How to Balance a New Job Hunt with Current Job Responsibilities

Mid-Level Software Engineer at Taro Community2 months ago

Ex-FAANG employee here. I successfully switched firms recently and purposefully down-leveled myself (went for mid-level position instead of senior) since I felt I might be burned out, resulting in a lower pay as well. Though I guess in hindsight I could have handled the pressure. But no regrets there.

I'm still on initial 6 month probationary period in new firm but now few hedge fund and HFT recruiters have presented an opportunity that seems like too good to pass. The role is exciting and potential pay is substantial. The roles are limited and usually fill up fast since many folks apply for these.

I believe I can crack the interviews if I just can dedicate a good amount to the interview prep work. However, given that I have started new job, I find it difficult to focus on both interview prep and full-time office work.

I kind of don't want to put my eggs in one basket and just focus on the interview prep cause I fear if I don't make it through, my lacking performance might lead to a firing at current role itself and the job market is already pretty rough. Yet, the present opportunity is something I do feel like giving it my best.

Hence, I do want to learn how folks manage to balance job hunt whilst performing at current jobs as I feel I kind of get overwhelmed easily by the prospect.

Working 8-9 hours a day at job and then another 4-5 hours on interview prep just feels mentally exhausting.

Any tips or suggestions here to help ? How do I evaluate my limits and then learn to overcome them in time ?

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(3 comments)

2
Thoughtful Tarodactyl
•Taro Community
2 months ago
Tbh i dont think it's really possible to balance a ton. You just need to set aside 2-3 months of intense prep and grind through it. It's a slog, but weekends, get caffeine, and do whats needed at work to meet expectations. If you're really determined I would take PTO
1
Elliot Kang
•AI/ML Eng @ Series C startup
2 months ago
Something a mentor told me is that even if you're looking for a new job, you're still getting paid to work at a minimum 9-5.

idk if this helps, but it helped me a ton
0
Alex Chiou
•Tech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
2 months ago
There are 3 core sources of time to pull from while working:

Nights

Weekends

PTO (should probably save these for final round interviews)

It's a struggle, but you need to pull from these sources and grind through if you are seriously interviewing. Follow the advice from the productivity course to maximize your performance at your current job with minimal time: Maximize Your Productivity As A Software Engineer

Another option is to interview extremely selectively. Literally only take 1-2 interviews for an entire month, so 5 hours of studying per week gives you a decent chance to pass.