All year long, we've connected with tech recruiters, founders, career coaches, HR folks and C-level execs to learn what they look for in new hires and hear tips about how to stand out in the application process. As this year comes to a close, we compiled a list of the top pieces of advice we heard throughout the year to help you land the job of your dreams in 2017.
Align with a company's mission and values
This particular kernel of advice was highlighted over and over again throughout the year by hiring employers. Prior to interviewing, learn a company's "why." Does your own personal "why" match up? If it does, your passion will be authentic and not forced — a trait all employers want. David Schreiber, Main Street Hub's senior manager for recruiting, highlighted this sentiment in one of our many pieces on Austin companies hiring.
"We hire for a variety of roles here at Main Street Hub, and one common trait we look for across all departments are individuals who identify with our values and our mission of serving local businesses and supporting local economies," said Schreiber. "When candidates have a passion for our mission, product, and what we are building, it really shows in their performance and they rise to the top."
In your interview, show what it's like to actually work with you
Earlier this year, CognitiveScale's Director of Engineering Peter Nuernberg gave us some insight to how they hire for their dev team. Making note of the intentionally lengthier in-person portion of the interview process, Nuernberg stressed the importance of being yourself.
“During that interview, they will meet with several members of the team, work through hypothetical problems, shadow at one of the desks to see how we work together, have lunch, and then close with the hiring manager,” Nuernberg said. “Ninety percent of the time, we make a hiring decision at this point with an offer.”
Have side projects you can show off and speak to
Perk.com's CTO Blake Gardner participated in our CTOs to Know series in September. One of the things he said he looks for in candidates is a genuine interest in technology. If you're looking for a new job in 2017, it might be time to polish up your GitHub or get back involved in your local tech community.
"I typically look for people who have side projects, available source code online or tinker with technology as a hobby. Being a regular at meetups and user groups is also a good sign," Gardner said.
Come to networking events armed with conversation topics
We provide the opportunity for bloggers outside of the Built In team to post on our site. In September, Matt Holmes of Handshakin Video Series posted a blog about 3 tips to successfully networking at a party, which included having pre-meditated questions before you open a conversation with someone.
He also emphasized the importance of not dominating the conversation and asking people you speak with questions to get them talking.
Cover letters matter
When we reached out to career coaches from coding schools, we learned about some of the most common mistakes recent coding grads make — one of which is the cover letter. While some people brush it off as a needless step in the interview process, the cover letter is important to employers. It provides a space for you to be very specific about how your experience relates to any given gig, especially if yours doesn't quite match up to what's laid out in the job description.
"Leverage a thoughtful cover letter," said Jeremy Bergeron, director of career services for The Coding Boot Camp of UT Austin. "There is no silver bullet to overcome the 'experience requirement.' Explain why you should be considered anyway. Highlight what you can do and are currently developing to show you're serious about the path of development."
Ask about the next steps in an interview
Lauren McGoodwin of General Assembly authored a piece on how to follow up after a job interview. Things like being patient during the process, connecting on LinkedIn and sending a thank you note made the list. One simple tip, however, stood out from the rest: always ask about the next step. It shows interest and helps set the proper expectations on your end for an appropriate timeline to hear back.
"When you get to the end of your interview, it is not only appropriate but necessary to ask about what comes next — it shows that you’re committed to the process and proactive about your responsibilities," McGoodwin wrote.
Reach out to the recruiter directly to learn more about the opportunity
We learned from Travis Dungan, a senior recruiter for Electronic Arts, that another way of overcoming the lack of experience hurdle in the tech industry is to show an interest by contacting the recruiter directly.
"My advice to anyone in the situation of being interested but lacking in some dimension would be to reach out to the recruiter for the role directly and express interest in the position and find out more," said Dungan, in our post about how to get a job with EA. "This conversation can help the candidate determine what they can do to shore up their experience and what roles they might consider in the meantime."
Photos via featured companies.
What tips did you learn this year? Tweet us @BuiltInAustin.
