How To Get A Rust Job Part I: Companies Already Using Rust

1. Targeting Companies Already Using Rust.

53.6% of respondents were hired at companies already using Rust.

About half of the respondents to our survey got a job at a company that was already using Rust. The other half found that their company started using Rust after they were hired. Those are two very different paths, so we decided to create two articles. This one will focus on getting a job at a company that is already using Rust.

2. Rust Companies Tend To Be Small.

Nearly half of respondents (46.7%) joined companies with 1–10 employees, and over 80% joined companies with under 100 people.

It looks like many of the opportunities to write Rust are at small companies. Since large companies spend most of their time maintaining existing codebases, this isn't surprising. Older codebases are unlikely to be written in Rust. So, it's probably worth targeting smaller companies. There are a couple of things you should consider if you go down this path. First, think about creating a personal connection with the hiring manager or others on the team. You may be able to connect with them online. Second, realize that you probably don't know about these companies. So, you're going to have to go searching!

Ideas For Finding Small Rust Companies

• Check out the filtra.io job board and other Rust-centric job boards.
• See who the guests are on Rust interview podcasts like Rustacean Station or Rust in Production.
• Look at what companies are sponsoring Rust-focused conferences or meetups.

3. Location and Industry

We asked respondents about location and industry of the companies they work for, but we didn't notice a strong signal in the industry data and worried about sampling bias toward English-speaking countries when it came to location.

4. Finding The Job

We asked respondents how they found out about their job:

• 33% Personal network
• 20% Recruiter
• 13.3% LinkedIn
• 13.3% Rust-oriented Job Boards (e.g. This Week In Rust, filtra.io, etc.)
• Others included social media and internal transfers

There are several interesting learnings from this section of the survey. To start, you've probably heard about the importance of "networking" a thousand times, so we won't belabor the point. Though, it is worth noting that if you are looking for a Rust job, you should think about building a network in the Rust community.

Ideas For Creating A Rust-Focused Network

• Join Reddit, X, BlueSky, or Discord. Each of these platforms have at least one Rust-focused community.
• Attend Rust conferences like RustConf, EuroRust, and RustNation UK.
• Find a local Rust meetup (often on meetup.com) and attend. Are any of the members hiring?

The second really interesting learning from this section is the potential value of working with recruiters. We know recruiters have a bad rap, but before you dismiss this idea, hear us out. A substantial number of respondents (20%) found their job through a recruiter. One of the great benefits of recruiters is that you can give a recruiter your information and thereby kick off a "passive" job search. They'll bring matching jobs to you!

Tips When Working With Recruiters

• Recruiters are more helpful the more senior you are- juniors are better off pursuing other tactics.
• Each agency has a finite set of positions they are filling. Work with multiple agencies to see more jobs.
• If possible, check out the agency's reputation beforehand. As a start, we can set you up with one we like.

The third note is that "job board" style services made up ~27% of responses between LinkedIn and more Rust-specific sources. The benefits and drawbacks of searching for jobs on LinkedIn are two sides of the same coin: scale. LinkedIn is the first place that most hirers think to look, so you'll likely find plenty of jobs there. However, it is also the first place most job seekers think to look. So, you will also have plenty of competition there. Rust-focused job boards and communities bring the advantage of focus. Hirers that are actively recruiting from these sources are specifically looking for Rust-focused developers like you! And yes, we might be a little biased when it comes to this category. ; )

5. You Don't Need To Be An Expert.

We asked respondents their seniority level as a developer at the time of their hire:

• 33.3% Junior
• 40% Mid
• 33.3% Senior

We also asked respondents their experience level with Rust specifically at the time of their hire:

• 20% No Experience
• 33.3% Beginner
• 26.7% Intermediate
• 13.3% Advanced
• 6.7% Expert

Hirers seem to place very little emphasis on previous Rust experience. So, if you are a more experienced developer and you've had enough of a taste of Rust to be hooked, shoot your shot! Many companies are happy for you to learn Rust on the job.

6. What Made Candidates Stand Out?

We asked what helped bridge the gap between sending an application and getting an interview. A few themes emerged:

• Relevant past employment experience (Rust or otherwise)
• Relevant open source or personal projects (Rust or otherwise)
• Proactive outreach and enthusiasm about the position
• Personal connections
• Recuiter recommendations

A lot of the findings here don't stand out much from regular job-seeking advice. However, it was clear from reading the responses we got that taking these simple strategies seriously goes a long way. If you're having a hard time getting interviews, see if you can take a couple of these points more seriously.

The line about recruiters might come as a surprise here. How would a recruiter help you get an interview? Well, it helped some of our respondents. See, recruiters generally are paid on a contingency basis. So, they are motivated to get their candidates hired. If you're introduced by a recruiter, you can be sure they'll be lobbying for you (as long as you're a good fit).

7. What Were The Interviews Like?

Interview styles varied, but here were the common elements:

• 20% Reported homework or work trial
• 20% Reported discussion of past projects (open source, personal, or past jobs)
• 40% Reported live assessments of coding, system design, or data structures & algorithms

These are generally consistent with what you'll see in other software engineering interviews.

8. What Made The Difference?

Respondents said they got the job because of:

• Excellent skill or experience match
• Personal connections
• Visible enthusiasm for Rust and the position
• Scarcity- being the only person around with the right skills

Bottom line: You will ultimately win on skills, network, or motivation- or, perhaps, a bit of luck. So good luck!