The path to getting hired to your first job in tech starts long before you hit apply. Consider these //todos from day one of your freshman year.
Intentionally build relationships
I cannot underscore the importance of a strong professional network enough. It can be a remarkably small world. Half of my new jobs (including my first internship) were positively impacted one way or another from someone I knew. The old adage of ‘it’s not what, but *who* you know has turned out to be quite true. Though the ‘what’ is also important.
There’s also a right and a wrong way to go about it. Looking at it as ‘building relationships’ is far more genuine and long lasting than simply ‘growing your network.’ It’s not about the number of LinkedIn connections you have. The quality of these relationships matter; do they see you shmoozy and latter climbing or helpful and hard working?
To be clear, it takes time and effort. So it’s good to start early. Peers in your class, club members, professors, teaching assistant and even co-workers in a part time job are folks who could end up helping you down the road. You may very well put a lot of effort into many relationship that won’t bear any fruit, but there’s no way to know ahead of time which ones will, so it’s best practice to treat everyone like they might want have a job to offer some day.
Actively manage your outward facing brand
What this comes down to is making sure you have several touch points where prospective employers can learn more about you. An updated resume is the bare minimum. LinkedIn profiles are good, a personalized blog is better and a solid GitHub profile is gravy. Each one should provide another layer of depth and they should cross reference each other.
They should also paint a consistent picture of you. This is essentially a tool to tell future employers what you like working on and what you’re interested in. Use your website to talk about class projects, personal projects or your perspective on current events in tech. It’s also great interview prep; blogging is an easy way to practice articulating your ideas succinctly to other people.
Build or Buy? Sure you can certainly roll your own website and that does bring you to the next level, *if it’s good*. But you want the reader focusing more on the content than the mechanics. Polish bugs can be extremely distracting and building it from scratch will take a lot more time. I *love* that website tools like Square Space and Word Press are making website building more accessible. The cost and time still aren’t trivial, but if a future job opportunity could be had, they’re well worth the investment.
Take pride in your coursework
Do the best you can in every class. Okay, I know that’s not a completely realistic expectation. But consider that pride is a habit that works it’s way into all aspects of your life. If you take pride in your coursework, you’ll likely take the same attitude to your extra-curriculars. Interviewers see this instantly and will be excited for you to take the same attitude to the work they assign you. It’s a great way to stand out. Certainly not always easy – but it doesn’t take rocket scientist brains either.
Secondly, your GPA does matter. It’s not everything, but it’s the simplest mechanism employers can use to filter or rank candidates. By taking pride in your course work you ensure it’s not a weak spot.
Use your breaks effectively
Yep – studies, work, clubs, social activates all make getting through a 4 year STEM degree a big challenge. Managing your future career often falls below the cut line. And that’s okay. But those breaks when you’re not on campus are golden opportunities to update those external touch points and better yet make some progress on your personal project.
Apply everywhere
I hate to say it, a job searche also comes down to numbers. Imagine that at each step from application, HR screen, tech screen and full interview has a 25% success rate. That’s about 250 applications to a single offer. Yikes. But there are TONS of places to find jobs. Glassdoor, Dice, and LinkedIn are decent job boards to start. Had of a friend or relative that just got a job a company you’ve never heard of? Check out their website or ask for an introduction.
Bear in mind interviewing is a skill like anything else. With practice you might bump your success rate to 50% which is why it’s critical to apply to companies even if you’re not super excited about them.
On campus hiring events are priceless. Chances are a ton better if a company is footing the bill to send representatives to you. While you might not land something your first time, these reps will likely be back next year so build invest in that relationship. Also consider getting to know any relevant guest speaker that comes to campus. They’re there because the want to help and engage with students.
It’s all about the extras
Relevant clubs, personal projects, practical working experience are all things you need to have on your resume to demonstrate that you’re awesome. Getting good grades is important, but it’s just not enough anymore. Doing that extra work not only helps you get into the interview room, but gives you more talking points when you’re in there.
Take a closer look at those bulletin boards in the hallway of the engineering building every once in a while. Meaningfully engaging with clubs, speakers and professional societies are all awesome opportunities to build relationships and find good side projects. Collaborative projects always shine.
Every path is different
Some of your peers will make finding the dream internship look effortless. They might be in that top 1% who are highly intelligent and charismatic. More likely you didn’t see the massive effort they put in, long, late nights alone in their dorm room. It’s important to do some self reflection and realize what your strengths and weaknesses are to improve. You might even seek out a mentor who knows you and your target well enough to give you some precious constructive feedback.