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Frequently Asked Questions

Got questions about Career Mode? Here are answers to the most common questions from the community.

General Questions​

What is Career Mode?​

Career Mode is daily.dev's developer-first hiring experience that helps you land your next dream job on your own terms. It matches you with high-quality job opportunities based on your skills, interests, and preferences—without spam, with full privacy control, and through a transparent process.

Learn more in the overview

How is Career Mode different from LinkedIn or job boards?​

Unlike traditional platforms:

  • No spam: You won't receive cold messages from recruiters
  • Private by default: You're invisible until you approve a specific job
  • Quality over quantity: Curated matches, not thousands of irrelevant listings
  • Double opt-in: Both you and the employer must say yes before connecting
  • Developer-first: Designed by developers, for developers

Traditional platforms are built for recruiters. Career Mode is built for you.

Is Career Mode free for developers?​

Yes, completely free. Always will be.

We believe developers deserve a hiring experience that respects their time and intelligence. Career Mode is free forever for developers—no hidden costs, no premium tiers, no surprises.

Who can use Career Mode?​

Any developer with a daily.dev account can use Career Mode. Whether you're:

  • Actively searching for a new role
  • Currently employed but open to opportunities
  • A junior developer or seasoned principal engineer
  • Frontend, backend, full-stack, mobile, DevOps, or any other specialization

Career Mode is for all developers.

How It Works​

How are jobs selected for me?​

We use a sophisticated matching algorithm that considers:

Your daily.dev activity: Articles you read, tags you follow, Squads you join, content you engage with

Your profile: Work experience, skills, education, certifications, open source work

Your preferences: Desired role, salary expectations, location, tech stack, employment type

Learn more about how matching works

Do I choose which jobs to apply to?​

Not exactly. Career Mode flips the traditional model:

  • Traditional: You browse hundreds of jobs and apply to many
  • Career Mode: We match jobs to you and show only high-quality fits

You don't "apply" in the traditional sense. Instead, you review curated opportunities matched specifically to you and decide whether to express interest.

Will recruiters contact me directly?​

No. Recruiters cannot contact you directly through Career Mode unless you explicitly approve their specific job opportunity first.

You will never receive:

  • Cold DMs from recruiters
  • Unsolicited messages about opportunities
  • InMail-style outreach

The only way a recruiter can reach you is after the double opt-in: you approve their job, they approve your profile, and we facilitate a warm introduction.

What happens after I approve a job match?​

Here's the process:

  1. You express interest: Click "I'm Interested" on an opportunity brief
  2. Your profile is shared: We send your work experience, education, and skills to the employer
  3. Employer reviews: The hiring manager evaluates your background (typically 1-3 business days)
  4. Employer decides: They either approve or pass
  5. Warm introduction: If both parties approve, we send an email introduction
  6. You connect: Continue the conversation directly with the employer

Learn more about reviewing opportunities

Can I express interest in multiple jobs at once?​

Yes! You can express interest in as many opportunities as you'd like. Each is evaluated independently, and you can manage multiple conversations simultaneously.

Just be realistic about your capacity for interviews.

What if I don't receive any matches?​

Several reasons you might not see matches:

Market factors:

  • Limited opportunities in your specific niche or tech stack
  • Timing—hiring fluctuates throughout the year

Your settings:

  • Preferences might be too narrow (salary, location, tech stack)
  • Profile might be incomplete
  • No CV uploaded

What to do:

  1. Review and potentially broaden your job preferences
  2. Ensure your profile is complete and up-to-date
  3. Upload your CV if you haven't
  4. Verify your tech stack reflects your actual interests
  5. Check that your availability is set correctly

Learn how to improve match quality

Privacy and Data​

Will my CV or profile be shared without my permission?​

Absolutely not. Never.

Your information is only shared with a specific employer after you explicitly click "I'm Interested" on their job opportunity. Even then:

  • Your CV document is not automatically shared (only profile information)
  • Your employment agreement is never shared under any circumstances
  • Your job preferences (salary, desired role) are never shared
  • Your daily.dev activity is never shared

Learn more about privacy and trust

Can employers search for my profile?​

No. Employers cannot search, browse, or view developer profiles. Career Mode doesn't work like a candidate database.

We act as the trusted broker, matching opportunities to developers. Employers only see candidates who have explicitly expressed interest in their specific job.

What if I'm currently employed? Will my company find out?​

Career Mode is private by default. Your employer won't know you're using it unless you tell them.

Key protections:

  • No public job-seeking status
  • No visible profile to employers
  • Information only shared after you approve a specific opportunity
  • You control whether to express interest in any job

Many Career Mode users are happily employed but want to stay aware of exceptional opportunities.

What's the employment agreement used for? Will employers see it?​

Purpose: Your employment agreement helps us ensure every opportunity we show you is definitively better than what you currently have.

What we check:

  • Current compensation
  • Benefits structure
  • Work arrangements

Privacy guarantee: Your employment agreement is never, ever shared with employers or anyone else. It's strictly between you and daily.dev, used only to filter opportunities.

Learn more about employment agreement privacy

Can I delete my Career Mode data?​

Yes, anytime. You can:

  1. Turn off Career Mode: Stops new matches, keeps your data
  2. Delete Career Mode data: Permanently removes all career-specific information

To delete:

  1. Go to Settings → Job Preferences
  2. Click "Delete Career Mode Data"
  3. Confirm deletion

This removes work experience, job preferences, uploaded documents, and all career-related data. Your regular daily.dev account remains unaffected.

Profile and Setup​

What do I need to provide to get started?​

Minimum to enable:

  • Turn on Career Mode in Settings
  • Set your availability status

Recommended for best results:

  • Upload your CV
  • Complete your profile (work experience, education, skills)
  • Configure job preferences (salary, location, tech stack, desired role)
  • Review your tech stack on your profile

The more complete your setup, the better your matches.

Get started with Career Mode

Do I need to upload my CV?​

Not required, but highly recommended.

Uploading your CV:

  • Dramatically improves match accuracy
  • Provides rich context about your background
  • May auto-populate profile sections (which you should verify)
  • Helps employers understand your experience when you express interest

How do I make my profile stand out?​

Complete key sections:

  • Work experience with specific achievements and impact
  • Education and certifications
  • Open source contributions (if any)
  • Side projects that demonstrate skills
  • Skills and tech stack

Quality over quantity:

  • Focus on recent, relevant experiences
  • Use specific examples and metrics
  • Keep descriptions clear and concise
  • Proofread for errors

Learn how to optimize your profile

Should I include all my work experience?​

Focus on relevance and recency. Include:

  • Recent positions (last 5-10 years typically)
  • Roles demonstrating career progression
  • Experience relevant to your desired next role
  • Significant achievements or notable companies

You don't need to list every job from your entire career. Quality and relevance matter more than completeness.

Career Mode Experience​

How often will I receive opportunities?​

It varies significantly based on:

  • Your tech stack and specialization
  • Market demand for your skills
  • Your seniority level
  • How selective your preferences are
  • Number of employers actively hiring on daily.dev

Typical patterns:

  • Popular stacks (JavaScript, Python, cloud): More frequent
  • Niche specializations: Less frequent but highly relevant
  • Senior+ roles: Less frequent but higher quality

Career Mode prioritizes quality over quantity. A few perfect matches are better than dozens of mediocre ones.

Can I turn off Career Mode temporarily?​

Yes! You can toggle Career Mode on or off anytime in Settings → Job Preferences.

When off:

  • You stop receiving new opportunities
  • Existing matches remain accessible
  • Your preferences and profile data are saved
  • Re-enable anytime to start receiving matches again

Perfect for when you accept an offer, need a break, or want to pause your search.

What if I accept a job offer?​

Congratulations!

Please:

  1. Update your availability or turn off Career Mode
  2. Withdraw from any active interview processes respectfully
  3. Consider leaving feedback about your Career Mode experience

When you're ready to explore again (now or in the future), simply re-enable Career Mode.

How do I provide feedback or report issues?​

We value your feedback! You can:

  • Report bugs: Use daily.dev's standard support channels
  • Suggest improvements: Share feedback through community channels
  • Report problematic employers: Contact support if you have a negative experience

Your feedback helps us improve Career Mode for the entire community.

Troubleshooting​

I'm not receiving any opportunities. Why?​

Check these common issues:

  1. Career Mode is off: Verify it's enabled in Settings → Job Preferences
  2. Incomplete profile: Add work experience, skills, education
  3. No CV uploaded: Upload for significantly better matching
  4. Overly narrow preferences: Review salary expectations, location, tech stack
  5. No opportunities in your niche: Very specialized stacks may have fewer matches
  6. Market timing: Hiring fluctuates; be patient

Learn how to improve match quality

An opportunity brief is missing information. What should I do?​

Sometimes employer-provided information may be incomplete. If critical information is missing:

  1. Mark as not interested if you can't make an informed decision
  2. Report the issue so we can follow up with the employer
  3. Provide feedback to help us maintain quality standards

We continuously work with employers to ensure comprehensive, transparent job briefs.

I expressed interest but haven't heard back. What now?​

Typical timeline: Employers usually review candidates within 1-3 business days.

If it's been longer:

  • Be patient—some reviews take more time
  • You'll receive a notification either way (introduction or pass)
  • You won't be ghosted; you'll get a clear response

Remember: The employer must also opt in. If they pass, you'll be notified, and you can continue exploring other opportunities.

Can I change my mind after expressing interest?​

Once you express interest, your profile is shared with the employer for review. However:

  • If they haven't responded yet, you can contact support to withdraw
  • If introduction has been made, communicate directly with the employer
  • Always communicate changes professionally and promptly

Next Steps​

Still have questions? Explore the documentation:

If your question isn't answered here, reach out to daily.dev support!