How Helping People Land Their 1st Engineering Jobs Changed My Life
And How You Can Finesse Your Dream Job
This past year has been nothing short of phenomenal.
I moved 3,000 miles from New Jersey to work and live in the Bay Area.
Joined an amazing team and got to learn and have fun with some of the brightest minds in tech.
My professional development game was also on fleek. I got a friggin MBA. The AltMBA that is.
I also traveled to New Orleans for the first time where I Mentored nearly 100 change-makers with Startingbloc; a group of 3,000+ entrepreneurs and innovators from over 56 countries leading movements and creating change.
I even beta launched a podcast (Tech Dirty With Me), which became the brainchild for my Medium blog.
And most importantly, while at Dev Bootcamp I’ve coached 250+ aspiring software engineers and partnered with 80+ tech companies like LinkedIn, IBM, YouTube, and Thumbtack!
I’ve legit made lifelong friends.
It’s been a beautiful process, with many highs and lows. All in all, I’ve surprised myself by all the opportunities I’ve finessed this year.
In my humble opinion, I went fucking ham in 2017:
Here’s what I’ve learned from testing, failing, and trying my damnest to get as many people engineering jobs as possible.
Guess What? You Can Get Jobs That “You’re Unqualified For”
Yes, you heard me correctly.
We are our biggest limitations. Yes, you and I. I think that getting to do what you love for a living is a privilege. In the sense that there’s no guarantee that you get to do your life’s work.
It’s a choice. A choice that we must make. And you get what you tolerate. So don’t tolerate companies or people that try to tell you what you’re worth.
And if you really want your “dream job”, then do it. Don’t wait for a company to hire and pay you to do it. Seriously, show them the work they want to see.
An effective and unconventional way to accomplish this is to create a “pre-interview project”. In How to Get Any Job You Want (even if you’re unqualified), author Raghav Haran suggests the following:
For example, if you’re applying for a sales/marketing role, a good pre-interview project could be selling some of the company’s products and writing a document about it. If you’re applying for a design related role, you can mockup some new designs for the company and tell them why you made those decisions.
Doing a pre-interview project separates you from everyone in the crowd merely saying, “PICK ME, PICK ME”. You immediately stand out because 99% of people aren’t willing to do the work.
Raghav used this exact strategy to get interviews at Airbnb. Here’s an example of what he did for Airbnb. Be sure to check out his article because he also provides the exact emails that he used to get interviews and offers from top companies.
Remember, nearly everything is negotiable when you provide value first.
Be Persistent
Last year when I first collaborated with Thumbtack I reached out to their Head Recruiter. I had used their product before so I was feeling like a fan boy with excitement.
I emailed them after finding out they were looking for engineering interns. The next day I got this reply: Thanks, but no thanks!
In retrospect I see why the job hunt is difficult for many folks. Most people would have given up here. Nah, I wasn’t with that. I needed answers!! So I continued to persist and what happened surprised me.
Not only did he appreciate my persistence, he committed to a meeting and sent me a calendar invite!
The best part about this is when we met he admitted that he was busy and trying to give me the cold shoulder, but that my perseverance made him reconsider.
Don’t quit so soon. You’re one email away from a long-lasting relationship
Ask For A Conversation, Not For A Favor
When I met with this recruiter my goal was not to say,
what are you hiring for? can I refer people? I could send you resumes tomorrow….blah blah blah
Please don’t make the mistake of asking for a favor before you ever ask someone how their day is. No one owes us anything.
By the end of our conversation he had told me about a blog he was starting and how he had also been from New Jersey (like me!). Before leaving I asked for nothing but another conversation. Another chance to learn more about his company and how I could help him.
Before I even got back to my desk he had shared 2 engineering roles that Thumbtack needed help filling.
After having more than 100+ coffee meetings, you realize that we all just want to be heard. The more we lean in with curiosity and empathy, the more generosity finds it’s way to our doorstep.
Ask more questions and listen more than you speak. It’s not rocket science, it’s patience.
Follow Up On Your Follow Up
If you’re a geek and OCD about email like me, check out this rant about how following up is the best advice no one ever gave you.
I digress. Here’s my point.
Recently a grad of ours at Dev Bootcamp was hired at Strava. They’re pretty dope actually. They’re a social network for athletes. Their global platform is home to millions of runners, cyclists and triathletes.
After cold emailing this company, 3 people actually replied to me! For the exact steps on how I accomplished this, check out this video.
So after speaking to 3 engineers, one of them agreed to coffee with me. I had an amazing conversation with them about the future of education, their recent triathlon, and the hidden value of engineers with non-traditional backgrounds.
After such an amazing meeting, I was convinced I’d get someone hired here. My spidey senses were tingling.
Then all 3 engineers went cold turkey on me for 2 weeks. All the while I was following up like a mad man, frustrated that I was wrong about the great vibes I felt during the meeting.
But just as I was feeling down, they got back to me.
The engineering team was shipping a new feature and my contact had been on vacation. So they weren’t ignoring me. They were just, well,…..working!
Then ensued the quickest turn around for an engineering hire I had ever seen. From phone screen to written offer in only 16 days!
Oh and the offer came the day before Thanksgiving.
So there you have it. There’s no secret to doing and finding the work you love. You’ve just got to be willing to leap. Willing to listen with curiosity. Willing to follow up on your follow up.
Leave a comment below. What are some of your best job hunting hacks? What proactive tactics have gotten your foot in the door? What limiting beliefs have held you back in the past?
