How the top Grads break into Tech

You say you want a job in Tech but are you doing what it takes to make it happen?

Let me break down how to get it done:

🎨Create

If you've got no experience in Tech but want to work in Tech, what do you do? You can wait for someone to give you some experience and complain that it can't be done in the meantime. Or you can give some experience to yourself.

Non-technical roles: Start creating content. Launch a LinkedIn newsletter or a blog about the industry. Not an expert in tech yet? That’s fine you can summarise the tech news for this week.

Share what you find on LinkedIn and if you really want to get creative, send it to companies you're interested in working at or startups that could benefit from the info.

Now when you say you're passionate about Tech you can actually give some examples rather than just talking about it like almost everyone else.

Technical: Showcase your abilities, launch a website or an app and share it with your friends and family. If you do something this cool don't tell me you didn't bring it up in your interview (seriously please don't). Fill Github with your latest projects and link them in your CV, applications and LinkedIn. This stuff really makes a difference

📆 Attend Events

Join Tech Bootcamps and Tech careers events either in person or online. This is a great way to get insights and tips that could make all the difference when going after your target company. It’s also a great way to network.

After events connect with speakers on LinkedIn and let them know what you liked about their talk and build a relationship. We’re hosting a Tech careers event on April 27th "A day in the life of a Junior Tech professional", if you want insights on what it's like doing a technical role in Tech, I'll see you there. Register here.

🧠 Mentor 

Let’s be honest, you don’t really know which area of Tech you want to work in and where the right place for you to work is. And that's okay, everyone is just figuring it out and most students who 'know' exactly what they want to do with their career just haven't realised yet that they don't know what they don't know.

The only way to figure it out is to try some stuff and see how it feels.

But a mentor can help you understand some of the pros and cons of a range of career paths you can make an informed decision.

"But Tobi, I don't know any Tech mentors". How many people have you asked?

I've had a handful of Tech mentors looking for mentees over the last few months and I've been shocked by how few students have put their hands up to be mentored.

If you’re not signed up to our careers network yet you might have missed out. Join today and we’ll let you know when more mentors are available.

Apply 📩

The old fashioned way. Now, this is an obvious one, not what you expected when you started reading this right.

See a job you like? Don’t try to tell yourself all of the reasons why you can’t get it.

Faced a lot of rejection in the past? Everyone does, get some feedback, have a break if you need to, dust it off and go again. 

Just because you haven't got a job in Tech yet doesn't me you can't get one, it could be just around the corner. In fact, if you're looking for a Technical Grad scheme this role is live on our job board and could be the one for you, give it a shot.

Focus on what you bring to the table. Remember what Kanye said, “There’s a thousand Tech Companies, there’s only one of me”. 

Focus on the mission 🚀

“Technology companies are aiming to solve big problems, so focus on their larger mission when considering a new role and assess how your current skills and strengths can help these companies achieve, or even, further their mission.” Sarah Liu

If you're going into an interview with a Tech company, you need to be clear about what their mission is (because they'll be obsessed with it) and how you have a competitive advantage.

Maybe your advantage is that you’re a beginner.

For example, say you’re applying to work at my crypto startup and we offer a wallet for people to store their crypto. Our aim is to help educate people about crypto to get more people who aren’t already interested involved.

Now think how valuable it would be for us to have someone on the team to help us understand what’s clear and what isn’t. Does our marketing resonate with you?  You can help us understand.

When you’re a junior employee or new to a sector you have this advantage. Make that clear in your interview.

Network 🤝

“It’s all about who you know”.

Unfortunately or fortunately, Tech is one of those industries (like many others) where it really matters who you know. And no that isn't good for diversity and inclusion.

A referral can go a long way and help you get hired. Most tech companies have schemes that involve giving out cash prizes to employees who successfully refer a candidate for a job. That means if you reach out to someone and they refer you for a job, they might have done you a favour but you also made them look good and put £1,000 in their pocket.

Don’t know anyone in Tech?

Find accessible employees at your target companies on LinkedIn, like their posts, give them feedback or something of value and see if they’re up for a quick chat. Check out our full guide on How to Network for Jobs if you haven't got a scooby what you're doing.