For the past few years, I've been mentoring young tech professionals, fresh grads, colleagues and friends of friends looking to move into tech. Over time I've developed a good framework to help anyone navigating the ever daunting process.
I've broken it up into 3 key questions (of course it's three, it's always three - MBA 101).
What do I even want to do?
How do I prepare?
How do I get noticed?
What do I even want to do?
I frequently receive emails and messages on LinkedIn like this: "Here’s my CV, tell me what you think of it?” OR "Here's my CV, where at Facebook do you think I could work?". And almost every time I have to let them down gently with the same reply (unless it's my mom's friend's kid - there are some risks one just doesn’t take). I strongly advise against doing this. You're asking someone who's presumably busy to do something that you haven’t taken the time to do. Yes - I know it's hard, reading your own resume can be terribly painful - But you can do it! Your CV should tell a story, the reader should instantly be able to picture you in the role that you’ve applied for. Each accomplishment must be carefully worded to match the job that you want to be doing.
Start by organizing your thoughts. Identify the industries that you’re interested in. Most people I mentor list out Tech, Banking and Consulting.
Next, go through the Careers page of different companies within each industry. Here's where the more you read the more clarity you get. I like to look at big firms as well as startups because the next part is where things get interesting.
After going through at least a dozen and a half career pages and open roles, you should have shortlisted a few that stand out. Carefully go through the various job descriptions and break down what they have common and what are individual variables. Then, estimate the skills you possess and those that you still need. An Excel spreadsheet normally helps a lot. Here's an example:
Hopefully by now, you’re in a good place to stack rank these roles, because that’s what helps focus your energy on the most rewarding outcome.
Awesome! You now know:
What it is you want to do
How well-positioned you are to do that job
How do I prepare?
Bridge the Skill Gap: Using your prioritization matrix from before it'll be clear that some roles have a higher skill gap compared to others. For most of us ambitious bada$$es, the role we want the most, is also where we have a significant skill gap. But that's alright. There are great tools on Coursera and LinkedIn Learning that can help bridge that gap. Prioritize what most positions require and work backwards in order of preference.
Eg. If you're exploring Program Manager roles across Tech, as well as Analyst roles. Both would require you to solve technical problems and some knowledge of SQL or any database querying language. So spend time on that first. If the PM role is your first pick, it's time to work on covering a skill gap that focuses on that job. If the role pertains to a marketplace, API or e-commerce - familiarize your self with the space. Once you've ticked off the requirements for your first pick, move on down to the next.
Time Allocation: Use the 60:40 rule to govern how you spend time preparing. 60% of your time should be spent on the top 40% of your list. I wouldn't advise looking at more than 10 roles at once because that will increase the number of variables that you need to factor in and you’ll be less likely to get excited about them. Here’s an article that explains why quality or quantity matters.
Work Experience: Most of the time, you may not have the exact work experience they need. And that's fine, you're ambitious. I'm guessing that the person who ticks all those boxes is looking for something that they might not have all the experience for either. So leverage everything you've done, internships, part-time jobs, or a gap year. Highlight how you've worked with teams, in positions of leadership, problem solved and been proactive. But be realistic, if you're a fresh grad with barely a years worth of experience and the job needs 5 years - you probably might not be considered.
How do I get noticed?
Very rarely will you get a chance to meet someone in person and pitch yourself, it’s even harder with COVID. So you have to rely on your CV and virtual networking ie. LinkedIn.
Don’t use the same CV. Especially if the roles you're applying to are quite different. If you're applying to many roles, you can use the same CV across a common function. The best thing to do is use words from the job description that you’re applying for. You could also write a summary akin to a cover letter. I’ve read some good ones that make the CV memorable. But if you can’t think of something creative, it’s better to leave it blank.
Top Tech companies thrive on referrals. Companies find great hires and employees who refer get rewarded. The best way to get one is through someone you know, who can vouch for you. If you don't have that as an option, LinkedIn is your next best bet. Reach out to recruiters and hiring managers. Sometimes it pays to stalk the company’s employees on LinkedIn - a lot of people post about their open roles. If you impress a hiring manager, you’re more likely to get invited for an interview. And that’s where you charm them into hiring you.
These are some proven tricks that have helped me and my mentoring circle. I hope that you found them useful. My method does require you to put in more effort than it would to hit up someone with your CV. But the results are worth it! You will have a better understanding of what you want and how you can to get it. If you liked this topic and want the next piece on interviewing directly in your inbox, do subscribe. If you’d like me to cover more tech or career-related pieces let me know in the comments section below.
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