Module 3: Prepare for the Job Search

Throughout this program, you will work closely with the career team to prepare for the job search upon your completion of the course.

The goal of the career 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. 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 FinTech. 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 Resources

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. Creddle

    Creddle is a free resume building website. It's an online tool that helps you build, format, and customize your resume. After you're done, embed it on your website, print it out, or save it as a pdf.

  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 curious minds to read, write, and think about a wide range of topics, including technology.

  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 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

Additional Resources

This is Stack Overflow for beginners. 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.