If You Want a Job - Start Writing
According to a recent survey from recruiting-software maker iCIMS, 1 in 4 recent college graduates has already used AI technology, such as ChatGPT, to apply for a job.
With the rapid adoption of AI, many adverts on job board have been flooded with applications. You can create tailored CVs & cover letters with a couple of prompts on ChatGPT. ‘Easy apply’ has never been as easy.
This means the level of competition for getting jobs continues to increase. Being able to differentiate yourself becomes more important yet more difficult.
The problem
The process of getting your degree, applying to a high volume of roles on job boards isn’t working. Isn’t it?
If it is – please reach out to me 😁
The name of the game today is connections, personal brand, professional experience & referrals.
This seems like a lot of work & counter-intuitive. When you first hear this advice — you might think but in order to be well connected I need to have secured the job. Think again!
The harsh truth is that nobody knows you are an aspiring software engineer nor do they really care if your looking to go into marketing.
The key thing you need to solve is how do you get the people who you want to see you — see you. Like recruiters for example.
Solution
A solution I propose — Write!
Write to demonstrate 2 things:
- Your existing knowledge on a role
- What you want to find out about the role
Writing shows your interest in a career and allows you to explore it further. It allows you to stand out to an audience. Instead of being the 100th CV with the same content a recruiter has to look at.
There are many great tech leaders that actively wrote:
- Paul Graham — founder of Y Combinator
- Marc Andreessen — co founder of Netscape & Venture firm Andreessen Horowitz
- Sam Altman- former president of YC & co founder of OpenAI
- Ev Williams — co founder of Twitter, Blogger & Medium
“Writing doesn’t just communicate ideas; it generates them” —Paul Graham
“Writing forces you to think clearly. It’s also one of the best ways to reach a large audience with your ideas and to get feedback from smart people” — Sam Altman
How to get started?
Step 1 – Choose a platform. Medium, substack, LinkedIn. LinkedIn is probably best!
Step 2 – Learn about the platform. What type of content is native to the platform? Follow people popular on the platform.
Step 3 – Start writing and don’t stop
Step 4 – Get feedback on your writing
For example, I like UI design. Not enough to be a designer, but anyways. If I was an aspiring designer – I would write about specific design trends and curate mockups to illustrate the trend.
My personal favourite UI trend is neumorphism. I would discuss its aesthetic appeal and how the soft shadows provides a quasi 3D feel for the user. Then I would talk about how the readability of text is affected due to neumorphism.
The key thing to do after you write is call for engagement. Follow UI designers & design students, ask for feedback on what you have written.
If you continue to write you’ll gain:
- Credibility
- Connections
- Collaborations
It’s important to start to feel comfortable with your writing and be confident with how you communicate your ideas.
The best way to develop this is simply to practice.
Once you have started to feel confident with your writing – you won’t be afraid to explore different concepts.
To back this up – my next blog will be centred around being a founder
👏 Stay Tuned !
