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Finishing a tech program or boot camp is one achievement, but landing your first job in tech is another. It’s human to feel unprepared or inadequate, as you scroll through available job postings on your device. Feeling overwhelmed? You’re at the right place and at the right time. 🤩
On December 6, 2024, Julien Barbier, Sophie Barbier and Mounssif Bouhlaoui from PrepForSuccess.ai, Loveth Awusi, and Cobby Solomon hosted a transformative unrecorded 𝕏 Space (formerly Twitter), tackling one of the biggest challenges for techies: How to land your first tech job. With over 3,000 attendees, it felt less like a casual chat and more like an #ALX_SE online conference! 🚀
Landing your first tech job isn’t easy, but it is not impossible either. All you need is the right mix of hard work, smart preparation, and networking. 🙃
Let’s dive into the key takeaways from this transformative session, starting with Cobby’s inspiring journey.
Cobby's Story: A Tale Of Preparation 🎯
The 𝕏 space began with Cobby sharing his story of how he landed his first tech job. No, I won’t be telling you everything he said 😅, but here’s a highlight you’ll need:
Cobby landed his job through a LinkedIn referral (showing how crucial a strong online presence and meaningful connections are).
He juggled his final ALX SE web stack project while prepping for the interview (with support from his teammates Segun Adeleke, Favour Michael, and Daniel Dohou).
His preparation was thorough. He didn’t just study the company’s mission and goals, he also built side projects directly related to their work.
Cobby visited the company’s location ahead of time and arrived an hour early for his interview (this was an edge for him).
Despite his strong prep, he hadn’t practiced the specific programming language enough, relative to his job interview (A note-worthy mistake).
Cobby was truly prepared, and he made that little extra effort. The lesson is: #DoTheWork! :)
After Cobby shared his story, Julien, Sophie, Nuux, Cobby, and Loveth shared invaluable advice, with other lessons from Cobby’s story. They offered expert advice on the key preparations needed to break into the tech job market, from mastering the art of networking to having a solid personal brand.
Cobby’s story is worth learning from, but what about you? Diving head-first, here are the key points that can help you land your first job in tech (you might want to grab a pen to jot down, or maybe bookmark this):
Interview preparation is crucial to stand out in today’s competitive tech job market. Proper preparation not only helps you stand out but also boosts your confidence and readiness to tackle the questions and challenges ahead.
"You can't pray for a job and prepare for failure." — Cobby Solomon.
The essential steps to prepare effectively talked about on the 𝕏 space are:
Optimize your portfolio, resume, and LinkedIn profiles: Tailoring your resume and LinkedIn profile to align with the roles you're applying for, gives you an edge during the reviews of job applications. Ensure to keep your contact details on your resume up-to-date, to avoid a breach of contact. Showcase side projects relevant to job requirements on your portfolio as well.
Thoroughly research the company: Know the company’s culture, mission, product(s), and goals. Test out their product(s) too (you might find out relevant skills you possess that are needed for the job). When needed during the interview, you can even relate the benefits of the company product and the things you're interested in. This proves your professionalism, interest, and commitment (meaning they can count on you).
Remote Interviews: Ensure your camera, WiFi connection, laptop, microphone, and any other devices you will be using are in excellent condition, and nothing could cause any disruptions!
Answering Interview Questions: Practice key interview questions, like “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” or “Tell us about yourself”. Never forget to answer questions like these in alignment with the company’s goals, culture, and product. This always gives you an edge!
Selling Yourself As The Best Fit: If you’re asked to share your professional experience, be specific! Relate an example or use case of where you applied your skills. Focus on talking about your achievements, vision, and goals. Be confident when answering these questions, but don’t be overconfident :)
“I Don’t Know”?: If you’re asked a question you don’t have an answer to, your response tells everything about your problem-solving ability. It’s much better to whiteboard, brainstorm, and think of ways to solve the problem. Never say “I don't know".
Artificial Intelligence: AI tools like Prep4SuccessAI, and VeniCodiVici are available to help you sharpen your interview readiness. Leverage them!
Be punctual: When preparing for an interview, aim to show up an hour or two early for the interview.
One Tip: Don’t forget to revisit programming languages and core technical concepts—being prepared in your specialization will set you apart.
Another Tip: Don't apply for jobs only when you're 100% ready. You can give it a go when you’re at least 70% ready.
Don't make the mistake of prioritizing the certificate over your skills. Develop your skillset more. — Cobby Solomon.
- Pro-tip:
Cheatingin writing codes affects your preparedness at technical interviews. Stop plagiarizing.
Having a strong online presence and cultivating a personal brand cannot be overstated in the tech industry. Your digital footprint often serves as the first impression for recruiters and potential collaborators, making networking and personal branding critical to career growth.
How can you build a strong personal brand?
Build your Social Profiles: Your LinkedIn, GitHub, and 𝕏 profiles serve as your digital resume, and a history of who you truly are, in the tech world 🤸🏾♂️. Make it a habit to share your tech journey, insights, accomplishments, and professional milestones to showcase your expertise and specialization, in your own unique way. Ensure consistency across all platforms to present a cohesive and professional image. This crafts out your digital presence, and creates avenue for connections and referrals as well. 🙃
First Impressions: Use a high-quality, professional-looking headshot (take a professional photo shoot if needed (you’re investing in yourself)). Your headline should highlight your experience, and current or aspiring role. Showcase your relevant technical and soft skills.
Showcasing GitHub Projects: Build side projects, and have a GitHub streak (it shows how consistent you are). Consistency in writing code and building side projects matters. Make posts about the progress of your side projects, and do this professionally Learn how to push your projects on GitHub. GitHub Profile READMEs. Here’s an example of a GitHub profile README you can check out.
Active Networking 🤸🏾♂️: Make genuine connections, build friendships, and professional teams. Building genuine relationships with peers, mentors, and industry leaders opens doors to opportunities and valuable opportunities you might not find on job boards.
“A large percentage of jobs are unadvertised.
Up to 70% of jobs are not listed on job sites, with 85% of positions being filled via referrals.LinkedIn and GitHub are the first place most recruiters look after reviewing your SE application. And you are telling me you don't have 2 hours to review your socials? #ALX_SE”Communication Skills: Practice public speaking. You can build your communication skills by joining X (Twitter) spaces.
Volunteering / Unpaid Internships: These help you gain real-world experience that adds depth to your portfolio and demonstrates your pratical and professional initiative. Don’t forget to update your resume with these :)
Ask yourself: “How do others perceive me on the tech space? Do I share my professional my tech journey, insights, achievements and milestones?”
- Pro-tip: Feature your certificates, education, volunteer experience, work experience, professional skills on your LinkedIn profile.
Every techie has felt a wave of Imposter Syndrome at one point or the other in their tech journey. And they still do. Guess what? I did too while writing this blog post 🤸🏾♂️. Imposter Syndrome is that persistent feeling of inadequacy, despite evident achievements, skills, and growth. It is a common challenge among every techie, so feeling this way is normal and human.
But there’s a downside: When preparing for technical or non-technical interviews, imposter syndrome can affect your confidence, emotion, and eventually your level of preparedness for your career growth.
On the 𝕏 space, essential steps to beating imposter syndrome were shared. Here they are:
A Positive Mindset: This might take a lot of mental effort, but take this step seriously. Take deep breaths, you have to tell yourself and rewire your brain into believing that you’re capable and confident enough, and that you can face any challenge in preparation that could come your way.
Truly Prepare: Put in the effort, build side projects if you have to, follow each of the points already shared in this blog, clear any concerns or doubts you might have pertaining to the interview. This definitely silences that inner voice of inadequacy. Just #DoTheWork!
Multitasking VS Your Health: If you’re juggling too many strenuous activities that normally require your full focus, you will feel overwhelmed. But you must Prioritize. Carve out a path or a schedule that works for you based on your priorities, and follow it. Never neglect your health, especially your mental health. Learn to Focus!
“Imposter syndrome affects you when you have to step out of your comfort zone to achieve something great and something new.”
— Mounssif.
Landing your first tech job is definitely not an easy one, but it’s not impossible either! 🤸🏾♂️ You’ll definitely have to consciously put in the effort, and do the work!
A few things to remember (more of a summary):
Thorough Preparation: You must really prepare, as you keep in mind that preparation is the cornerstone of standing out in the competitive tech job market. Practical tips have already been shared, you could add yours too.
Networking and Personal Branding: Have a strong online presence. Build a network of like individuals, and be open to collaboration on projects you could add to your resume. Treat your GitHub as your portfolio. Volunteer for unpaid roles too!
Defeating Imposter Syndrome: Imposter syndrome and self-doubt are natural, but they can be managed with a positive mindset, deliberate preparation, and proper prioritization. Balancing tasks while protecting your mental and physical health ensures you’re at your best during interviews and beyond.
One more thing before you leave 🤸🏾♂️ — Julien Barbier shared a number of links that you definitely want to bookmark for later:
Follow everything you’ve read so far, and success in your job hunt is assured! 🤩
What valuable lessons are you taking away from this write-up? Got any comments, or suggested edits? Leave us a comment below.
Thank you for reading 🤗 • Don't forget to save this, and share to fellow techies too. 🤸🏾♂️
DISCLAIMER: This is an unofficial ALX SE Students’ blog, and has no official affiliation with ALX Africa.
You can learn more about ALX Africa here.
You’re welcome! 🤸🏾♂️