There are many important things to remember during your job search thatâll prove to be beneficial in helping you snag a job in tech.
Stay active
While you search for a job in tech, stay active. You should constantly work on projects to keep your knowledge up to date. Searching for a job can be like a full time job, but you must make time to keep your coding skills sharp and continue to grow them. Itâs really important to keep your skills fresh to show potential employers that you are dedicated to putting these skills to use in a work environment. You should spend about half of your time looking for jobs and half of your time maintaining your coding skills by working on projects.Â
Remember that Imposter Syndrome is normal
Impostor syndrome is the inability to believe that your success is legitimate and well-deserved and has resulted from your own effort and skills. Itâs extremely common in the coding world, especially for new coders.Â
This can be difficult to remember when youâre searching for a new job. For instance, if thereâs a job ad that mentions a lot of skills that you donât have, you donât necessarily need to learn all of the skills listed. Thereâs no way you can know everything. Itâs better to know a couple of skills well rather than learning 10 new things. In cases like this, you should still apply and highlight that you are specialized and are a quick learner. And believe in and trust your coding skills and knowledge! Youâve worked hard to gain them.
So always keep in mind that Imposter Syndrome is normal and you deserve your coding successes.Â
Keep up to date in the tech world
You should also always keep up to date in regards to whatâs going on in the tech world. This is important because the tech industry is constantly changing and you need to make sure youâre well-equipped with updated knowledge to work in this industry.Â
Here are some useful tips for keeping your tech knowledge sharp:
- Create an account on Twitter. Follow a few tech accounts and developers on Twitter and check their accounts daily or weekly. Here are a few developer profiles on Twitter that may interest you:
- Jeff Atwood (@codinghorror), co-founder of stackoverflow.com
- Una Kravets (@Una), front-end developer and dev advocate
- Kevin Pilche-Bisson (@Pilchie), software design engineer at Microsoft
- Wes Bos (@wesbos), full-stack developer who teaches courses on JavaScript and React
- Veni Kunche (@venikunche), founder and software engineer
- Jessie Frazelle (@jessfraz), co-founder and CPO at Oxide Computer CompanyÂ
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Read tech news to be aware of whatâs going on in the tech world. Find a few websites that you like and check them daily or weekly. You can follow tech news on websites like:
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You should have a GitHub account and should remain active on it. This is important to demonstrate that youâre an avid, motivated, and competent coder. This is useful even if you donât want to become a developer in that it shows your dedication to technology, working on your own personal projects, and contributing to othersâ projects.
- Here are some examples of good, active GitHub accounts:Â
- Here are some examples of bad, inactive GitHub accounts - this is a red flag for potential employers and could hurt your chances of getting a position in tech.Â
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If youâd like to become a product designer, you should have a Dribbble account because this is a great way to showcase your work and garner the attention of some design professionals.Â