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When you finish a bootcamp, complete a degree program or simply feel like you’re ready on your self taught (or community taught) journey, it’s time to start the job search. Searching for a job has never been described as the most fun experience but it doesn’t have to be the worst. But what happens when you’ve applied to hundreds of jobs and get no response? If this has been your experience or what you’re afraid might happen, let’s talk about what your other options are. In order to get on top of the job competition, you have to do what few are doing. You have to stand out.
What I Suspect Most Job Seekers Are Doing
Definitely not everyone but from the majority of job seekers I have spoken with, they have updated their resume, they have created a portfolio with 1-3 projects listed that they have worked on in a bootcamp or self taught context and they are applying to jobs on the big job boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, etc) without much response. They are frustrated from not hearing back or being rejected after applying to dozens of jobs each day. They end up posting on LinkedIn or Twitter not really understanding why they aren’t hearing back for an interview even though they have many of the skills listed on the job description.
The Problem With This Method : When applying for different positions at different companies, you probably shouldn’t just use the exact same resume over and over. It takes longer, but taking the time to curate your resume as much as you can for each of the positions you are applying for makes a big difference in positioning you to be seen. If you understand how ATS (Applicant Tracking System) works, you immediately understand that if your resume doesn’t have the keywords, programming languages and skills listed in the job description, your resume will be ranked lower for the position and possibly be skipped over altogether before an actual recruiter or hiring manager has a chance to even consider you for the position.
When it comes to your portfolio projects, keep this in mind : If your goal is to stand out and be seen in a sea of other applicants, how will the exact same projects that everyone else who just graduated the same bootcamp as you has in their portfolio help you? The truth is - it probably won’t. I have heard hiring managers say that sometimes they can look at the projects you have on your portfolio and immediately know which bootcamp you attended. To me, that says “Been here, seen this before” and I can probably predict exactly what this applicant can and cannot do without even talking to them.
As far as applying to jobs on big job boards - that’s fine especially if you are changing up the prior two points listed above, but there are definitely better ways to find local positions that probably don’t have hundreds of others applying through an “Easy Apply” button (hint : this is definitely not the best option when trying to get a job in tech).
What You Can Do Differently
With all of this in mind : How can you do things differently in order to stand out in your job search? Change up your resume each time you apply! Take the job description and really seek out all of the keywords that you have experience in and can make sure are added to your resume in order to be a better match for that position. If you are applying through a website and you know that your resume is going to go through an ATS, give yourself the best chance to pass the ATS by catering your resume accordingly. There are several resources available online to help you with this - Google for help with ATS.
Another way to help set yourself up and stand out when it comes to your portfolio projects, think about how to show value to a company with your project. This will not be done with a Weather or To Do App. While these are great projects to learn with, when it comes to projects you want to feature for employers, think more in terms of an ecommerce site : show an employer that you can build an ecommerce site with payment integration (not live). Another example would be user authentication : show how you can incorporate Google to authenticate users. API integration is another great project that can show employers skills that may not be common with other bootcamp grads. Overall, create something completely different that you put thought and planning into that will show immediate value to an employer and be ready to talk about your process when you came up with and built your project.
You can set yourself apart in a sea of job applicants when it comes to finding jobs by thinking differently about your approach. When I started applying for my first tech job, one thing that helped me to be seen by recruiters is I searched my local tech industry first. Before going to the big job boards, I did a Google search for “Tech companies near me” and went to Google Maps from that search and checked each of the career websites from that search. From this, I found many jobs that I will never see on the big job boards and this is to my advantage because 1) the jobs are close to home if I have to commute, 2) the companies are generally smaller so the applicant pool is a lot smaller than jobs listed on the big boards. Because of this, I immediately heard back from most of the positions I applied for and was able to talk directly to these local companies and start interviewing.
Putting these few things into practice will help you to a great deal in your tech job search. By taking the time to curate your resume, by being thoughtful when creating projects to add value to employers and by searching your local tech industry for jobs first, you will position yourself to be recognized by recruiters in order to get your further in the applicant process and hopefully hear back from employers.