In this talk, Abbey Perini enthusiastically shares her tips for showcasing your strengths for the job search as a software developer.
How to Practice Confidence
- collect wins
- set goals (beware the productivity trap)
- mantras
- building things (no coding)
- vision boards
- find a support network (helpful: other people that are also going through a similar experience)
- rest & recuperate
How to Apply Your New Confidence
- practice “self-promotion”: it feels icky at first!
- what are your top 3 skills? practice telling others about them!
Job Search
- no one ever matches the job description 100%!
- requirements: if you meet at least one of them, you are normally qualified enough to apply
- search for keywords that you meet: tech stack, job description, etc.
- use those keywords for the cover letter/resume
- for prior job experience in a non-tech role: your experience applies, especially soft skills
- previous job experience shows that you are reliable, you are employable
- if you are stay-at-home-parent or have other gaps in your resume, come up with your story about the gap and practice it (note: watch this part of the YouTube video for great tips!)
Interview Questions
- “Tell us a little about yourself”
- “Tell us about a difficult project you worked on and how you handled it.”
- “Tell me about [X] project from your resume.”
- for career transitioners: practice to describe your learning process
- re-frame your doubts: you can always find reasons to discount your experience, but is that true? You have skills!
Other Tips
- networking
- online presence
- share your learnings, share that you’re on a job search, share the cool thing that you made (loose the caveats)
- references
Links
- How to Promote Yourself to Potential Employers – Abbey Perini – Virtual Coffee Brownbag
- Abbey Perini
- Virtual Coffee — a community for all developers