Tips & Stats from a Successful Job Search

on updates

I started my job search with no idea how it would turn out. All I hoped for was to get an offer with a company I was excited to work at with great opportunities to flex my coding muscles. I aimed for one offer and got five in two weeks. Here’s how!

Things to note:

  • My sample sizes are very low. I didn’t intend on the search ending so quickly, and thus I don’t have a ton of data to work with. I collected detailed data throughout the application process, but unfortunately most of it is not significant enough to report on.
  • Job search strategies need to vary person by person. What works for me might not work for you.
  • I collected 2 types of data: application stats, and time spent on various job app activities (I tracked my time using Toggl)
  • Unless specified, the stats do not show which opportunities I did not pursue. For example, if I got a coding challenge, and did not do it, I did not include it.

Stats:

  • Volume is important. Most places I applied to never responded.
  • Emailing works, using existing contacts is even better. Almost every time I had a referral, I got at least a courtesy phone screen.
  • Coding challenges are a very practical way to show your skills. If a company you love gives you a coding challenge, SPEND TIME ON IT. With that being said, it’s important to find a balance in the job search and spending significant time on ALL activities.

Advice:
Applying

  1. The spray and pray method (extreme volume applying) did not work for me, however, you DO need to send out a lot of applications since it is a numbers game since you can’t control if/when your application materials will be seen on the other side.
  2. For companies you’d love to work at, write cover letters and emails from scratch- that means NO TEMPLATES. Sure it takes a hell of a lot more time to do it, but in the chance that people DO read your cover letter, it will fare better if it reads as genuine. I spent a LOT of time writing cover letters to places I wanted to work at, and every time I got a response from someone, it was VERY clear that they actually read my cover letter. If someone is going to read something you wrote, write something worth reading.
  3. Pick a project you’re proud about (from a code and functionality perspective), and write about it in your cover letter. You want to give a hiring manager a chance to see a good, representative code sample in the case that they open your cover letter.
  4. Be protective of your time. I’m very serious about how I spend my time and tracked every minute of my job app process using toggl. Keeping track of how you’re spending your time is important to maintain balance, sanity and consistency during the search.
  5. Mental health is the NUMBER ONE priority. There were days when I wanted to be near other job seekers, but other times, I just needed to be AWAY. Being able to recognize what you need AND acting on it, is paramount to success.
  6. Write down a list of things you are looking for, a reason why, and how each of these things rank against each other. At the end of a job search, you might have different offers to evaluate, and picking at that time what you want to value is going to be much more difficult.
  7. The job search is a full-time job. The application process goes a lot more smoothly if you do it as a full time activity. Seriously.

In Person Interviewing

  1. Just be honest. I’m not sure the number of times I said “I don’t know, but I’d love to learn” during my interviews. On the job, you’re never going to know all the answers, it’s important to show that you’re going to be straightforward when things aren’t going as planned. That being said, even when I didn’t know something and admitted it, I would also say what my intuition was on the subject, or what I would do next to figure it out.
  2. The story is important. You need to know how/why you got to where you are. Speaking about my journey was a key part of all of my interviews. Be able to connect the dots looking back.
  3. Be prepared to discuss the relevancy of previous roles. I found myself at an advantage because of my former jobs were in tech, but regardless, it’s important to know how your previous experience contributes to your current success. Communication skills and being able to manage projects came up over and over again in my interviews.
  4. Find something about the company to be truly excited about. Sure maybe the core business idea of the company might not be completely compelling, but maybe they are solving interesting logistical problems, have a strong focus in design, etc.
  5. Never forget that you are interviewing the company too. As questions you’d want to know before joining this company. Make sure it’s really a place you want to work. Be thorough and clarify any doubts you may have. I always ask about the company’s financial situation, what the attrition rate is among employees (specifically in this role), and what women friendly policies exist.

Coding Challenges

  1. For coding challenges, have a solid commit history and a thorough readme. The readme is a great place to note features you didn’t get to. Even if they don’t ask for a hosted version of the challenge, provide one anyway.
  2. Be careful with commenting, try and make your code readable and intuitive without excessive commentary.
  3. Be thorough. Are you using ES6? If so, are you using a transpiler? Small details matter.
  4. Write clean code. One of my last commits in every project is something like “Clean Up code.” I always do a pass over all files in order to make sure all the details are perfect.
  5. Be prepared to explain ALL design decisions. Frameworks, ES-whatever, file/folder structure, method/variable naming, CSS decisions, etc are ALL fair game. I’ve been asked about ALL of the above in interviews.
  6. Use the coding challenge as a chance to judge the company. A coding challenge might be an indication of how well you might like a role, and/or how thoughtful people at a company are. Do they force you to use a particular technology? Are their mockups well made? Do they provide you enough information to get started? Do they give you an adequate amount of time to finish the assignment? These are all things to consider.

Negotiation

  1. No advice here, I just read Haseeb’s negotiating tips a few times a week.

Choosing an Offer

  1. Create a spreadsheet with a side-by-side comparison of what various companies are offering you. Make sure to include areas to fill out feelings. Offer Comparison
  2. Talk to people inside and outside the industry. People within the industry will give you an idea of what to look for and red flags to watch out for. People outside the industry can give you an outsiders perspective, but also just tips on how to find a suitable workplace.
  3. Think back to how excited you were to apply to the company. Is there a reason you applied to this company in the first place?
  4. Balance thoughts of short term and long term priorities. In the short time you need to learn, and learn in a supportive environment. However, the first company you go to does not have to be the place you work at for the next 5 years. Optimize for what is realistic.
  5. If it’s really hard to choose, don’t worry, either path is probably great!