The year 2020 will no doubt be a remembered year for us all. Not only was this the year a global pandemic broke out. It was also the year I decided to travel(and get stuck overseas), finish my bachelor’s degree, and search for a job. On the positive side, schools and companies were forced to make the push to remote work. Most tech companies were already in a position to thrive. I took advantage of all the resources available online that I could everything from Twitter, Linkedin, freecodecamp, and more.

Make connections

The first resource I took advantage of outside of the endless technical videos on Youtube and articles was LinkedIn. Alongside brushing up on the technical knowledge I needed I began working on reaching out to my already established network, my friends. When I was in school whenever someone mentioned networking to me my mind would often immediately think about the professionals I know, usually in higher positions in the career field that I aspired to work in, and often times that answer was usually one or none. This is often the answer among people like myself who are at an entry-level or switching careers. Reaching out to managers and recruiters cold when you are entry-level or have no experience in the field can be quite intimidating. So I made it a point to keep in touch with my peers, most of whom were able to land internships and jobs at tech companies I was also interested in. While they were a huge help in making referrals for me I also did the thing I dreaded doing. Reaching out and connecting with recruiters, hiring managers, and engineers. It actually didn’t go as horrible as I thought it would. If you don’t get a response right away don’t take it personally. Also, be sure that you are optimizing these conversations by asking meaningful questions. Don’t just ask for a job, this is an opportunity to find out from an insider what it's like to work at that company.

What do you value?

After reaching out to my peers and having them refer me to recruiters or managers at their companies I began composing my own list of companies that I desired to work at. Applying for jobs as an entry-level candidate can be daunting! But you do have a choice over the type of company you would like to work for that aligns with your needs and values. Research and look up the companies values. It’s important to remember that you are also interviewing companies to see if they are a good fit for you. Figure out what’s really important to you, paid time off, remote work, health benefits, opportunities for growth, and continuing education. Knowing what you want and need before starting the interviewing process can help you to craft better questions for the interview.

Job Title Doesn’t Always Matter

While I talked about how it is important to know what you are looking for, it’s also important not to get too attached to a title. Throughout your career, your job title can and will most likely change several times. Pay attention to skills you already possess and the skills you wish to learn. Employers will often have a long list of requirements and wanted skills. It’s okay not to check off every box listed on the posting. Even if you only possess two of the skills listed and the others are of interest to you, go for it!

Shortlist of Resources

Career Networking

LinkedIn

Questions to ask during an interview if you can’t come up with any https://www.themuse.com/advice/51-interview-questions-you-should-be-asking

Coding skills

freecodecamp
hackerrank
codewars

People on Twitter who post great advice and resources in tech!

@RandallKanna @DThompsonDev @baddiesintech @catalinmpit @techgirl1908 @kelseyhightower @GergelyOrosz @swyx

There are so many resources I used and people who I reached out to during this process that would make this resource list quite long. These are just a few that jump-started me. I encourage you to find your own. Remember that networking goes beyond reaching out when you need a job, the people who you reach out to could also potentially become mentors or a support system within the industry in the future.