121 How to Get Your Next Ideal CF Job (using LinkedIn, Resume, GitHub), with Doug McCaughan

Doug McCaughan talks about “How to Get Your Next Ideal CF Job (using LinkedIn, Resume, GitHub)” in this episode of ColdFusion Alive Podcast with host Michaela Light.

“…the company pivoted away from ColdFusion. And suddenly, after 12 years, you’re like, Oh, dear, I need to get a job…”

Show notes
A sudden need for a new job after a CIO total tech stack pivot.
The whole CF team was let go
How CF hiring works these days
Network
Your connections
Informational interviews
70% of jobs are never advertized
Allocate regular time to maintaining and growing your network, website, social media.
GitHub
Update your profile (aka your personal README.md) and link to your LinkedIn, Twitter, website etc
Contribute to your fav CF open source projects – docs, code, small fixes
Improve your chances for a great first impression
LinkedIn
Why Linkedin FB, TW, YT etc
Others support, LinkedIn is where hiring managers may see you and search for candidates
Photo
Background image
Tagline
About
Employment
Schools
Use other sections
Add people you know to expand your connections and hence post reach
Always include a personalized note
If unsure, send a message first
Like, comment or post daily
your name, photo and tagline will be in front of not only your own connections, but the people you comment on or tag
Especially good to like and comment on 1) CF influencers 2) potential employers
Be yourself
LinkedIn Premium
InMail
Privacy shields down
Jobs menu
Resume
Talk about results more than tech
Cover letter
Personalize
Email vs PDF
Your Ideal job exercise
Get in a positive state of mind. WH via walk in nature, exercise etc. Then write down your vision of your ideal future job. What it is like a typical day, how you feel emotionally doing it, coworkers, boss etc.
It is key that you get out of your current mental state of fear and anger before you do it. To get to a deep vision of what your true self wants in work.
Don’t try to be realistic here. This is your dream.
This will help in updating your LinkedIn and resume.
I think you will get some good insights from doing it.
If possible write first with pen and paper. Not phone or computer. You can always put in a doc later. Ann’s best to get raw version out first to avoid the critical, sel editing mind interfering
Why are you proud to use CF?
I can rapidly develop error-free, reliable, robust solutions for customers. When I am asked, “can ColdFusion do X?” the answer is almost always yes. And it continues to evolve as our sector changes with developments like API management and microservices. When asked who uses ColdFusion? It makes me proud to be able to reference universities and academia, NASA, and Fortune 100 companies.
WWIT to make CF more alive this year?
It would be nice to see ColdFusion bubbling to the service outside of CF circles. Even my non-programming friends know to say .NET when talking Internet tech. Tech news talks of things like React, Vuejs, Python, and Rust. I don’t know how to make it happen but it would be great to see some publicity for ColdFusion.
What are you looking forward to at ITB?
If could attend, the people networking would be invaluable for me. As a matter of fact, while these conferences have shared such great knowledge, and influenced my development tools, such as using VS Code, the connections I make with people is always what I look forward to the most.

Mentioned in this episode
Doug’s original CF programmers FB group post ____
CFers CF job search questions (FB group post link)
State of the CF Union survey 2022 results