The Tech Job Market: How to Approach It in Today’s World
If getting a job in the technology industry is your goal, then you can make it happen, whether the job market is stable, unstable, turbulent, smooth, easy, hard, booming, or dying. Here are some questions you should ask yourself to avoid fear and negativity. And, negativity in and of itself doesn’t have to be a bad thing, as long as you have more healthy doses of optimism to take its place.
Everybody has bad days, but that doesn’t mean everybody has a bad life.
What Should You Focus on in a Turbulent Tech Job Market to Remain Positive?
In order to stay positive in a turbulent tech job market, it’s important to focus on your personal motivation and on how you can grow during the application process. What valuable tools and skills can you pick up during your application journey? This matters because no matter how long your job hunt has been or will be, it will come to an end, so how can you grow right now to make the biggest impact on your success once you’ve found a job?
Things You Can Try
- Do mock interviews to work on interviewing skills
- Ask for feedback on your resume design and copy
- Do your own research on the state of the job market
- Focus on what you can change instead of what you can’t
- Keep moving, stay active, and continue to push yourself
How Can You Prepare Yourself During Down Time for When a Hiring Freeze Ends?
One of the best ways you can prepare yourself for when a hiring freeze ends is to make sure you are visible and active in the technology industry. By being active, even if it’s just working on personal projects and adding them to your online portfolio, you give people a reason to follow up with you. By being visible, you give people an opportunity to get to know you. Being visible in today’s world means being online. Set up a professional profile if you haven’t already. Above all, show that you aren’t stagnant, and show that you are continually adding value to yourself and potential employers.
Things You Can Try
- Continue your education by taking courses online
- Update your professional profiles to be up-to-date
- Draft multiple job inquiry emails ahead of time
- Stay in practice (code every day; design every day, etc.)
Should You Save Your Strength by Ignoring Highly Visible, Potentially Competitive Jobs?
At first glance, this question may seem ridiculous, but when you’re in the thick of job hunting, you may be tempted to avoid highly competitive jobs, so it’s important to address. The short answer is no, you should apply everywhere. You may increase your risk of rejection by doing so, but you’ll at least have a chance of landing that highly competitive position. Don’t sell yourself short by not trying. You owe yourself more than that.
Things You Can Try
- Be visible by tailoring your resume to the position and by reaching out
- Make sure you do your homework on each company and position
- Don’t dwell on one position; keep yourself alert to other jobs
- Treat every job interview as good practice if nothing else
- Use your network to stand out from the competition
Should You Add Your Ability to Work Remotely to Your Technology-Based Resume?
If you’re open to working remotely, you should say so on your resume. You don’t have to make the point big or flashy. Referencing remote projects you’ve worked on in your experience section can be a good indicator followed up with a “remote-work ready” point near your contact info. Remote work has become a part of life, and you want to let employers know you are open to it.
How to Add Remote Work to a Resume
- Include the word “remote” in applicable places
- Add remote software you’re familiar with, like Zoom
- Link good communication with remote work
How Can the Career Support Team Help Devmountain Graduates Looking for a Job?
Devmountain’s Career Support team is here for graduates, whether you just graduated or you’ve been on the job market for a little while. We can help you with resume building, remaining visible, and job hunting. Our recruiters are visible and have networks that they can help connect you with. Introductions can be made to employers, communication can be achieved, and events and webinars can be attended. Wherever you’re at with your search, connect with us.
Let us know you’re actively searching for a position so we can step in.
What Other Advice Would You Give Bootcamp Graduates Looking for a Tech Position?
You should do your best to maintain the same eagerness, motivation, and urgency you had throughout your time at bootcamp and use that in your job hunt. Jump into your job search like you jumped into development, design, or QA. Look at all that you’ve accomplished in just a few months and think of how much more you can accomplish after graduation.
Growth Is Energy, Maintenance Is Fatigue
One of Devmountain’s Career Support and Student Success’s team values is “Growth is Energy, Maintenance is Fatigue.” Continue to grow yourself beyond the bootcamp experience. Learn and continue to add value to yourself and your resume. Far too often, it seems developers, testers, and designers in the tech space become comfortable and as a result they do not keep a consistent effort to grow. Learn, hunt, keep moving, keep updating your resume and keep applying. Whether a turbulent market or not, the job market is rarely stable. Be cautious to believe the hype.
Create Energy. Be Remembered
Keep applying and keep moving and trying new things in the job search. The fun that you have in the “how” you approach your job search will translate into the behavior you show recruiters that you interface with. This could definitely correlate with a positive interview and hiring process. Additionally, create energy. Remind the company why they exist and why they are special. The recruiter or HR person or tech professional that you interview with will likely be bogged down by numbers or budgets or team issues and forget the awesomeness of their brand or environment. Be the one to remind and inspire the interviewer.
Keep Moving. You’ve Got This
Stand out in a great way and keep moving forward with your job search. Innovate and think outside the box and ignore the germ of discouragement. Never stop moving; if you aren’t applying, you’re hunting; if you’re not hunting, you’re networking. The point being, have diversity in where and how you are searching and keep yourself active and visible.
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