If you’re looking for a new job, there’s a lot to think about. First of all you have to find a genuine website such as workclass where you can find jobs online. If you’re a tech worker, you have the added burden of thinking through the new technical requirements at the jobs you’r applying. Also in the process, you may have forgotten some key components of effective job applications. Don’t make these mistakes!
- Not Considering Professional Resume Help
You may be a master with code, but not with words. Many tech geeks struggle with writing their resumes because it’s simply not within their realm of expertise. This is where using a resume writing service can come in handy. The best resume services will be able to market you far more effectively than you’re able to do yourself. After all, just like how you’re an expert at code or IT, resume writers are experts at writing resumes. While the first option should always be to try and write your resume yourself, sometimes it’s better to simply get professional help.
Of course, not all resume services are created equal, so it’ll be important to thoroughly review different services you come across to find the one right for you.
- Not Networking
Reach out to former coworkers and friends who may know someone at the company. One study has found that most staff and management as many as 85%! positions are filled via networking. Be sure to update your LinkedIn. Did you know, job seekers with fully updated, comprehensive LinkedIn profiles have a 71% higher chance of getting a job interview? Activity on other social networks is sure to help: an actively maintained and popular GitHub, or a popular twitter account may give you a competitive edge.
Of course, if you don’t know anyone at the company (or know anyone who knows anyone there), you can attend company meetups. You can contact the hiring manager directly if the information is available online. Engaging employees on twitter and other social networks with enthusiasm and curiousity are great ways to connect to the company directly. Most hiring managers would much rather have an engaging conversation than read a dozen more resumes.
- Not Preparing For Code Interviews
It’s been said time and time again that whiteboard coding interviews are the way to go. Whether you’re a junior developer running through his first interviews or a senior developer who has deleted more code in his lifetime than most startups have written, you will probably have to go through the whiteboard coding interview. Even managers, who haven’t opened up an IDE in years sometimes get put through the same process.
So the interview may not necessarily be the best representation of your abilities, but companies have to filter out the fakers from the programmers. The whiteboard coding interview may not be a very good filter, but it’s the one that companies have used for years and rely on. Whether you like it or not, you need to prepare for it.
Don’t assume your years of experience writing top-quality code is enough; whiteboard interviews require specialized study. Purchase a book on coding interviews, run through the daily challenges on HackerRank or LeetCode. These problems may be tedious, but with time and effort you’ll get a feel for them. You may never have to implement your own version of quicksort once you’re on the job, but you might need to do it to convince the hiring manager you know your stuff.
- Not Tailoring Your Resume
It is important to adapt your resume to the job your applying to. This may seem like a lot of work, but it will pay off. Familiarize yourself with the latest technologies and trends in the field you are applying to. You don’t want to seem like a dinosaur, and not knowing the hottest new technologies can make you seem out of touch. These things may actually be fads, but the hiring manager may not know that, and the Applicant Tracking System which scans your resume certainly won’t know that, so fill your resume with keywords and references that will make recruiters think you’re cutting-edge.
When you get to the interview, be sure to adapt your answers to the questions asked as well. Are you interviewing for a small disruptive start-up known for unconventional thinking and innovative solutions? Tell them the ways you have been a game-changer, an independent thinker. Are you interview for a long-established industry giant like Microsoft or Amazon? Emphasize how you bring stability to the teams you work with, how you collaborate and stick to the industry’s best practices.
- Not Emphasizing Value Added
On your resume and in your interviews, you want to emphasize the value you add to the companies which employ you. You may be the greatest programmer in the world, but if you spend all your work time writing software which earns no profit, no company is going to want to hire you. Highlight your specific contributions to the company’s success, preferably in clear, quantitative language; for example, instead of simply writing, “Lead development on a groundbreaking CRM app,” underline the value added: “Lead development on a groundbreaking CRM app which increased sales by 30%.”
Talking about what you accomplished in technical terms is great; it lets the hiring manager know that you know your stuff, but the company isn’t hiring you simply to write great software. That’s just a means to the true end: bringing in business. Be sure to let the hiring manager know why you are the best choice to increase profitability, draw in new clients, and help the company thrive.
By avoiding these mistakes, you have a much better chance at earning a position at your dream company.