Samuel reports that a conversation at the Responsible AI Conference in Dallas led to a scheduled interview within four days. He attended the conference on the 24th from 5 to 8 PM, exchanged contact details with someone whose AI company is hiring, messaged the contact the next day, and this Monday the company’s talent acquisition lead reached out to schedule an interview. The drive from Denton to Dallas cost him about $60 — “Worth every dollar.”
Responsible AI Conference
He went to the conference after hearing about it only in passing and went primarily to meet people. A single conversation at that evening event produced the contact that turned into an interview on the calendar.
He continues a daily routine of 15 LinkedIn applications a day — ten aimed at the US and five at Germany. That pace added another 105 applications this week, bringing his total to 315 applications since he started.
Three weeks, one pattern
Samuel lays out the last three weeks side by side to show the pattern: Week 1: one LinkedIn intro video led to 19 clicks to his site, five of them from recruiters. Week 2: one meetup costing $80 produced a founder who said Samuel’s work lines up with a role he’s opening. Week 3: one conference costing $60 produced an interview scheduled.
Meanwhile, none of the 315 online applications has produced a comparable win. He says he is still doing the daily 15 because it costs only time and it only takes one success to land a role. His advice: if you are job hunting and can focus on only one thing in a week, go stand in a room with people who do what you want to do.
Great AI Debate
Most of Monday was spent preparing for the Great AI Debate, an SSAI event Samuel is organizing in which professionals and students argue whether AI is a job killer or a job creator. One of the debaters is someone Samuel originally met at the Global Security Tour; after inviting him to debate, Samuel was invited back in person and was asked to meet at the debater’s office next week.
Where we stand
Samuel summarizes current outcomes: 315 applications submitted; an interview scheduled through a conference contact; a founder who says Samuel’s work aligns with a forthcoming role; an office meeting next week; a resume with a healthcare CEO; a conversation booked for October; and a hackathon in progress. He notes that every one of those outcomes came from a person, not a portal.
“We’re closer than we were last week. 100 percent we break this clock,” he writes. “Stay confident. See you next week.”
— Samuel
Questions, suggestions, or a job-hunting strategy that actually worked for you? Reply here or email me at [email protected].
