Need advice navigating job search in Austin,TX

[dreaminofadoodle]

Hey folks, I’d love to get some guidance from the community here.

I have about 13 years of experience in Software Quality (focused on the testing side), with most of my career spent in medical device companies in the US, EU, and India. I’ve had some great opportunities and challenges leading major projects in these orgs, which cultivated my interest in continuing my career in the medical device industry.

However, I've since relocated to Austin, TX and I’m surprised (and honestly a bit disappointed) that I haven’t been able to land a role in the last two years, even for positions that require fewer years of experience than I have.
I really enjoyed my previous jobs and felt I was good at what I did, but something’s clearly off, and I’m trying to figure out how to get past this obstacle.

1. Has anyone else faced difficulties finding roles in the medical device industry, either in Austin or elsewhere? If so, how did you overcome those challenges?
2. I’m considering getting a CSQE certification to support my experience and specifically target quality engineering roles in medical device companies. Does anyone have insights or thoughts on whether this would be a worthwhile investment?

Thanks in advance..

 

[yodon]

Still a lot of layoffs going on in the device industry so it's probably a pretty tough market right now.

Are you getting interviews or not even making it past resume screening?

As a hiring manager, I wouldn't consider having a cert a major factor. Plenty of people with "book smarts" that can't apply the knowledge. Can't hurt, but don't expect it to be a silver bullet.

 

[Randy]

Plenty of people with "book smarts" that can't apply the knowledge.

Yep. I've seen people with tons of certifications, degrees, training classes and all that foo-fah that haven't got anything on this......

 

[Golfman25]

So a couple of things. If you're "overqualified" you're easy to kick out. Employers will assume it will just be a holding place until you find something better. Second, I hate what recruiting seems to have become -- just a lot of algorithms and click to apply. There is no way to separate yourself and/or explain special circumstances. So if you can find a way to submit a specific "cover letter" with your application it may help. Good luck.

 

[dreaminofadoodle]

Are you getting interviews or not even making it past resume screening?

Well, I'd say easily 90-95% of my applications don't even seem to make it past the screening. To that end, I think I've done what I can to make sure my resume has the relevant keywords to get past screening filters (except... "CSQE" lol).

Of the few I do get interviews with, it seems like they need candidates who are an exact match to the JD or can go across disciplines (coding experience, process knowledge, and in some cases, electrical engineering experience too!!). And I can't seem to crack all of these rounds and it's beyond me as to how.

While I agree certs don't guarantee a job offer, as I see it, I have two paths: 1) sharpen my coding skills to be eligible for roles like an SDET or 2) target medical device software quality engineer roles. Option 2 is a better match for my recent experience and strengths. Hence, my question earlier about getting a CSQE certification.

I also agree that market seems to be tough right now, yet how can I still position myself better for medical device software quality roles?

 

[Randy]

Have you considered you're proceeding down too narrow of a pathway in too tight of a field? The workplace needs people with multiple skill sets and capabilities. Any background in finance, safety, environmental, quality, engineering, teaching, human resourcing or any number of other areas?

 

[yodon]

Well, I'd say easily 90-95% of my applications don't even seem to make it past the screening. To that end, I think I've done what I can to make sure my resume has the relevant keywords to get past screening filters (except... "CSQE" lol).

When I was looking (admittedly quite a while ago, but I expect things haven't changed all that much), I found I was getting much better response when my resume was tailored to use the exact language in the job description. For example, maybe the job description says "software validation" but your resume has "software test." That would fail in pattern matching. Initial screeners were just looking at hit counts (matching terms) to filter. Certainly more work on my end and I had to manage a lot of resume copies, but it did improve the call-back rate.

I would think your option 2 would be a good path, but you may well need to expand around aspects like cybersecurity & AI/ML. I would think that having those skills would open more opportunities than a CSQE (again, not saying it's bad, just may not provide the bump you'd hope for).

 

[Golfman25]

When I was looking (admittedly quite a while ago, but I expect things haven't changed all that much), I found I was getting much better response when my resume was tailored to use the exact language in the job description. For example, maybe the job description says "software validation" but your resume has "software test." That would fail in pattern matching. Initial screeners were just looking at hit counts (matching terms) to filter. Certainly more work on my end and I had to manage a lot of resume copies, but it did improve the call-back rate.

I would think your option 2 would be a good path, but you may well need to expand around aspects like cybersecurity & AI/ML. I would think that having those skills would open more opportunities than a CSQE (again, not saying it's bad, just may not provide the bump you'd hope for).

Back in the old days when we used a newspaper help wanted section, that is what we would do -- modify our resume to match the job and/or use a cover letter. You could really dial in your experience for what they where looking for. Today it seems everyone has a generic resume online and you're stuck with it. In the past several years hiring for a few positions, I have seen exactly one person submit a narrative specific to the job.