Things I wish I knew during my first job search (what worked, what didn’t, stats of the job search, dealing with rejection)
The job search was extremely challenging. It was one of those things I just had to accept, and work on it day by day.
Check out this video for more detail:
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How to get your first Software Engineering job
The job search doesn't have to be painful!
Things I wish I knew:
1. Surround yourself with other people in the job search
- (online or in person), create accountability groups (otherwise, it’s lonely!)
2. Focus mainly on ways to apply, that actually connect with real people
- Angel List / TripleByte (if you pass, it’s excellent!)
- Reaching out directly on LinkedIn, Email
- Recruiters are NOT all bad, they can be a great way into your first job!
- Don’t just send your resume into a black hole (*cough* Indeed *cough*) without connecting to a person
3. Studying
- Choose a technology you see that’s common on job boards, that you don’t have. Learn that! Choose one project, learn the technology. Then move to another (~20% of time)
- Algorithms! Spend the rest of your study time on these
4. Job search stats
- Check out the video above where I do a deep dive into my job search stats, and realistic numbers if you don’t have experience (this will help you get expectations)
5. Once I got the on-site, I went all-in
- Make videos of all projects, send with application
- Phone screen (send thank you note, send in refactored / polished code after)
- Make a project with the company's technology, if possible
- Communicate clearly
- Take down note of everyone, for on-site, send personalized Thank You Notes
- Adapt code, refactor, send in for on-site
The whole process was ~6-8 months
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