Contract Job Search — 30-Day Sprint
Goal: Move from RBC (Staff Software Developer, ≈ AWS SWE3) to a new contract role within one month (target close: 2026-09-17).
Why: Extreme-condition timeline set deliberately by Mihir. Leverage fresh SAA-C03 cert + Staff-level AWS/cloud/AI-agent stack (see Works/Profile/professional_profile, Works/Profile/tech_stack) to move faster than a typical FTE search. Strategic domain/role framing already exists in Projects/Career_Next_Roles — this note is the tactical execution tracker, not a redo of that analysis.
Current title framing for outreach: "Staff Software Engineer" (drop internal RBC-specific title language; SWE3-equivalent is the externally recognizable level).
Plan
Week 1 (2026-08-18 → 2026-08-24) — Collateral
- Rewrite resume: lead with Staff SWE + years of experience, SAA-C03 up top, AWS/DevSecOps/AI-agent stack front-loaded
- Update LinkedIn headline + "Open to Work" (recruiters-only, don't tip off RBC)
- Line up 2-3 references
Week 1-2 (2026-08-18 → 2026-08-31) — Pipeline volume
- Message 15-20 contract/staffing recruiters directly on LinkedIn
- Apply: Toptal, Gun.io, LinkedIn (filtered Contract)
- Warm-intro outreach to network contacts
Week 2-3 (2026-08-25 → 2026-09-07) — Interview loop
- Staff-level system design prep
- AWS architecture scenario prep (justify SAA-C03)
- 2-minute AI-integration business-value story ready (see Projects/RBC_Work for raw material)
Week 3-4 (2026-09-01 → 2026-09-17) — Close
- Negotiate rate against Staff/SWE3 contract market rate, not current W2 comp
- Confirm RBC notice period / start-date flexibility early — flagged as the main risk to the 1-month timeline
Risk flagged at kickoff
Hard 1-month deadline is tight against typical contract-to-start timelines (interview loop + notice period). Highest-leverage move is recruiter conversation volume in week 1, not collateral polish.
Log
- 2026-08-18 — Sprint kicked off. Plan drafted, this tracker created.