5 things to do with 5 days left to #GHC2019
With so much information floating around, it might be a little overwhelming for a first-timer or a returning GHC attendee (like me). I recently got a ping from someone and I could tell that she was stressed. I started writing a reply to her and realized that this reply maybe helpful to many others as well, hence I am putting it up on medium.
Here is my list of 5 things to do with only 5 days left. (An article that you can read in < 5 min )
1. Upload your resume to the resume database. Even though it is late, it is always a good idea to have your resume in the database here.
2. Practice your elevator pitch (or at least your opening line). A good thing to have one since it will be a conversation starter not only with recruiters but also with anyone you meet at the conference.
3. Print out a few copies (30 or so) of your resume and keep them handy so that you can give them to recruiters.
4. Plan out your stay (accommodation and check the GHC shuttle routes here, so that you will have a stress free stay)
5. Pack some comfortable clothes, shoes, and essentials. Pamper yourself with a pedicure/manicure/hair cuts/facials whatever makes you happy.
And totally totally STOP STRESSING …
Remember that it’s not just the job offers that you get at GHC that change your life, it’s the conversations that you have. It is the only conference where you get to see so many women who all work in tech that you will be inspired (No tech office can claim to have so many women under one roof). It is the only conference where a range of topics from high school STEM education for girls → career progression → motherhood → rocket science is all discussed under the same roof. The friends that you make here will help your career progression, not just the number of interviews you give.
Try to find yourself a mentor when you are at GHC. Someone you can have a frank conversation with and who can guide you. Whose guidance you are able to trust. I found myself a mentor at one such conference and I continue to associate with her 10 years from when I first met her. I don’t write to her regularly, but every time I want to make my next career move or when I am overwhelmed with something, she is the first one that comes to my mind and I write to her. Her inputs have always guided me.
After all, it is the only conference that has always offered child-care. Remember we are different and we must celebrate ourselves.
If you find yourself left with time after the above, here are a few more. The ones below are time taking and never-ending as well, so it’s okay not to reach the end of them.
1. Go over the list of companies visiting GHC and make a list of the ones that interest you. Pick your top 50 or so.
2. Revise some of your basics.
And most importantly, HAVE FUN
My GHC story will never be complete without telling you how it changed my life for the better and for ever.
8 years back when I attended GHC for the first time in Portland, my parents nudged me to meet a boy who was studying at Oregon State University, two hours from Portland. I hesitatingly agreed to meet him. He drove down two hours just to have lunch with me. We went for lunch to a restaurant near the venue and we could not stop talking to each other. The restaurant owner was so miffed that we were only talking and not eating the food that he came specifically to our table and asked us if the food was fine. Eight months later, we married and I can still talk to him for hours. So, a lot can happen at GHC. DON’T STRESS.
Us recently celebrating our 7th anniversary
