7 Job Hunting Tips For Tech Newbies From The Experts
1. Stop wasting time on your resume and cover letter.
Resumes and cover letters may have been golden tickets to a job in your parents’ time, but that’s not the case anymore. Hiring managers are inundated with so many that it’s a gamble whether they’ll even see yours--or spend more than a couple seconds glancing at it, especially if you don’t already have eye-grabbing work history.
Jeremy Schifeling, Founder of BreakInto.Tech advises, “If you don't already have tech experience, most recruiters won't give you the time of day no matter how sexy your resume template. So get around the recruiter by building relationships directly with people on the team you want to work for. If someone on your future team wants to interview you, guess what: You're getting an interview.”
2. Supercharge your online presence.
This goes along with ditching the resume, in the principle of “show, don’t tell.” Kyle Prinsloo, creator of studywebdevelopment.com, says, “Let your online presence speak for you! It’s more important to show what you have done, rather than [tell people] what you can do.”
How to go about building a great online presence? “Start by improving your portfolio site,” says Prinsloo. “Build up a good list of projects/websites – even if you have to do it for free. Think of it as a long term investment.”
Other ways to build an online presence include contributing to open-source projects, publish posts on Medium or industry blogs, having at least one professional social media account (like a Twitter), and of course maintaining an up-to-date LinkedIn profile. Which leads to #3:
3. Boost your LinkedIn profile.
Many people neglect LinkedIn, treating it as nothing more than a boring online resume. However, it has the potential to be much more, especially since 87% of recruiters use it to find and vet candidates. In other words, play your cards right and they might come to you.
LinkedIn expert Sandy Jones-Kaminski and chief connecting officer at Bella Domain Media advises to pay special attention to the Summary section. “Your objective [with the summary] is to draw visitors in so they’ll read the rest of your story. It should be at least 40 words (200 characters minimum) and adding one will improve your likelihood of showing up in search results. Use first person and be sure to add a little personality while writing it.”
MiMi Moore, Talent Services Executive at Indeed.com, adds, “Ask for Linkedin recommendations from past colleagues. Endorsements and recommendations can go a long way to speak to your past experience and work ethic.”
4. Build projects you actually care about.
Building stuff is great. But it’s even better when you care about it: you’ll be working toward a goal, which will give you extra drive to do it well. Ben Halpern, founder of Dev.to, says, “Grow your portfolio by building things that you actually want to exist in the world, and plan to keep working on after getting a job. It will show off your passion and make you a more memorable candidate.”
5. Make connections by joining industry groups.
Though it may seem isolating to write code behind a computer, the tech industry is actually tight-knit, with meetup groups, communities, and events to be found everywhere you look. Allison Esposito, founder of Tech Ladies, says, “More than just join them, become a real part of the community. The connections that are made every day at our events and in our online community lead to new jobs all the time.”
She adds that you should always look for ways to give back to these groups as well. “If you are there for someone when they need an intro, advice, or feedback, they're more likely to have your back when you need something. And join communities early! Waiting until you're job hunting to network is a mistake. The people with the best careers are making real connections every day.”
Can’t find meetups nearby on a topic you’re interested in? “Branch out,” Briana Swift, a former school teacher turned GitHub Trainer, suggests. “Widen your focus because you never know who might have the scoop on a job listing you wouldn’t have found otherwise.”
6. Don't ask for a job, ask what you can do to get a job a year from now.
Saron Yitbarek, founder of CodeNewbie and host of the CodeNewbie Podcast, says that one of the best things job hunters can do is reach out to employees at the companies they eventually want to work for, and ask them for a coffee meeting. “If they say yes, I use that opportunity to learn more about their role and ask what steps I can take to get a similar position a year from now.”
This works because for you, it’s a win-win. “Worst case scenario, I walk away with really valuable info on what it's like to work there and what I can do to improve my chances of landing a job,” says Yitbarek. “Best case scenario, the engineer looks at my background and says, ‘Actually, you may be a good fit right now’ and tells me about an opening they have and puts in a good word (true story).”
7. Don't fit the "requirements" listed in the job description? Apply anyway.
Again, this is a no-lose situation for you. Worst-case scenario, you never hear back--and are no worse off than before you applied. Best-case scenario, they give you a chance and you get the job! Adda Birnir, CEO of Skillcrush, says, “Requirements are a wish list. Show you can do a majority of the work and that you’re quick to learn!”
Parker Phinney, founder of Interview Cake, drives the point home: “Sometimes the "requirements" are just boilerplates that nobody's paying attention to. Remember when Apple's new Swift programming language was announced a couple years ago? Within weeks there were job descriptions that listed ‘5 years of Swift experience’ as a requirement. Which was impossible.”
Ultimately, it all comes down to putting yourself out there. Create projects, make friends and connections in your industry, start building a name for yourself online, and keep learning. As the adage goes, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” It takes legwork to be in the right place at the right time.
