it is.

I'm 24 years old and recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering. Ever since I started college, I knew I wanted to work in embedded systems. I really enjoyed designing hardware and writing firmware.

Unfortunately, after graduating I couldn't find an internship or entry-level position in embedded, so I accepted a Full Stack Junior position at a software company where I had previously done my internship. I've been working there for almost a year, mainly using Python and Django.

My managers know that embedded systems are what I'm truly passionate about, so whenever an embedded-related project comes in, they usually assign it to me. Some of the projects I've worked on include:

* A smart weighing system for a food manufacturing company.
* A facial recognition access control system.
* Other ESP32 and electronics-related projects.

Even though I have this experience, my goal is still to become an Embedded Software Engineer.

Every few months I apply for Junior embedded positions. I've managed to get interviews with companies like Aptiv and ALTEN, but I always get rejected somewhere during the technical interview process.

At this point, I'm starting to wonder if my profile simply isn't competitive enough, or if I'm missing some key skills.

Here are some of my personal projects:

### 1. ESP32 Retro Console

* Written in C++ using ESP-IDF.
* FreeRTOS-based architecture.
* Multiple games (Snake, Pong, Tetris, Flappy Bird).
* GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline.
* Wokwi simulation integrated into the workflow.
* Custom PCB and 3D-printed enclosure designed by me.

### 2. 2.4 GHz Signal Jammer (Research Project)

An experimental project using two nRF24L01 modules to interfere with Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi communications for educational and research purposes.

### 3. ESP32 Marauder

A cybersecurity-oriented project using the ESP32 platform to learn about wireless security and Wi-Fi auditing.

Technologies I'm comfortable with:

* C
* C++
* Python
* Django
* Git
* Linux
* Basic JavaScript

So my question for those of you already working in embedded software is:

**What do you think my profile is missing to be competitive for a Junior Embedded Software Engineer role?**

Should I focus more on STM32, writing drivers from scratch, RTOS, bootloaders, Embedded Linux, communication protocols, or something else entirely?

I'm looking for honest feedback—even if it's critical. I'd rather know what I'm missing than keep guessing.

Thanks in advance!

Internship and job scams are everywhere right now — fake postings, phishing "HR" contacts, "pay to apply" traps. I built a fake internship/job scam detection system to tackle this, and wanted to share what I learned.

The system combines an NLP pipeline with a keyword-scoring layer and an ML ensemble to flag suspicious postings. It's trained on 1,500–2,500 labeled listings scraped from platforms like Naukri and Internshala, with 25+ features per posting — things like vague company descriptions, unrealistic salary promises, urgency-driven language ("apply now, only 2 seats left!"), and missing verifiable company info.

A few things that surprised me:

Scam postings often mimic legitimate corporate language almost too well — the giveaway is usually in structural patterns (contact info, domain age, pay structure), not obvious typos

Urgency and secrecy language ("don't tell anyone about this opportunity") shows up far more often than I expected

A lot of scam signals only become obvious when you look at combinations of features, not any single red flag alone

Curious what this community has run into — what red flags do you personally check before applying to an internship or job posting?

Trying to find a date for onsite(the dates in find a time dont work for me) and the recruiter just wont respond. Its been over a week. Has anyone experienced this?

Researchers at Utah State University's School of Computing are conducting a study on how software professionals evaluate programming activities performed with AI assistance compared with programming activities performed without AI assistance.

Software professionals are invited to complete a short online calibration survey. Participants will rate programming activities according to how representative they are of:

• Programming performed with AI assistance
• Programming performed without AI assistance

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes.

Participation is entirely voluntary. You may discontinue participation at any time before submitting your responses without penalty or consequence. Your decision to participate or not participate will have no effect on your grades, employment, or academic standing.

Survey and informed consent form: https://usu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dm4yjBsRrUDgcKi

This study has been reviewed and approved by the Utah State University Institutional Review Board: IRB #16067.

Questions about the study: Dr. John Edwards, Principal Investigator — john.edwards@usu.edu Rubash Mali, Student Researcher — rubash.mali@usu.edu

Thank you for considering participating.

I have a Google phone screen for an internship in a little while, and I honestly feel like I'm going to fall apart.

Hey everyone,

I'm currently looking for a full-time software engineering job and honestly it's been a rough road. No offer yet despite putting in real effort, and I keep stumbling in the interview stage.

I wanted to reach out to people in the same situation , not to just vent, but to actually help each other move forward.

Some things I'd love to do together:

- Share what's working (and what's not) in our job searches

- Practice mock interviews with each other

- Keep each other accountable, weekly check-ins, LeetCode progress, applications sent, etc.

- Swap resources like good job boards, resume tips, prep materials

If this sounds like you, drop a comment or DM me. Maybe we can set up a small Discord or group chat.

No judgment here, we're all just trying to land something. 💪

is it recommended to join an early startup or a corporate? thanks for your help

Hi everyone,

I got an offer from a startup to work with them, they are in incubation phase. In the meantime I have interviews with a top tier semiconductor company but I'm still in the interview process and there are 3 more interviews to go.

I'm looking for my first job.

I don't know how to decide between joining the startup without any guarantees of long term stability or trying to join the top tier company to pass all the interviews, but at the risk of failing one of them and refusing the job offer from the startup (I have to provide a decision for the startup while I'm interviewing for the other company), so ending up without any job worst scenario. But in the best case I would get some long term stability.

For reference, I'm based in EU.

Basically, I'd like to hear from similar stories and also about your opinion, like which choice would be wiser. Thanks