In this short talk, we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves. You can view this as motivation for the future and a brief pause before we dive into serious work on resumes, cover letters, GitHub, and LinkedIn profiles. Yet, we believe it's important to motivate you right now for what lies ahead. When you're ready for interviews, revisit the tips listed below.
Apply to ALL Junior positions. I mean, literally all the ones you find on every job board mentioned in previous lectures. Don't be afraid of being labeled a spammer. This increases your chances.
Don't hesitate to apply for Middle-level positions. Of course, this approach will lead to more rejections. However, the following might happen. If you do well in an interview and the employer likes you, but recruiters see you lack practical experience or certain skills for a Middle position, they might offer you a Strong Junior position! And that's what you need. Many CodeGym graduates got their first job this way. Moreover, different companies can have very different requirements for a Middle Developer. You might already meet them.
What about "Senior" positions? Nope, it’s not a good time yet. You definitely need real experience for these roles.
Feel free to message HR managers of companies you like DIRECTLY. Find them on LinkedIn and ask them to look at your resume. If you are motivated to work for a particular company and can justify it, a competent HR manager will notice you.
Saturday evening (and even Friday Eening) is not the best time to write to HR managers you don't know. Your message can get lost or forgotten. Or, even worse, it can be annoying.
Look for acquaintances in IT: most company vacancies are filled considering recommendations from people who work there. The world is small and many developers know each other. Sometimes it's easier for a recruiter to ask developers inside the company if they have anyone in mind, and such vacancies sometimes get filled through connections without ever being posted on Job Boards.
Important Things to Remember While Job Hunting
There are no immediate results. Plan your hunting for at least three months. I told my students in an elective course several months ago how to prepare. The rest is entirely up to them.
You can't prepare for interviews overnight. It's like learning foreign language – you can't just cram the night before the exam. But if you spend 15-30 minutes a day, the results will be amazing in a month.
You have to prepare for interviews from all angles: theory, pet projects, live coding. We will cover all these topics later.
It's all tough for Juniors. You have to be ready. Only the strongest survive. You have to be the strongest! In this case, your strength will be determined by your determination, following the plan, and perseverance. Sending around 1000 applications, getting less than a hundred responses, and going through about 10 interviews – this is the expected outcome!
There's plenty of work in the world, it's extremely diverse, and everyone will find their place if they look for it.
Your resume doesn't have to be a 100% match with the job description. That's unrealistic. When you look at a job posting, the key words should be Java and backend. How to make your resume catch a recruiter's eye, we'll cover it in the upcoming module.
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