Things I wish I knew during my first job search (what worked, what didn’t, stats of the job search, dealing with rejection)

The job search was extremely challenging. It was one of those things I just had to accept, and work on it day by day.

Check out this video for more detail:
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How to get your first Software Engineering job

The job search doesn't have to be painful!

Things I wish I knew:

1. Surround yourself with other people in the job search

• (online or in person), create accountability groups (otherwise, it’s lonely!)

2. Focus mainly on ways to apply, that actually connect with real people

• Angel List / TripleByte (if you pass, it’s excellent!)
• Reaching out directly on LinkedIn, Email
• Recruiters are NOT all bad, they can be a great way into your first job!
• Don’t just send your resume into a black hole (*cough* Indeed *cough*) without connecting to a person

3. Studying

• Choose a technology you see that’s common on job boards, that you don’t have. Learn that! Choose one project, learn the technology. Then move to another (~20% of time)
• Algorithms! Spend the rest of your study time on these

4. Job search stats

• Check out the video above where I do a deep dive into my job search stats, and realistic numbers if you don’t have experience (this will help you get expectations)

5. Once I got the on-site, I went all-in

• Make videos of all projects, send with application
• Phone screen (send thank you note, send in refactored / polished code after)
• Make a project with the company's technology, if possible
• Communicate clearly
• Take down note of everyone, for on-site, send personalized Thank You Notes
• Adapt code, refactor, send in for on-site

The whole process was ~6-8 months

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