Mikhail Korolev: How to Hack the Job Market & Get Into VIP Rooms

Mikhail Korolev: How to Hack the Job Market & Get Into VIP Rooms

From ConTejas Code by Tejas Kumar

February 16, 2026 · 1h 31m

About this episode

Mikhail Korolev shares insights on navigating the job market and networking effectively to access opportunities typically out of reach.

Links - CodeCrafters: https://codecrafters.io - Kyle Simpson (You Don't Know JS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEMG7Oxuan8 - Josh Goldberg (CFP Advice): https://www.joshuakgoldberg.com/blog/how-i-apply-to-conferences/ - JSHeroes CFP Guide: https://jsheroes.io/ (See blog section) - CFP.watch (by Roudy): https://cfp.watch - confs.tech (mentioned at ~00:34): https://confs.tech - Guillermo Rauch Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NzkPBjwpwLmhIntEUB95x?si=51ac6de6d8fa4f8e - Santosh Yadav Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7HIl3zqyDd3cZDmJLzKR58 - Jeff Escalante Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf2E3dWfK3k - System Design in 15 Minutes (Hello Interview): https://www.hellointerview.com/learn/system-design/in-a-hurry/introduction - Mikhail Korolev (X/Twitter): https://x.com/mkrl__ - Mikhail on GitHub: https://github.com/mkrl - Mikhail on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkrl/ - Mikhail on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mkrl.xyz Summary I sat down with Mikhail "Misha" Korolev to discuss a reality many engineers face but rarely talk about: how to get into rooms where you technically "don't belong." We explored his journey from being unemployed after Toptal…

People in this episode

Host: Tejas Kumar

Guest: Mikhail Korolev

Topics covered

  • job market
  • networking
  • interview strategies
  • career development
  • DevRel
  • engineering

Keywords

  • job market
  • networking
  • interview
  • DevRel
  • career advice
  • Toptal
  • Tekmetric
  • Pac-Man Rule
  • cheat codes

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Toptal, Tekmetric, CodeCrafters

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