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JC Smiley
JC Smiley

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Tips on searching for a job in today Job Market

I had an amazing time listening to 8 speakers share their recent experience on job hunting in today's tech job market at a Code Connector virtual tech meetup. Here are my biggest takeaways:

On the job Hunt:

  1. Be great no matter where you are in your journey. You never know who is watching and is ready to give you an opportunity.
  2. Volunteer as much as possible. A big part of finding a job is connecting with others. Show your passion.
  3. Great suggestions while unemployed: Take mental breaks, grow a support network, and dive into technology you are interested in.
  4. Go to as many meetups/events as you can and build as many side projects as you can manage. The goal is to de-risk yourself by getting your name out there and what you can accomplish.
  5. Be open to a non-development job as that first job. A dev-adjacent role can make it easier to transition into doing development stuff even before you have a coding role. Focus on providing business value.
  6. There is another side of software development other than web development.

The Interview

  1. Practice effective talk about past achievements and projects
  2. In an interview, determine what the hiring manager's pain points are and then show that you can solve them.
  3. The more you communicate with others, the easier it gets to notice those social cues. Examples are you're talking for a bit longer or not long enough. Just like you get better at coding by practicing, communication is something to practiced.

Once you get the Job:

Being a great team member and becoming an expert at a skill matters. You will be amazed at how opportunities pop up and you're able to fast-track the interview process.

Shout out to speakers Corey McCarty, Coriano Harris, Storm O'Bryant, Dennis Kennetz, Karen Dillehay, Justin Carter, and Joseph Raynovic.

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