Back in 2017 I knew I wanted a job in tech for the great salary and perks. What I did not know was HOW to even start looking for a job in tech.
I thought… “I’ll rely on my work experiences” and “I’ll send hundreds of job applications”. 🤷🏻♀️
Turns out, that method didn’t work, even back then, because I kept getting rejections even after multiple interviews.
What I realized after years of failing to find the right jobs, is the one skill of landing a job in tech had nothing to do with my experiences, resume or applying for jobs. Years later I witnessed firsthand what that skill is and how it can create opportunities I could never imagine.
The skill no one teaches you in bootcamps, universities, certifications and technical programs is networking.
The ONE skill that really matters in finding opportunities.
Networking is the thread between all effective career growth strategies.
My first ‘in’ to the startup world was from a neighbor who happened to work at a startup.
The startup he worked at had a clear business problem and when I heard him talk about it, I replied that I could solve it for his company. So he referred me to the CTO. This referral turned into a full-time job opportunity.
No resume needed.
The CTO trusted me because his co-worker (my friend) referred me. The referral was the ‘in’ which no other method can create as fast as a referral can.
In 2024, our communication is more virtual than in person. You no longer have to rely on in-person meetings or random encounters.
With 1 Billion members, Linkedin is now THE place to network.
This kind of referral happens all the time through online communities like Linkedin.
Instead of meeting in real life, you might ‘meet’ because of a comment you left, or a post you wrote and another person liked it.
While Linkedin is the largest of the communities, don’t forget smaller, more intimate settings like smaller online communities (hosted on slack and discord) that hold events for networking and skill building. If you’re not sure where to start, ask your coworkers or alumni what online communities they are part of.
Use Linkedin to find advocates to grow your career
First, you build trust by sharing who you are, what you care about, how you think, by ‘building a personal brand’. Usually, a DM conversation and a zoom call can turn into a job opportunity either now or later.
This can also look like commenting on posts or making your own posts. You can even meet people in real life and then keep in touch on Linkedin.
Then, opportunities come to YOU, because you built that basic level of trust with others who are looking for people, just like you, to help them solve their business problems through the technical skills you have.
Since now they know who you are, they will not spend time looking for a new candidate, you are now top of mind for them when they are hiring.
What does it look like to have ‘opportunity come to you’ ?
This process looks different for each person, but a common thread is having a curious mindset and truly enjoying learning about the tech industry.
You can find advocates through different forms of networking: starting conversations, attending meetups, reaching out to new people, and having connection calls.
Francisco was looking for a job in Product Design, fresh out of bootcamp. He was applying and networking. In 6 months from when he started looking, he landed a gig at an agency. Without much effort, might I add!
Read about his experience ⬇️
This happens ALL the time.
Charles got a job out of Software Engineering bootcamp by connecting with the Founder of Fufild on Linkedin through a humorous comment.
Aiden spent 4 months connecting with people which led to a new Software Engineering job in tech.
Aaron wrote one post about his niche in Legal Tech, which led to a referral and then to a full-time job offer for a Software Engineer role.
Saman reconnected with a company founder after 3 months, only to find out that he was still hiring, resulting in a job offer as a Software Engineer.
People on Linkedin post all the time about getting referrals from co-workers, alumni and other places. Opportunities will appear when you are connecting with people through comments, posts, conversations.
Promise, this is not magic. ✨ Simply takes a bit of practice.
Why do referrals matter so much- let’s review the numbers shall we?
In 2023 the job market in the hiring in tech changed forever.
Gone are the days of sending your resume, waiting a few days, then getting an interview.
Interviews are harder to come by, whether it's your first job or fifth job in tech.
(That doesn't mean the jobs are not out there, there are more hidden jobs than you realize, and they go fast!)
Turns out, the rules of the job search have changed forever.
With Remote work being the new norm, relationships are the new currency.
There’s no office to ‘stop by’ and bring your resume. Many companies do not have an office anymore!
When every post for a job gets flooded with applicants within a day, you defintly do not want to rely on job boards. Remember, a job board is NOT a conversation.
For example, take a look at this Linkedin post, not even a public job opening where you can submit your application, it’s a single post.
77 comments within 4 days, that means this 1 job posting, got at least 77 applications on Linkedin alone via the comments. This is usually on the low end of applicant numbers. If this was posted on a job board, it would have hundreds.
This post from the founder of the company is the only place he posted publicly - he is running a startup and can’t afford to sort through resumes, so posting on Linkedin is a good place to find candidates. A small portion of the comments is shown below, but they all sound and look alike ⬇️
How likely do you think 1 person, a company founder will go through all the 77 comments, each one advertising themselves as a fit?
Not likely because he has a company to run.
IMAGINE, if you had connected with this founder BEFORE he posted publicly, what are the chances of you getting in front of the line? VERY HIGH.
Candidates with referrals are 4x more likely to get hired than candidates from other sources.
Even though referrals reflect only 7% of applicants, referrals account for 40% of new hires.
Let’s make this more clear:
Referrals account for 40% of new hires. That means its becomes less and less likely for any candidate to get hired without referrals.
I am not saying cold applications don’t work at all, it’s simply this method of sending applications without a referral is becoming less effective over time.
In 2022, more than 58,000 bootcamp grads graduated that year
In 2023, across all universities, there are 100K+ grads with CS degrees
Just in 2024, there have been 46K layoffs across all the companies
That means that every year, more people in tech are switching jobs and looking for new jobs. People in tech of ALL levels, junior, mid, senior, are looking for new jobs, whether they want to or not.
If 851 people hit Submit within a week on an public application they found on a job board and 1 person is responsible for reviewing the apps- will the 305th person ever get seen?
Not physically possible.
In reality, once the recruiter finds 10-15 qualified candidates they will pause reviewing applications.
IF we ALL collectively stop relying on submitting applications blindly to every remote job we see - we won’t have this problem.
Gone are the days when job applications were limited to location based employment. With remote work the new norm, the barrier to submitting an application are gone. The more people apply to the same role, the worse it get for everyone in the job market.
The lack of geographic barriers is creating chaos on the recruiting side. If anyone in the US can apply to a role, the numbers of applications will skyrocket.
That’s why we see every application get hundreds of applicants within a few hours.
No one person can phycially review all the applications sent from people all over the US. It’s just not happening.
Referrals get you to the ‘front of the line’. That’s why career connections are your new assets. Much more valuable than any resume and literally priceless.
This is also why many job openings, are never posted publicly. Recruiters and business leaders decide it’s faster to source candidates through cold outreach, through direct messaging potential qualified candidates, than sorting through 100s of applications.
Your connections, even if you have not met them yet, ARE the opportunities, they are simply not advertised as ‘jobs’ but as potential ‘conversations’.
Swipe right on more of your new connections, so your career growth will move in the right direction.
Strategies to create career connections
Networking.
Creating connections.
Asking for referrals.
It’s not a wierd scary monster.
There’s an etiquette and strategy to the process of creating connections. Just like there is when you are meeting someone on a first date. Oftentimes, simply being yourself and showing up is half the battle.
If you can show up to meet new people in any context, you’re already on your way to creating connections, you just don’t know it yet.
Sometimes a casual conversation can turn into a potential job opportunity.
You NEVER KNOW!
Never underestimate the power of a casual conversation about anything, it doesn’t have to be career related. The purpose is to connect on a human level, learn something new about the other person.
Making connections happen directly, through Linkedin DMs or in less obvious ways such as engaging in the Linkedin comments or meeting people who have similar hobbies at events.
Instead of sending your resume down the rabbit hole of the typical screening process, creating connections are the most effective strategy to build a fulfilling career. Especially if you’re looking for a better job with better pay 💵
10 Strategies to create career connections:
Message recruiters + hiring managers about roles
DM with employees in a company of interest
Check-in with your alumni from any schools you attended
Post about yourself on Linkedin
Track new job posts on Linkedin and message the post author
Comment on popular content creators on Linkedin in your industry
Reach out to your 1st and 2nd connections on Linkedin to ask for intros
Join niche communities to network
Attend events related to your hobbies
Attend career fairs
This list covers the most common strategies to network. However, some of them are more effective than others. You may be inclined to do some and not others.
Identify those strategieis that work for who YOU are, and practice those. Not every networking strategy works for everyone, pick and choose as you go.
Most importantly, these strategies are most effective when done in combination with each other. The difference between effective and ineffective is whether the strategies are getting you results. Results means having conversations with people who can have a meaningful impactful on your career.
That looks like finding mentorship, a new job, referrals, intros to others.
You can also create career connection INTERNALLY in your company by:
Schedule monthly 1:1s with a few people from your team and outside teams
Ask your manager for intros to people on other teams
Schedule monthly 1:1 with your manager if you don’t have them yet
Join company slack channels related to hobbies or personal interests to meet new people
Notice what strategy you gravitate towards and can put into practice consistently. It’s the showing up consistently to practice it, that matters, not the exact strategy.
Most common mistakes when networking
You can start very motivated but quickly lose steam due to a lack of results in the first few weeks. That simply means certain strategies are not working and it’s time for a change. If something’s not working, change your strategy, there are so many of them!
10 Most common networking mistakes include:
Reach out to too few people per week (<20 people per week is too little!)
Forget to update your Linkedin profile with complete experience, personalized About intro, and accurate Profile title
Accept a connection request but never follow up with a welcome message
Have people accept your connection request, but don’t follow up with a conversation starter
Not asking for a connection call if that’s your goal
Not asking for referrals if that’s your goal
Expecting the other person to ‘continue’ the conversation
Posting on Linkedin but not responding to any comments
Only reaching out to recruiters
Only having conversation with peers at your level
BONUS: Having a great conversation and then never following up to check-in a month later
Don’t give up because you had 3 conversations in a month and think, well, this ‘networking’ isn’t working.
You needs both quality of people AND quantity of people in order to fully leverage the power of career connections. Get active on Linkedin, or within your company or even in a hobby - whatever makes sense for you - get active in ANY COMMUNITY you have access to.
Promise, this works. ✨ Look alive people 👀
Why you can’t swipe left on career connections
Your connections are your lifeline to a fulfilling job in many ways.
They will help you determine if a company is the right one for you.
They will help you get promoted and advocate for you internally.
The most impactful connections will have your back, helping you see the most valuable skills you bring to the team, your job, your career.
No one’s career is an island. For the most part, you are on a team, working with other people, creating projects together.
Your network helps you access career choices that you would not otherwise have available.
Build a network of career connections that have your back - start with the people you know today - whether you just started a bootcamp or are 5 years into your career in tech, keep up with those connections you know today.
Your connections ARE your career. Make them count.