3 Tips for Getting into the Tech Industry
I was recently asked to speak to BYU’s Tech Society about Weave. While it is easy to talk about Weave, I knew that most of the students would end up getting jobs at other places so I wanted to share something that could be broadly helpful, while also talking about how much I’ve learned at Weave. But what could I share?
After talking to a Weave recruiter, reflecting on my own path into product, and hearing some of my colleagues’ journeys into product and engineering, I felt inspired to share some advice and lessons learned about how to get into the tech industry.
Presenting to those students was a lot of fun; here is a written version of the presentation in hopes it can provide value to others as well.
Words of Wisdom from Matt, a Weave Recruiter
I spent 30 minutes talking to Matt about recruiting at Weave and any advice he had for those coming out of college. One of my favorite parts of the conversation came when Matt told me that he started his career in sales, but one day the CEO of the startup Matt was working for asked for help recruiting. Matt decided to help and found something that he really enjoyed doing. Eight years later, he is still helping tech companies find great talent. Stepping up and doing the work the company needs can provide great opportunities down the road.
Matt had 3 pieces of advice to help applicants stand out from the crowd as they apply to tech companies.
- Intern at a tech company. Matt said that while internships aren’t necessary, seeing that experience on a resume will help secure an interview over someone that doesn’t have that experience.
- Network! Going to events and meetups can help you get to know others in the field. Also, don’t be afraid to send a message to a recruiter from the company you applied to. Matt said a lot of people don’t do that, but can help them know who you are and that you’re interested in the job.
- Do your research before an interview. Make sure you understand what the company does and can speak to it. When that comes up in the interview, you’ll look more impressive than someone who doesn’t know anything about the company.
What That Looks Like in Real Life
If you’re anything like me then sometimes general advice is good, but having examples of how that works in reality is helpful. There are a lot of great stories about how people have gotten into product and engineering, but I want to share three different stories that illustrate how Matt’s advice can look in real life.
Kristy, an Associate Product Manager at Weave
Kristy began working at a dental office while pursuing her undergraduate degree in business. After graduating, she had several jobs in different industries as she searched for what she wanted to do long-term. After some time on the East coast, Kristy moved back to Utah and knew that she liked the environment of tech companies and wanted to work for one, but didn’t know what job to pursue. Instead of pursuing an internship, Kristy found a job opening on Weave’s training team. She had used Weave at a previous job so she decided to apply and was quickly hired.
The training team worked with product managers to create the customer and internal resources about new features. As Kristy started to work more and more with product managers, she knew that is what she wanted to do, but the opportunity wouldn’t come right away. She continued to work hard in her position and ask product managers about their jobs. She learned about skills needed for product management and focused on how she could apply those skills in her training projects.
When an associate product manager role opened up, Kristy was ready. She had a great reputation within the company for working hard, she knew what the job entailed and had worked on building the skills.
Olivia, a Backend Engineer at Weave
Olivia went to Utah State and majored in finance and economics and dual minored in Spanish and International Business (She’s so impressive!). After graduating Olivia got a job at IM Flash as a financial analyst. For 8 years she focused on budgeting, reconciliation and monthly close process, but she was also tasked with taking data from multiple sources and using software to build complex models that helped her colleagues evaluate costs. She found that she enjoyed the model work more than her other tasks and wondered if she could take a chance on herself and transition her career to software engineering.
First, she needed more information. Olivia reached out to everyone in a square mile of her house that was a software engineer and asked them questions about their jobs and told them what she was interested in. Through this, she knew she wanted to focus on backend software development and that a boot camp wouldn’t teach her what she wanted to learn. So instead, Olivia bought a book about coding, quit her job, joined some meetups, and got to learning.
It wasn’t an easy process, nor was it a quick one. Olivia kept talking to engineers at meetups, getting their advice, and then acting on it. She continued getting better and looked for jobs that would give her a chance. In an engineering and networking Slack group, Olivia saw a posting for an apprenticeship with a non-profit. She interviewed well, but was told that other candidates had been offered the position. However, they invited her to volunteer with them. Olivia said yes.
Her commitment to volunteering and working hard led to an internship. That experience paved the path for her to get an apprenticeship at Pluralsight, which led to a backend engineering position at Weave.
Alicia (me), Group Product Manager at Weave
I’ve always had a strong affinity for technology, but I didn’t think about pursuing that in school. Instead I went into advertising and spent time working in that industry. Along the way, I discovered user experience design (UX) and while I have never been much of a designer, I loved thinking through the flow and architecture of websites and apps to help visitors accomplish their goals.
Instead of going back to grad school for UX, I started a new job at a new advertising agency and quickly discovered that they had a UX department. Over the course of several years, I did whatever I could to move over to that department: I read books and articles, learned the software, volunteered to help with projects, and met regularly with them. Eventually they found a spot for me.
That role gave me the opportunity to attend the Front Conference — a conference for product and UX professionals. While there I reconnected with Steve, a guy from high school. We added each other on LinkedIn and went our way. But a year or so later, I was ready for a change so I reached out to Steve to learn more about product management.
Steve often talked to people about product management so he had a ready list of books to read, but knowing that most people that he talked to didn’t follow through, he had low expectations that I would do anything with the list. I went home, bought the books on Amazon and got reading. Within a few weeks I reached out to Steve and told him what I had learned. He was so impressed that he introduced me to another product manager, Todd, that was hiring for his team.
After meeting with me, Todd told me that I was too inexperienced to interview for the position, but he was willing to mentor and meet with me once a week. I jumped at the chance. For six weeks we met regularly and we would discuss the secondary research I was doing and provide thoughts and suggestions. He finally invited me to come interview for the open PM position. And that’s how I got my first product management job.
Tweaking the Advice
These experiences speak strongly to me of the importance of Matt’s words of wisdom, but perhaps they deserve to be broadened a little bit. So here are my three lessons learned and words of advice for anyone looking to get a job in the tech industry.
Work Hard No Matter What
There is no doubt that internships are helpful, but internships aren’t the only way forward. Opportunities can look like volunteering at a non-profit, helping out with a need your company has, finding a mentor, or starting in a different department and proving through hard work that you can be an asset elsewhere in the company. No matter what you’re currently doing or where you are in your career, there are likely opportunities that will help you grow your network, increase your influence, and create even bigger opportunities. Work hard and you will find paths into where you want to go.
Build a Community
In the past, I didn’t like the concept of networking; it felt so self-serving. But I’ve discovered that it’s really about connecting with other people, learning from them and helping each other if you can. It’s building a community that helps each other learn and grow. Sometimes you are the one helping and other times you’re the one being helped. Olivia found a community that helped guide and encourage her to succeed in her goals. I reconnected with someone from my past that introduced me to my future and he continues to be a mentor and friend. Now both Olivia and I look for opportunities to help guide others on their path to tech.
Know Your Why
Doing your homework to understand the company you’re applying to is important, but identifying why you want to work in tech will help keep you going when the path forward isn’t easy. Olivia knew what she wanted and kept pursuing it even though people told her she was crazy. Kristy kept learning until an opportunity to join the product organization was available. It’s easy to get discouraged, but knowing your why can help keep you going.
For some people, their path in the tech industry may be simple and straightforward. For others, it takes time, patience, and persistence. Regardless of the path, I hope these tips will help you along the way.
