How to land a dream opportunity in tech
A few days ago I talked about knowing when you're ready to make money with your coding skills. (TL;DR - as soon as someone is willing to pay you.) I also touched on the importance of putting yourself "out there"—in-person as well as online.
And when it comes to landing the BEST opportunities in tech, I said:
"You don't get dream jobs by applying to them. Let me repeat that: you DON'T get dream jobs by applying to them. You either network your way in, or get discovered."
Today, I would like to elaborate on this.
1. Networking" (or relationship building) your way into a dream job
Definition: Connecting with people one-on-one, building a relationship over time, and providing professional value to one another. These people connect you with their connections, and as a result expands your professional network.
Here is the critical component of building a network: you give value first.
What I mean is you don't come running out of the gate asking for help or a favor. That's the worst.
Example of what *NOT* to do: after attending a meetup, you IMMEDIATELY email a person you met who works at X company. You ask for an introduction to the person hiring for a job listing you saw on Indeed.com at their company.
When you do this, people feel taken advantage of. Or annoyed. Or both.
There needs to be reciprocity. Or you'll lose allies. Fast.
When you do this, people feel taken advantage of. Or annoyed. Or both.
There needs to be reciprocity. Or you'll lose allies. Fast.
In fact, if you provide a ton of value to a newly formed connection, most people will WANT to return the favor. You don't even need to be aggressive about asking; it's natural for people to want to help people who have already helped them.
More than that, when you provide specific value to someone, in their mind you become "that" person. "The WordPress person." "The Angular person." And they'll think of you when people they know are looking for your skills. A recommendation from a colleague/friend is gold, because there is little "selling" involved when you already have a level of trust.
More than that, when you provide specific value to someone, in their mind you become "that" person. "The WordPress person." "The Angular person." And they'll think of you when people they know are looking for your skills. A recommendation from a colleague/friend is gold, because there is little "selling" involved when you already have a level of trust.
Real life example of relationship building for new opportunities
Several months ago, I had a conversation about WordPress with a woman I met through a Facebook group. I answered her questions about setting up a shopping cart on the website, importing old Blogspot posts, and embedding a YouTube video on a page. Without asking for anything in return, I provided value. Several weeks later she contacted me about one of her connections who was looking for WordPress help. Thanks to that referral, I ended up training her. (Not for free this time!) And when this woman met others who were looking for WordPress help, I became her go-to recommendation.
2. Getting discovered (AKA you're so good they can't ignore you)
Definition: Being found, or headhunted, for a position by a recruiter, hiring manager, boss, or client.
Here's what this looks like:
- Someone "finds" you (online or through a word-of-mouth referral)
- The person thinks you're an awesome fit for an opportunity at their company
- They reach out to you about it
This sounds too easy, right? Wrong. The key to getting discovered is putting yourself "out there". This is a long-term game.
Here are the best ways to put yourself "out there":
- Create an online portfolio with work samples, reviews, etc.
- Start a blog , or write on sites like Medium
- Get a LinkedIn profile (and actually use it)
- Create a Github account
- Share valuable insights online in Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, and other industry forums
- Give talks at in-person events, meetups, conferences, etc.
The common theme here is putting on display who you are and what you can do in a professional context. You let the evidence of your hard work and talent do the talking.
Real life example of being discovered for an opportunity
As you may know, I am the Tech Careers Expert for About.com. This was NOT a position I applied for. Instead, a hiring manager discovered the learntocodewith.me blog. After reading some articles, and checking out my LinkedIn, he thought I was a good fit for the open position. So, he reached out to me. And two interviews later, I was given an offer.
(BONUS WAY) Create your own dream opportunity
There's actually a third way you can land a dream job in tech: you invent the job you want.
You can invent all kinds of jobs or opportunities. (An obvious way is starting your own business/startup—where you get to call all the shots.)
But in this context, I mean creating a position that doesn't exist yet, most likely at a company you already work for or have ties to. You do this by convincing higher-ups that the role will benefit the company and that you're the perfect person to fill it.
Creating your own opportunities takes a lot of work. You'll often be told "no" or "not right now," or you'll simply be ignored. It involves networking, awkward conversations, and negotiating. Ultimately you're trying to convince the company to take a chance on you.
Inventing a job/opportunity works best when you already have some leverage, and a proven track record. Basically, you have solid evidence to back up the case you're trying to make.
The key with this approach is showing the decision-maker HOW this new position or opportunity you're inventing is going to benefit THEM. Specifically, how it will make their life easier or earn them more money. Because when it comes down to it, we all want two main things: more time and more money.
Real life example of inventing your own opportunity
A great example is one of the companies I partner with, Code College. Before I approached Brad Hussey (the creator of Code College), he wasn't doing a referral program, or giving out discounts to others for his courses. But I showed why it was a partnership worth trying, and proved how I could make his life better.
You don't get dream jobs by applying to them. Instead, you network your way in, get discovered, or invent them yourself.
The best way to get started on finding your dream job is by building up your online presence. Realize that you don't need to be on every social media network. Instead, start small and stick with the things you already enjoy doing. For instance, if you love writing, blogging seems like a good fit.
As always, let me know if you have any questions :) (But I know you got this!)
