Tech | Job Searching
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Are you currently job hunting? Or better yet, are you trying to get into tech? Oh boy… this will be a fun post for you 🥳
- Corporate vs Startup
- The vibe & ramble
- TL;DR
Corporate vs Startup
Regardless of what type of company you’re looking for, don’t lie. You’ll only ever be able to bullsh*t your way so far. Imposter syndrome is alive and well, try to overcome it as best you can.
CORPORATE
Are you looking for a job that has a large team? Or maybe a small team within a LARGE company? May the odds be ever in your favor. Competition is usually so much more intense in these positions. Important to remember not everyone has the personality for corporate positions.
- Larger companies will list a job even if internal employees apply for it
→ you are less likely to get a job when an internal employee applies for it - They are quicker to dismiss you if your experience isn’t exactly what they’re looking for
→ (1) cater your resume to fit their job description to a tee if you are insistent on working there - Ask yourself why you want to work at a large tech company
→ see if it aligns with your personal goals in work and life. Work life balance is something to deeply consider
Enjoy a meme about corporate life in different regions:
East coast expertise is in hard work and zero personal life (but at least they don’t miss happy hour).
The South thinks kindness and niceness are the same thing (they don’t understand what “taking off work” means).
Midwest majored in passive aggression (if they can’t physically see you; you’re not working).
West coast specializes in climbing the ladder (but at least they don’t care if you’re late).
Mountain region is self aware (don’t contradict them).
The Southwest knows how to chill (and retire).
PNW knows a lot about tech but only speaks in Nature (”if you don’t hike, don’t move here”).
Friendly reminder, this is a joke
STARTUP
Personally, I have a heart for startups. I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to a corporate company, but never say never. Now let’s start out with some tips if you’re starting out in the creative field:
- Creative burnout is real, self care accordingly or you’ll want to quit immediately.
- Your work is not your identity; do not take it personally. “It” meaning anything from a critique/feedback sesh to a comment about strategy. Separate your work from who you are as a person.
- Laugh it off. Someone did something that frustrated you? As long as it doesn’t become a toxic environment, just laugh it off.
- You made a mistake? So what. You’re not curing cancer. Learn from it and never make the same mistake twice (aka grow).
- NEVER ignore feedback, actively listen and GROW. Become a better employee, coworker and creative.
Overall
Don’t lie about your experience or try to play off that you have more than you do; employers can see right through that and more importantly, if you got the interview — they know how much experience you have or don’t have. They’re looking for your communication style and how compatible you would fit in their workplace environment.
Oh, and don’t take everything I say about tech as gospel. I know so little it’s comical, but I’m learning 😎
THE VIBE
Take it from a novice 20 something who applied to over 400 remote job positions recently before finding the right fit; DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY. You cannot afford to take every rejection personally. Not even that one job that you thought you were a shoo in for. Compatibility is key and you don’t want to force your way into a position, chances of success are minimal.
THE RAMBLE
When I was first out of college trying to get a job I didn’t have the privilege of being picky, I had to go with the first job that offered me a position (luckily for me I got a wonderful friend and mentor from that first job). Now, I have more experience under my belt and where some people feel job hunting can be a desperate plea for any job they can get — I’m choosing to be picky. I don’t want to accept a job where I’ll be unhappy or I’ll make my coworkers unhappy. I’ve done that before and I didn’t even last 4 months before I quit because it was so miserable for me and my coworkers.
BE. PICKY. Have standards. You won’t regret it AND you’ll be much happier (added bonus, your coworkers will be happier as well).
TL;DR
JOB HUNTING CAN BE FUN IF YOU…
- Don’t take anything personal
- Enjoy learning from mistakes
- Have a small ego
- Love networking
- (Truthfully… deep down…) Don’t actually care if you get the job or not, because you know there will be other opportunities.
It’s just a job and a job shouldn’t dictate your emotions… Just sayin’.
Footnotes
(1) personally, I do not recommend catering your resume to fit into a job listing, because you are interviewing them just as much as they’re interviewing you, be picky.
