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Took me ten days from sending my first dev job application to getting hired.
I've been extremely lucky and I don't take it for granted.
I've been extremely lucky and I don't take it for granted.
Had very low expectations because as I was made to understand, hiring generally slows down post-Thanksgiving, because there are so many holidays between weeks and many companies dial back on recruiting until 2021.
But Lambda School says it's important that you apply consistently (getting hired is a numbers game more than anything.)
Now I find applying tedious and I like to personalize applications (sometimes I build landing pages that become my application - eg http://elevenyellow.vercel.app )
Now I find applying tedious and I like to personalize applications (sometimes I build landing pages that become my application - eg http://elevenyellow.vercel.app )
So I was making two applications a day, and within a week and a half-ish, I was in the final stages of one of my favorite companies of the set.
While I still have ways to go (after all, I've been coding for 1 year and four months), I thought it might be interesting for people as inexperienced as I am.
You can see me logging my application process and status here. Most places won't even reply 
Also left preemptive notes to sorta 'guess' ahead of time what my weakness/advantages were. See 'I thought my cover letter was excellent but oh well?' that's the company I work for today.
The CEO, on our first call, said "your cover letter was a breath of fresh air in the pile."
The CEO, on our first call, said "your cover letter was a breath of fresh air in the pile."
Learned to 'guess' who I was applying to and to optimize my application for them:
This was the 'winning' cover letter
A bit unorthodox but I try to walk the line -
A bit unorthodox but I try to walk the line -
Really thought I did a thing here, but I was aired 
Anyhoo.
Anyhoo.
What did I learn from this process:
Lean into your strengths: I'm a natural at behavioral interviews, so on someone's advice, I shed the applicant-speak and let my personality shine. My CV and portfolio were pretty template-y before I decided to make it more mogwai-ish.
Lean into your strengths: I'm a natural at behavioral interviews, so on someone's advice, I shed the applicant-speak and let my personality shine. My CV and portfolio were pretty template-y before I decided to make it more mogwai-ish.
Be consistent. This is something I struggle with. But I committed to sending two applications a day no matter how hectic my schedule. I also coached myself not to take rejections personal.
Tough, but helpful.
Tough, but helpful.
If you can, invest in proper lighting, strong internet, your dressing and environment.
A slight glitch at any point can be disastrous. May tell your interviewer that you're gonna have 'technical challenge' excuses.
A slight glitch at any point can be disastrous. May tell your interviewer that you're gonna have 'technical challenge' excuses.
(bonus silliness : this application, http://vundie.myshopify.com got me so far down a senior react dev hiring process before I was fished out )
: this application, http://vundie.myshopify.com got me so far down a senior react dev hiring process before I was fished out )
This deceived the team into thinking I was a senior with these business-side thoughts
Sat with the technical team and gosh, it was probably the worst experience in my life. Taught me not to overdo.
Sat with the technical team and gosh, it was probably the worst experience in my life. Taught me not to overdo.
Even though I had 'recommended' templates for cover letters, I rarely used them.
They just seemed so lifeless to me (a little background: given my previous experience as head of departments, I know how my eyes glaze over when I read applications. I'm strongly biased against it as a result.)
Just look at this. It's nice, I guess.
Just look at this. It's nice, I guess.
I was also learning and adapting on the fly. My favorite motivation is a quote I read once that said "the difference between a dev going from never having heard of a pattern, idea, method or tool to having working knowledge is usually days."
So every time I bungled an interview, I just added to my bank of things to learn.
It was sometimes unsettling - eg by the time I was applying, I'd completely forgotten Redux, (most) react Hooks, etc.
But re-familiarizing was *pretty* quick.
It was sometimes unsettling - eg by the time I was applying, I'd completely forgotten Redux, (most) react Hooks, etc.
But re-familiarizing was *pretty* quick.
Some specific compliments I received during my application that I think are worth nothing:
1. My github graph. Most people didn't care specifically what I was committing daily. They just thought it was a good sign that I was self-motivated and constantly learning.
1. My github graph. Most people didn't care specifically what I was committing daily. They just thought it was a good sign that I was self-motivated and constantly learning.
2. My projects. Quite a number of interviewers thought I had fairly good design instincts. One said I liked to have fun
Funny story: I used to lie about my years of experience (I'd say 2, or 3) because I'd wrongly internalized the idea that rookies will be kicked out the premises immediately.
But the thing is I go from good to average/bad when you pair my work with 3 years' experience.
But the thing is I go from good to average/bad when you pair my work with 3 years' experience.
So I started saying the truth, and surprisingly - suddenly my work became impressive. What's more - it told recruiters that I was a 'rising star', as the kids say.
(It is also important for me to mention that Lambda School has career coaching sessions which I tried to faithfully attend to get into the heads of recruiters. This really shortened my experimentation: for many things I didn't rely on 'experience' as teacher. )
