Two Ways to Get Noticed in the Tech Job Hunt

#career #linkedin #techjob #writing

You're fresh out of a bootcamp, a seasoned self-taught developer, maybe even have a CS degree under your belt. That's fine and dandy, but what can you do to catch the eyes of potential employers in tech? What can you do to pole vault yourself into interviews and even offers?

These are in no particular order!

Cold Email the Recruiter

Applying to a job and calling it a day may work for some, but when you're breaking into tech, go the extra mile. After you apply to a job, email the recruiter. Jobs on LinkedIn sometimes have the individual who posted the job listed, but many of them don't (if the person who posted the job is listed, skip down to the Cold Email Time header). Go to LinkedIn and search for the company where you applied.

For example:

From there, click on the company's profile page (Postman in this case), and find and click on the employees:

Then you'll look for the All filters button towards the top right. Click on that and then scroll down the different filters until you get to the keywords section. There you can type in recruiter under title:

From there, look for the recruiter who works with tech talent, or has the most experience at the company.

Cold Email Time

Even if you don't have LinkedIn premium (which you don't need!), you can and should send a message to the recruiter. Please note that sending a note along with your connection request is NOT available on the LinkedIn mobile app at the time of this writing.

Check this out to learn how to hone your cold email skills.

Thanks to Ian, who has a Tech Interview Guide for showing this on his Twitch steam.

Find an Error in the Job Description and @ the Company

Not every job description has errors in it, but you'd be surprised how many do! This strategy got me a job interview, here's what happened:

This goes to show that it's always important to do your due diligence when looking for work. Read the job description, research the company, and make sure you have a solid understanding of why you fit the role you're applying for.

Whilst being discerning, if you see a glaring mistake in the job description like this, use it your advantage. Tweet at the company, and say you're applying while pointing out the mistake. Hiring managers don't want to have mistakes out in the public, but you can use that to get your foot in the door.

Don't be afraid to see if the door is unlocked 😉

The worst things companies can say to you is no. Don't let rejections get you down. It's part of the journey, and you'll go further faster if you focus on what you can control. Hope these tips help you in the job hunt!