Job Search Playbook
By Shanker
A step-by-step guide to landing your next role in a heavy, competitive market — covering the job market, AI upskilling, technical and mock interview prep, strategic applications, offer negotiation, and mental resilience.
About the Program
The Complete Job Search Playbook for Software Engineers is a structured process for professionals looking for a new role: regroup, update your brand, activate your network, target the right roles, upskill in AI, prepare your core competencies, practise with mock interviews, apply strategically, handle the interview process, negotiate the offer, and stay resilient throughout.
It is built for today's heavy, competitive market — where automated resume screening, AI-driven hiring and frequent restructuring have made a random, high-volume approach stop working. You will finish with a clear, personalized action plan for your job search.
Curriculum
The Current Job Market & Why a Structured Search Matters
- Why the market is not what it used to be, and why a high-volume approach fails
- How resumes are now screened by automated systems
- Why structure, planning and resilience matter in a competitive market
Process & Regroup
- Take a breath: process emotionally and avoid knee-jerk reactions
- Secure your finances: unemployment benefits, severance and COBRA
- Gather your artifacts: performance reviews, metrics and impact data
Update Your Professional Brand
- Resume refresh: quantifiable achievements, action verbs, impact over responsibilities
- LinkedIn optimization: headline, Open to Work, transition update and skills
- Portfolio and GitHub: public repos and writing that reflect your current skills
Define Target Roles & Companies
- Role clarity: IC vs Engineering Manager vs Senior EM, and the trade-offs of each
- Company research: a target list of 20-50 companies
- Compensation benchmarking with Levels.fyi, Glassdoor and Blind
- Tier companies into dream, strong-fit and safety categories
Activate Your Network
- Warm outreach to former colleagues, managers and mentors
- Asking for specific, strategic referrals that actually get answered
- Joining communities: Slack, Discord, WhatsApp groups and meetups
AI Upskilling: The Minimum You Need
- How much AI is really required, and presenting relevant use cases
- Large Language Models and Gen AI: transformers, fine-tuning and prompt engineering
- RAG and vector databases: chunking, embeddings, retrieval and hallucination detection
Core Competencies & Technical Interview Prep
- Data structures and algorithms: LeetCode, NeetCode and AlgoExpert
- System design: payment pipelines, notification systems
- Behavioural and leadership interviews: STAR-format stories
- Domain-specific prep: AI/ML infrastructure, RAG, Kubernetes and microservices
Mock Interviews with Experienced People
- Why mocks matter: calibrated feedback and reduced anxiety
- Where to find partners: Pramp, Interviewing.io, ADPList and Exponent
- Types to practise: coding, system design, behavioural and hiring manager
- Targeted mocks before a specific company, and follow-ups after a missed round
Apply Strategically
- Quality over quantity: tailor your resume and cover letter for each role
- Track every application, position and timeline in a central system
- Use multiple channels at once: career pages, LinkedIn, referrals and recruiters
Navigate the Interview Process
- Recruiter screen: be concise and frame the layoff neutrally
- Technical rounds: coding, system design and architecture deep-dives
- Leadership rounds: strategic thinking and business-impact stories
- Follow-up: a thank-you email within 24 hours of each round
Evaluate & Negotiate Offers
- Compare holistically: base, RSUs, signing bonus, benefits and growth
- Negotiate confidently using competing offers and market data
- Get every negotiated term in the official offer letter
Psychology & Mental Resilience
- Understanding the emotional impact: grief cycle, identity and stigma
- Cognitive reframing: challenge catastrophic thinking with a growth mindset
- Building a daily routine: job search, learning, exercise and sleep
- Managing rejection: expect a 5-10% conversion rate and track wins
Support, Help & Long-Term Resilience
- Social support: talk about it, mentor others and set boundaries
- Seek help from experienced people instead of working in a silo
- Long-term mindset: diversify identity and build a 6-12 month emergency fund
Financial Planning During a Job Search
- Budgeting and managing cash flow during the search
- Severance, unemployment and health insurance options
- Building a 6-12 month emergency fund for long-term resilience
What You'll Learn
- Regroup and rebuild your professional brand with confidence
- Define the right target roles and companies for your situation
- Activate your network and ask for referrals that actually work
- Upskill in AI to the minimum needed to stay competitive
- Prepare core competencies and ace technical, design and behavioural interviews
- Apply strategically and navigate the interview process end to end
- Evaluate and negotiate offers to get what you are worth
- Stay resilient and financially steady throughout the search
Who Should Attend
- Experienced software professionals in any role: QA, automation, SDET, SDE, AI/ML, data, TPM, PM, engineering manager or director
- People who were laid off or affected by company restructuring
- People who resigned voluntarily and are finding the market harder than expected
- People who feel too experienced for the roles they apply to
- People overwhelmed by AI who don't know where to start
- People getting continuous rejections or unsure which role to target
- People who get shortlisted but struggle to articulate their story
Course Format
Live, Practical Sessions
Instructor-led sessions with real examples, templates and exercises you can apply to your own job search immediately.
Schedule
Dates and timings are being finalized. They will be announced here and to registered participants as soon as they are confirmed.
FAQ
Who is this playbook for?
Experienced software professionals in any role — QA, automation, SDET, SDE, AI/ML, data, TPM, PM, engineering manager or director — who are looking for a new role, whether after a layoff, a voluntary resignation, or because the current market feels harder than expected.
Do I need to be an AI expert before joining?
No. The course covers the minimum AI upskilling you need to be competitive, including how to present relevant AI use cases from your own experience, so you know exactly where to start.
Does it cover interview preparation?
Yes. It covers data structures and algorithms, system design, and behavioural and leadership interviews, plus how to use mock interviews with experienced people to get calibrated feedback before the real thing.
When do the sessions start?
Dates and timings are being finalized. Register your seat now and we will share the schedule as soon as it is confirmed.