Finding a job during COVID-19: Join our free program that helps you transition into tech

My co-founder Wanni and I both live in New York City, where COVID-19 has rendered the city almost unrecognizable to those of us used to the energy and hustle it is so famous for. We wanted to find a way to give back during this crisis, but since we don’t have massive amounts of cash on hand to donate (:P), we realized we could donate our time to help the many talented people whose jobs may be in jeopardy due to COVID-19 use this time to consider a transition into tech. These people have relevant skills that are transferable to business roles in tech (“BizTech”), and although tech companies are experiencing lay-offs and hiring freezes as well, there are still opportunities to find good roles that are also remote-friendly.

Wanni and I both made the transition into BizTech several years ago and understand how difficult it can be to transition into a new industry. You have to figure out which roles you might qualify for, find those roles at interesting companies, and interview in ways you’ve never had to before. Beyond that, you have to learn new jargon and navigate different work cultures. You could try to get all that information from online sources, but we’ve found that the fastest (and best) way to learn is to learn from someone else. That’s why we are organizing a volunteer-led effort to help those displaced by COVID-19 explore a potential role in tech.

If you are one of the many talented people outside of tech looking to transition into tech, we are offering a free, volunteer-based advisory program to help provide you with an actionable plan on how to approach a transition into tech. To start the program, you’ll go through a brief self-assessment to help us determine translatable skills you have, as well as pinpoint areas where we can help.

If you feel that you are ready to try applying for tech jobs, we will:

• Help you position yourself in your resume for these potential roles
• Walk you through a practice interview
• Find ways to provide you with the much needed background context so that you can excel in interviews

If you’d like to spend some of this “quarantine” time learning more, we can:

• Provide you with important resources to strengthen different proficiency areas based on your self-assessment
• Put you in touch with other members of the community for informational interviews

To get started, simply sign up here and we’ll be in touch.

If you are in BizTech already, we ask that you offer your time up to help mentor those outside of tech looking to transition into tech. You can get started by signing up for Hone Club — by doing so, you’ll be able to participate in our different community offerings in the future. If you’d like to help with the advisory program, please indicate that in the sign up form.

I’ll end with one last story. Back when I was still allowed to visit my neighborhood cafe, I overheard a barista mention that he was learning Javascript and wanted to find an engineering job eventually. Although we are focused on business roles, it is precisely people like that barista who have an interest in transitioning into tech whom we want to help.

The thing I miss the most right now is a sense of community. I certainly hope we can foster a remote community of givers during this time, and look forward to coming out of this together.

Sincerely,

Diana Hsieh and Wanni Tsai