Things I Wished I Did Before Applying For Tech Jobs
Tags: programming, webdev, jobs, beginners
Published: 2023-01-11 23:49:44

With the massive layoffs in the tech space, getting into tech can be a daunting task. Truth be told it is a lot hard for newbies to get job in Tech, and here are the things I wish I knew before applying for tech jobs.

1. Apply to companies you can move up with or grow in, i.e you can apply as I.T Support, but have the game plan to move to software engineering in the same company. You may be surprised to learn that you may not have to do DSA tests and whiteboard tests, you may only need to do some behavioral test and show some projects that you've done.

2. Make a list of 10 to 20 companies you want to work with, start with the most wanted to the least wanted. Start applying to the least wanted company and work your way up, this will allow you gain experience in the interview process and know what they are looking for. Another reason you start with the least wanted company is that you don't get devastated if you get rejected unlike when you start with the most wanted company.

3. Do some freelance work and get reviews from your client, this is can be on UpWork or Fiverr. This is a nice way to show that you've got some sort of experience.

4. Find an internship that pays good. Do internships for big companies, don't do internship for startups or midsize companies. For internship is either you go hard or go home. Don't just take internship for just any company.

4. Find 10 to 20 companies you'll love to work for and build a relationship with employees before you apply. You get to learn to pass interview through this people. You may or may not get a referral through this people.

5. If you are a bootcamp graduate, the first thing you will want to do is to apply to that bootcamp as a learner assistant, because in your first tech job, they get to look for any technical thing that you've done.

6. Apply to startups, this is a great niche for developers. They don't really care where you are based in. As long as you can do the job, you are good to go.

7. Join and contribute to open source, they are a lot of people who have gotten employed by joining open source or who got their work noticed. It's always a win-win, you don't get to lose, you can get jobs easily using this method. Contribute frequently to open source.

8. Join Hackathons, a lot of companies organize hackathons, it is a nice way to meet people and network and you get to build your coding skills and also land a job.

9. Go to meetups and/or organise meetups. If you don't have a meetup in your city, create one. It is nice having to be with a group of people that have the same passion and aspiration as you. You get to equally network with people and also get to land a job.

10. Send cold mails using Clearbit. Clearbit is a gmail extension that helps you find any email in less than 5 seconds. This way you can do a cold outreach to the companies you want to work with.

11. Apply through stacking agencies if you have some in your area, the rejection rate is low, turn around time is low, and they let you know what the client wants or don't want. 

12. If you are in U.S apply to companies that are always employing those who are self taught developers or bootcamp graduates. You literally just have to do some DSA test and viola, you are employed. Walmart is a very good example.

13. What if do all the above and nothing seems to be working for you, create a course or create coding tutorials on YouTube. If you don't feel comfortable showing your face, you can create a blog or podcast.

14. Create a community where you can provide value and showcase the value you've provided. You can find after-school programs where you can go and teach teenagers how to code. Focus on things like this and you'll be amazed at the results it will bring to you.

15. Build in public with a purpose, don't build in build in public just to showcase your new project, it is ok to do so if that is what you want to do. But if you want to land a job, build in public with that goal in mind and showcase what you've built in public to the relationships you've built on LinkedIn and meetups so that they can easily refer you to their companies.

16. Learn how to apply properly. A very good way to apply and is to make use of "easy apply" on LinkedIn. If you apply this way you don't get to burn yourself out. Another way of applying easily is to apply through Indeed.

17. Do DSAs on YouTube or twitch. You can do a youtube video of one DSA problem that you've done on HackerRank. You can leave it recorded if it's on Twitch, this can help you get a job. The reason for these is because without a proof it can be really difficult to land a job.

18. Do not apply to less than 10 jobs in a week. Getting a tech job is really a game of numbers, doing less than 10 job applications will do you no good.

19. Research the company you want to have an interview with. Doing so will help you learn about the interview process. You can make use of LinkedIn or Glassdoor for this.