4 Ways to Stand Out When Pursuing a Tech Job
Technology keeps advancing at a brisk pace, touching all types of jobs at all sorts of companies and opening up a world of possibilities to people with all kinds of technical skills. As the digital landscape continues to evolve and previously unfathomable technology hits the market, old jobs die out and new jobs are born, both in and out of the tech sector.
Tech jobs are in high demand because everyone needs developers, designers, and coders these days. With technology becoming more deeply integrated into all aspects of our daily lives, more and more tech jobs emerge, often offering generous salaries and great prospects for career development.
However, this high demand comes with high expectations, making the competition for tech jobs fierce, especially for entry-level positions. This is why you need to channel your energy into standing out from the crowd. Of course, you can do this to some degree through your skills and portfolio, but you’ll also need a stellar resume to capture a potential employer’s attention.
Your resume is usually the first thing a recruiter will see when you apply for a job. Contained within that single page should be enough relevant information about your experience and skills to move you to the next stage of the process. It is difficult to cram your entire work history and tech expertise into a single page, but employers need a quick, easy way to preview the numerous candidates vying for their jobs.
Your resume is your calling card, and it should highlight the skills and experience you bring to the table, enticing the hiring manager to look further into you. With tech startups constantly popping up, you never know where your opportunity might appear, so make sure you’re ready when the moment comes.
To be certain that your job application is up to scratch, get our experts to write or overhaul your resume to optimize it for hiring managers and applicant tracking systems. No matter who you are or what kind of tech job you’re after, you can always benefit from professional help with this essential document.
So, how can you stand out from the crowd when pursuing a tech job?
1. Upgrade your tech skills
Technology is constantly changing, and companies want someone who has up-to-date knowledge of all the latest tech tools and the skills to not only do their job but also grow and improve at it. In the tech field, tools and procedures quickly become obsolete, so staying on top of your game requires following closely the latest developments and mastering the latest tools and approaches.
It’s not just about technical demands, though: Employers want people who are interested in continuous learning and self-improvement and excited about the job. The more passion an employee has, the more likely they’ll be to go the extra mile or develop an innovative solution to a complex problem.
Therefore, if you’re feeling a bit rusty or out of the loop, work on your skills. If you believe that a certification course would help, go ahead and look into that, but in general, formal courses are unnecessary if you work in software. There’s an abundance of free online resources you can tap to hone your tech skills, and dedicated autodidacts tend to be more versatile than those who learned their tech skills in school. Given the rapid pace of technological changes, university courses quickly become outdated, and learning on your own forces you to figure things out yourself. Doing your own projects can bolster your tech skills while also expanding your portfolio.
2. Do your research
Once you start searching for vacancies, work on getting to know your target companies better. Do some research into their corporate culture, financial trajectory, short- and long-term goals, and employee satisfaction. This is important for any job—it’s not just about the requirements or responsibilities but also about the work environment.
For tech jobs, you also want to know what a company expects from applicants, including what tools or software they should be well-versed in. Some employers may be stricter than others, but most will expect you to be skilled at using certain tools. Be ready to answer any questions you might be asked during a job interview and back up your claims with solid examples. Additionally, you should prepare your own questions for the interviewer.
Take some time to figure out what skills you might be missing and how you can learn them. Remember: Arriving at a job interview without any knowledge of the company is a surefire way to demonstrate lack of interest, so invest time in preparation, even if it feels tedious at times.
3. Clean up your digital footprint
In today’s world, every employer googles their potential team members, so make sure that your online presence says what you want it to say about you. Comb through your profiles and consider what a potential hiring manager might think if they saw your pictures and posts.
Start by removing any unsavory elements from your social media profiles, such as party pics or controversial comments. You’ll also want to untag any compromising photos of yourself and delete (or hide) any political rants you might have posted in the heat of the moment. In addition, you should try to make your digital presence work in your favor. When used right, social media can provide a great boon to your job application, showcasing your competency and professionalism to potential employers.
If you have a blog or a website, use it to highlight your interests, passions, and soft skills. Meanwhile, social media can help you establish a presence in your field—for example, you can publish carefully thought-out posts and engage with peers. You may even consider creating new professional accounts and keeping them separate from your personal ones. Whatever you put out on the internet for the world to see says a lot about who you are as a person, so don’t forget to consider what it says about you as an employee.
4. Be prepared
Since technology is constantly advancing and changing, tech jobs can appear seemingly out of nowhere, so you should always be prepared to seize exciting new opportunities at the drop of a hat. Staying abreast of the latest developments in your area will tip you off to new opportunities, while cultivating a mindset of adaptability will help you weather the AI storm and use it to your advantage.
Whether someone in your network put you in touch with a person looking to fill a vacancy or you got invited to interview by one of the companies you reached out to, you want to be ready with a short elevator pitch about your qualifications and a digital copy of your resume you can forward at any given time. Stay up to date on any relevant news and advances in your field so you don’t scramble for words and ideas when the pressure is on. Keep working on your portfolio as well, particularly if you’re aiming to join promising startups—they’ll often care far more about your practical skills than your formal education.
For help and guidance throughout the job search and interview process, check out our professional services for job success and let our team of experts support you on your career journey.
