Module 3: Prepare for the Job Search

Throughout this program, you will work closely with the Career Services team to prepare for the job search upon your completion of the course. The goal of the Career Services team can be summed up in a single word: empowerment. They are here to motivate you, offer support, and provide strategies for reaching beyond your comfort zone to find the right opportunity for you. And remember: the more information you share, the better equipped our team will be to help in your job search.

What to Expect on the Job Hunt

When transitioning to a new career, a reasonable timeline for the entire process—from applying for positions to accepting a company's offer—is anywhere from 30 to 90 days. Throughout this program, you will spend time networking and developing a professional narrative to market yourself to employers.

What You DO Need to Succeed

  1. A professional narrative that showcases your strengths, skills, and passions.
  2. An ability to showcase your previous skills and how they add to your value as a technology professional.
  3. A friendly demeanor—people hire people they like!
  4. An ability to talk about technology, using technical language.
  5. Practice, practice, practice. The more interviews and networking events you attend, the more prepared you'll be for your next opportunity.

What You Do NOT Need to Succeed

  1. Code that looks "perfect." Remember, no one's code is perfect! As long as it works as expected, you're golden!
  2. Mastering all technologies taught in this course. You'll learn so much in this boot camp that it'll make your head spin. Remind yourself that you don't need to master everything in only a few weeks. Focus on learning how to teach yourself new technologies via online resources.
  3. Previous experience in data analytics. If you don't have any prior experience in this field, don't worry! Many companies will let you learn on the job, and they will appreciate the unique perspective and set of skills that you bring to the table.
  4. Every skill listed in the job description. Job descriptions can be misleading, especially if they are written by someone who is not familiar with technology (as they often are). Apply even if you're unsure whether you fit every requirement in the description. Use your cover letter to showcase your strengths, like your ability to learn quickly. (Your boot camp experience is a great example!)
  5. Certificate of completion from the boot camp. You don't need a certificate to begin applying to jobs; you can start applying as soon as we've approved your career profile. Don't be afraid to start early! Practice makes perfect, and you'll only get better with each interview.

Professional Websites to Join

The following are key (and free!) resources that will put you on the path to your new career.

  1. LinkedIn Join LinkedIn to get the latest news, insights, and opportunities from over 3 million companies. LinkedIn allows you to set up a professional profile, get free career advice and tips, and connect with companies, recruiters, and other professionals.

  2. Stack Overflow Stack Overflow is like the Wikipedia of code. It's an online community for developers to share their knowledge, ask questions, develop their skills, and help solve coding problems.

  3. Angel List This website helps investors, startups, and job seekers connect.

  4. Meetup Meetup brings people together in thousands of cities to do more of what they want to do in life. This site is chock-full of opportunities to meet with others who are passionate about data analytics. Just head to the technology category!

  5. Medium Medium is a blogging platform for the world's curious minds to read, write, and think about a wide range of topics, including technology. Start following Free Code Camp and browse other technology recommendations.

  6. Gmail Gmail is email that's intuitive, efficient, and useful. It also has 15 GB of storage, mobile access, and less spam. Gmail comes with free storage on Google Drive, which you'll use to submit many of your homework assignments.

  7. Google Docs You will use Google Docs to submit the first several career homework assignments. You should know how to make documents editable so that the career services team can provide timely and meaningful feedback. Watch this short video to become familiar with Google Docs, and then try creating a shared document.

Activity: Connect Professional Dots

In this activity, you will dip your toe in the networking water by meeting and talking to others in the technology field. While this is not a course requirement, we encourage you to participate. Networking is one of the best ways to find your next opportunity!

Instructions

  1. Browse Eventbrite and Meetup for a networking event that sparks your interest. Note: This event should occur before the boot camp starts.
  2. Attend the event, alone or with friends, and talk to at least two people you did not know before the event.

Preparing for your Resume

Resumes are the start of all job searches. Although showcasing your skills on paper can seem daunting, we’re here to help you represent your best self. With the right formatting and structure, you can start your search with confidence.

Depending on where you are in your career, you may already have a pretty fleshed-out resume. If that sounds like you, this section provides formatting guidance that we’ve validated with hundreds of employers across the country. For those who are switching careers entirely, this section will help you develop an employer-competitive resume, and you’ll be ready to hit the boot-camp ground running!

Don’t underestimate the impact of a well-formatted resume: Many companies vet resumes through an applicant tracking system (ATS) that scans for keywords and sections. By following the guidelines below, you can ensure that your resume doesn’t get thrown out before a person ever gets to see it.

Before you start writing, let’s take a look at what makes a good resume.

What Does a Good Resume Look Like?

We’ve talked to hundreds of employers across the country, and we know exactly what they want in a resume. Although you can’t guarantee that you’re the candidate they want to hire, you can guarantee that they know exactly who you are, what you can do for them, and what skills you bring to the table!

If you include the following sections, and you write them well, your resume is going to pack a punch wherever it lands.

  1. Heading a. Include all the first-order information the employer needs: your name, phone number, professional email address, city, state, ZIP code, and links to GitHub and LinkedIn
  2. Summary section a. Provide a brief description of who you are and the skills you can offer
  3. Skills and/or projects section a. Feature all technical skills that you have—and don’t worry, you’ll be able to add more to this each week as you go through the Boot Camp, so it’s okay if you leave it empty for now!
  4. Work experience (if relevant) a. List experience in reverse chronological order, with job title, job description, company name, city & state, and dates of employment
  5. Education (if applicable) a. List education at the end of the resume unless you have particularly relevant degrees or minimal professional experience b. Include boot camp as the most recent item in the education section, and list it as a certificate

Building Your Resume

Remember, we built these templates based on feedback from many employers across the country. They may not look like much, but trust us: If you stick to the template, you’ll get through the application tracking system, making it possible for a prospective employer to learn all about you!

Now it’s time to start building your resume. Come back to it often, and revise as you learn new skills.

In the document linked below, you’ll find a variety of different templates—find the one that matches your skill level, copy it out into a separate document, and start editing!

Using the Templates

  1. Access the templates here: Resume Templates.

  2. Make a copy of the templates document.

    a. “File” → “Make A Copy” → Save to Google Drive

    Give “Anyone with the link” edit access—this will help with submission.

    OR

    b. “File” → “Download” → Choose “Word” or “Plain Text”

  3. Delete the templates that are not applicable to you.

  4. Start editing the sections as necessary.

Resources

Meta Stack Overflow is the part of the site where users discuss the workings and policies of Stack Overflow rather than discussing programming itself. Note: Signing up for Stack Overflow does not sign you up for Stack Overflow Meta.

EventBrite is great tool for finding networking events.

Final Notes

Job hunting can be stressful, but we'll be here to guide you throughout the process. With your participation and hard work, we'll get through this together.