6 Ways to Level Up Your Speed-Dating Game
Attending an upcoming HackerX event? Here’s how to land that next interview with these tips.
As far as speed-dates go, we all know that meeting someone new for the first time is always a stressful ordeal. But speed-dating for your next potential employer doesn’t have to be that terrifying. Ex-participant Mani Janardhanan shares a few tips on how to get through the action-packed evening and land your next few phone-screens or interviews while doing so.
Choose the right event.
Each HackerX event is focused on a specific domain. Choose the one that is the most appropriate to your skillset, experience, and career goals. If you received an invite, it is probably already matched to your skillset and city.
First impressions matter.
Remember that the nature of speed-dating is that you’re going to be making first impressions for the rest of the night. Plan to arrive at the location at least 10–15 minutes before the scheduled start of the event, and come well prepared. Even though this is not a job fair, this is still a casual recruiting event — business-casual attire is recommended if you’re serious about making an impression.
Prepare a short 90-second pitch about yourself (2 to 3 sentences should suffice) briefly covering your background and experience (domains, skill-sets, one or two main accomplishments in previous organizations) and more importantly, what you are looking forward to — detailing your career goals, and your reason for attending the event.
And as with all things job-related, prepare and carry with you 10–15 hard copies of your most updated resumé. Focus your resumé on your experience and accomplishments, highlighting the specific skill-sets that are being targeted at the HackerX Event that you are attending. Just as you will be meeting many companies and hiring managers during the evening, the folks on the opposite side of the table will be meeting just as many (if not more) people. Your resumé will help them remember you after the event.
Use your waiting time wisely.
As with the concept of speed-dating, there will be some waiting in line involved if you want to meet the companies. Use this waiting time wisely. Grab some food and refreshments before joining the line. After which, you may choose to either network with your peers around you (while still staying in line), or use this time to strategize your approach to each company.
Company profile sheets are provided at the registration counter when you check-in. Make sure to grab one and look at the brief introductions for each company. This will help you to rephrase your personal pitch for each company you will be meeting in line.
Form a connection.
You are allowed five minutes per date, and trust me, five minutes go a long way if you do it right. Look for leads to forming a connection. It is possible that the company you are meeting with is a client of your current company or vice versa, in which case a couple of minutes of discussion into what your company does and where your role fits into it, would be a good way to show how impactful you are in your current role.
Listen intently first, and then ask questions when you get the opportunity. Try to see the larger picture — company goals and strategy also matter besides the stipulated job requirements and knowledge of the technologies and platforms the company works with. Use it to relate to parts of your experience and explain how you can bring value to the role.
For example, if the company is moving to a public cloud, explain how your knowledge or experience can contribute to an effective execution of such a cloud migration process. Or, if the company is planning to rollout a new analytics product, explain how your current experience and expertise can help build and launch the product and its subsequent iterations.
Don’t forget to communicate your career goals succinctly; it may be the make-or-break in determining whether you’ll be getting a call for a followup phone-screen or interview.
Since it will be a very action-filled night for both parties, try to refresh your introductory greeting with some light conversation before getting into the details. This can help you to create a good impression and may be key to forming that connection and having a successful conversation with each prospective employer.
Network, network, network.
Networking is what makes this event so valuable. Use the long breaks or wait times to network and get to know other attendees like yourself. Talking to fellow peers in the industry can help you to understand more about the market, the companies that they work for, and the technologies and platforms that they utilize. From exchanging tips with each other on how to better use a platform, to potentially being the middleman to your next job, the possibilities of networking are endless.
If you stay until the end, the open networking session opens up the floor at the end of the speed dating portion to allow you to meet companies you did not have the time to. Take the opportunity to approach companies you’re interested in, make a quick impression, and follow up the next day. Which brings me to my next point:
Always follow up.
Send an Interview Thank You note to everyone you met during the evening. In part, sending a thank-you note is simply a traditional post-interview courtesy. It shows the employer you are polite and professional. It is also a way to remind the employer who you are, as they begin to make screening decisions. But more importantly, it is your chance to restate why you are ideal for the position. Think of this as your final pitch for why you should be considered.
A thank-you note is also an opportunity to clear up any moments in the initial conversation that didn’t go perfectly. You can clarify an answer to a question that you feel you botched in person, or you can add more details about relevant experience or abilities that weren’t mentioned during the conversation or specifically highlighted on your resume.
Good luck!
About HackerX:
HackerX is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for developers to meet with and learn more about some of the world’s most innovative and fastest growing companies — in a casual environment, face to face. More than just a recruitment event, HackerX is also a networking platform for all attendees no matter which side of the table you’re on.
Find out if HackerX is coming to an office near you, here.
