How Hackathons Brightened Up My Resume and Helped Land Me Interviews
Did you know that attending and participating in hackathons can be a great resume booster?
Take it from Natasha who utilized hackathons to enhance her resume that ultimately led her to landing tech interviews! Read below an in-depth article of Natasha’s experience.
Hey everyone, my name is Natasha Koller and I’m a Software Engineering student from Florida. I haven’t always been a tech student; I actually used to work in international education and taught English abroad for many years. I’m pretty new to the world of web dev and have been trying to find ways to set myself apart and give me my best chance at finding a job upon graduation from my bootcamp.
I was in Slack one day when someone shared a link to a hackathon. Now, I can’t be the only naive newbie coder out there that hears the word “hackathon” and thinks “competition for people trying to hack into something.” Well, that is actually not even close to what hackathons are about. I reached out to the initial poster and she told me a bit about it and once she said the words “free swag” and “free entry ticket” I was in. After all, if it’s free, it’s for me.
My first hackathon was TechTogether Atlanta. I teamed up with three other women from my school; three of us had never participated in a hackathon. Once the emails started coming in I got more excited. It turns out there were workshops about very relevant topics as well as games. The part that interested me the most as a competitive person was the prizes.
TechTogether hackathons are low/no-code, which means it’s great for all levels and backgrounds in the tech space. The best part is that they are a great opportunity to learn new skills and collaborate. Being in a self-paced bootcamp, I don’t get the chance to use git to collaborate. Joining TechTogether allowed me a chance to learn how to use git for version control and really work with a team to make a winning product.
I also became more familiar with Figma, a UI/UX tool useful for front-end developers. These very useful skills I would not otherwise have gained are now showcased proudly on my resume. I also have been fortunate enough to create TWO winning apps, Atlanta for All for TechTogether Atlanta and Cortadito for TechTogether Miami.
Attending has allowed me to add two more projects on my portfolio and resume that employers have actually asked me about in interviews. Come to think of it, I went from not getting any interviews to getting several since attending these hackathons.
Hackathons are a vital experience for new developers trying to break into tech. For anyone that is hesitant about their skills or where they might fit in, there is always some way that you can contribute. Remember, it’s not about winning or losing- but about what you can gain from the experience.
Interested in attending a hackathon and getting access to more articles like this one? Subscribe to TechTogether’s bi-weekly newsletter. 💡
