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Dozens of Resumes, One Call From an Old Colleague

xulingfeng on September 07, 2026

About two weeks ago, I left my previous company. I didn't start looking for a new job right away. I went to Wudang Mountain for a few days first, ...
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nyaomaru profile image
nyaomaru

Congrats! I'm really happy to hear that! 😸

I guess saying β€œHow about me?” must have taken a lot of courage, but you actually did it, and it worked!

It also feels like taking the right kind of break helped you move forward to the next stage!

Anyway, congratulations again! πŸŽ‰

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

Thank you so much! To be honest though, I didn’t really feel like it took much courage at the time. My exact thought was: β€œWow, what perfect timing! I was just dozing off and a pillow shows up.” Hahaha πŸ˜‚

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sylwia-lask profile image
Sylwia Laskowska

Awww congrats!!!! I knew it would be fast for you to find a new job πŸ₯°πŸ₯°

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

Awww, thank you! πŸŽ‰ Honestly, I wasn't sure about that after so many read-and-no-replies. 🀣 But somehow, one call from an old colleague did the trick!

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shubhradev profile image
Shubhra Pokhariya

Congrats! Really happy to see how this worked out for you. Wishing you all the best in the new role! πŸŽ‰

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gramli profile image
Daniel Balcarek

Congrats, man! I’m really happy for you! πŸŽ‰

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

Long time no see, buddy! Thanks a whole lot, haha πŸ˜„

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elsie-rainee profile image
Elsie Rainee

The "read and no reply" thing is worse than a rejection, honestly. At least a no gives you something to work with. Silence just makes you invent reasons, and none of them are ever good for your head.

What got me was the CTO conversation being about judgment and trust instead of tool checklists. That's a much better interview than most QA roles run, where it's just "do you know Selenium" for forty minutes. The point about AI mistakes being dangerous specifically because they look reasonable is the real skill in testing right now, not knowing which tool to run.

Also, "wow, perfect timing, a pillow shows up while I was dozing off" is a great way to put it. Congrats on the new role.

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

I couldn’t agree more. Getting read‑and‑no‑reply responses is really crushing. So whenever HR gives me a genuine reply, even a rejection, I sincerely appreciate it. Getting to talk directly with the CTO was only possible thanks to my former colleague vouching for me. And once you reach the CTO interview stage, there is no need for basic tool‑level questions anymore.
Back when I worked as an interviewer for QA roles, besides questions about everyday QA tools and techniques, I would always end with one question for candidates: β€œWhat exactly does testing do?” I got all kinds of answers β€” keeping projects stable, ensuring smooth releases, improving customer satisfaction, and so on. But what I really wanted to hear was the simple answer: testing is about finding bugs. No matter if it is manual testing, automation, or any other approach, finding bugs is what a QA engineer is supposed to deliver.
Haha β€œa pillow shows up while I was dozing off” is a local idiom from where I’m from. Glad you caught the reference πŸ˜„ Thank you very much.

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leob profile image
leob • Edited

Congratulations, nice !!!

Yeah, personal networks beat the best resume, simple as that - even in the "AI era" ...

Well, I've been hired more than once via references from my personal network - it makes things so easy ...

Also nice to see you kept your cool and didn't fret about things - confidence is gold :-)

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

Thanks! πŸ˜„ I think you're right. A good resume can get you into the queue, but someone who has actually worked with you can sometimes get you straight to the right conversation.
And honestly, working on my 36 Stratagems project probably helped me stay relaxed. I was busy doing something I actually enjoyed, so I didn't spend all day staring at the recruiting site. 🀣haha

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leob profile image
leob

Yeah and I'm sure that being relaxed and confident helps a lot in an interview!

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

Haha πŸ˜„ Exactly. I kept totally relaxed the whole time, just like chatting with an old friend. He didn’t act like a high‑and‑mighty CTO at all.

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technogamerz profile image
π“π‘πž π‹πšπ³π² 𝐆𝐒𝐫π₯

Congratulations πŸŽ‰
My Dear wise old sage!!
Been waiting for this day!

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

Haha what, I’m still so young! Don’t call me an old sage, hahaha.🀣

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technogamerz profile image
π“π‘πž π‹πšπ³π² 𝐆𝐒𝐫π₯

sorry , sorry

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

😀🀣

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technogamerz profile image
π“π‘πž π‹πšπ³π² 𝐆𝐒𝐫π₯

I don’t know why, but I just can’t stop myself from saying this. I’m sorry if it bothers you.

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

Haha🀣 it’s totally fine, I was just joking. Time catches up with everyone, I am indeed getting older. Still, strangers on the street call me big brother instead of uncle, and I’m pretty satisfied with that πŸ˜‚

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hemapriya_kanagala profile image
Hemapriya Kanagala

Congrats, Xu πŸŽ‰ So happy for you πŸ˜€

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xulingfeng profile image
xulingfeng

Thank you so much. I also owe a lot to everyone’s support 😁