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Matt C
Matt C

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Job Search Tips 101

I hope these tips help focus the CodeChallenge #cnc2021 job hunters. What would you add/subtract?

  1. Find organizations that interest you.
  2. Research organization.
    • Use: Google, Linkedin, Twitter,
    • Learn about its competitors,
    • Note recent important news (Good or bad),
    • Prepare company spreadsheet for info (Basic or detailed, up to you),
  3. Study Job Description.
    • What do you have?
    • What don't you have? (Less Important)
  4. Write out YOUR answers for common interview questions.
    • Tell me a little about yourself,
    • What are your biggest strengths & weaknesses?
    • Where do you see yourself (In x years, up to you)?
    • Describe your dream job,
    • Why did you leave your last position or What have you done during your employment gap?
    • Why do you want this job?
    • What type of work environment do you prefer?
    • How would your co-workers or managers describe you?
    • Why are you the best candidate for this role?
    • What achievement(s) are you most proud of?
    • Tell me about a challenge you’ve faced at work and how you dealt with it?
  5. Practice your answers out loud.
    • Make it feel natural,
  6. STAR: Situation, Task, Action, & Result.
    • Explain the Situation; set the 'stage,'
    • Task; discuss the task set out for you
    • Action; explain the specific actions you took to handle the situation.
    • Result; describe the outcome you reached through your actions
    • Finally; tie it back to their position with your final sentence.

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Top comments (5)

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anitabe404 profile image
Anita Beauchamp

In addition to finding orgs that interest you, I would say find industries that interest you (and then search for companies that operate within those industries). Sometimes there are smaller, lesser-known companies within an industry that have a huge impact.
Furthermore, having industry or domain knowledge (in addition to your coding knowledge) can really set you apart. I feel that the best engineers/programmers are the ones who understand the operational/use case of the product as well as the business case.

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mccurcio profile image
Matt C

Good point, you're correct, domain knowledge is key as well.

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andrewbaisden profile image
Andrew Baisden

Great tips.

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mccurcio profile image
Matt C

;)

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adiatiayu profile image
Ayu Adiati

Well written, Matt! 😃
I've heard about STAR recently. And I think I still need to practice that