Name: Rodrigo Diaz
Title: Front end developer
#CNC2022 Get a Job Cohort: #CNC2022 "Get a Job"
Introduction
I'm Rodrigo Diaz, I'm switching careers and have been having a bit of trouble getting that first tech job. That's the reason I joined the #CNC2022 "Get a Job" cohort. To get some tips to help me get that job.
I have tried coding some years ago but realised I didn't had a structure when I was learning by myself, so this time I decided to get a proper structure so I enrolled in a bootcamp. After that I have been keeping busy keeping learning some more while applying for jobs.
My expectations were simple, just get some tips and pointers to help me out in this process, I knew it was going to be hard to get the first job, but it honestly can be a bit frustrating.
Hey all! I'm Rodrigo, ex flight attendant, and in 2020 I lost my job so I'm looking to stat a job in web development.
My main skills are in Front End (I have a background in architecture as well) and in junior/entry level; I would like to improve my self confidence, you know... imposter syndrome.
My ideal jobs is front end developer :)
Mission 1
The first mission was to do a research of different companies that we would like to work for, what kind of companies are they? what is their tech stack? how big are they? are they hiring? etc. And then we had to pick our top 3.
This was a bit eye opening, I realised I tend to be drawn to companies that are very creative and that I would like to get a job as front end developer rather than any job in tech.
- Roam Creative - not so surprised to see it in my list.
- Phosphor - a bit surprised to see it in my list.
- Psychoactive studios - not surprised to see them on my list, I love their work
Mission 2
Mission 2 was all about social profiles, dev, github, linkedin, twitter, etc. Time to tell the world what I do! and show what I have done!
I already had some links like Linkedin, Github and twitter, so I had to update these with new information, it felt good to do it, somehow a bit official to call myself a front end developer.
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rodrigohdiaz
Github: github.com/rodrigohdiaz
Dev: dev.to/rodrigohdiaz
Website: rodrigohdiaz.gatsbyjs.io
Twitter: @rodrigohdiaz
Mission 3
This mission was a little bit challenging, taking me out of my confort zone. It was about contacting people from any of the companies that I shortlisted or some people that I admire their job, message them and try to get a meet up.
I sent a couple of messages through Linkedin and one person got back to me, so we arranged a time and place for a catch up and he was really nice, asked me to send him my CV and gave me a couple of pointers about it, and told me about his workplace and the culture in there.
I have to say, this is way out of my comfort zone, but was happy to reach out to a couple of people. One of them wanted to catch up and so we did. It was a really interesting experience, as in my case he was really nice and approachable and we talked about the same experience about how hard it is to get a job and offered to have a look at my Linkedin and my CV and gave me a feedback.
About my job approach, I think this is an interesting approach not follow by many people and could put us in their radar, at the beginning it might be very frightening but practice makes perfect, right? the more we do it, the more confident we will end up approaching new people and get us closer to landing a job.
Mission 4
This mission was to choose 3 projects to display in a portfolio.
I have been learning a bit of Gatsby.js so I worked on a simple website to display 3 projects, I do know this website is very simple (yet), but will be working on it little by little.
Here's a link of my website with a portfolio/projects link...
rodrigohdiaz.gatsbyjs.io/
The best tips I've been given and that I have used on interviews:
- If you don't have an answer at that moment, ask for a little bit of time to think about it, or if it is possible to come back at that question later in the interview.
- It is ok to bring a notebook with some answers prepared.
- Dress for the job you want.
- Always have at least one question to ask them at the end of the interview (or when prompted)
Final Reflections on #CNC2022's "Get a Job" Challenge
Overall, this challenge was very eye-opening. For me, I now dedicate more time applying for jobs, based on the job description, not only for a cover letter but also for the CV, I also learned the difference between a Resume and a CV. I thought they were two words to describe the same thing. About myself, I learned that I want a front end developer job, and not just any job in IT. I appreciate creativity and want to use mine in a job. It is about me liking not only the job, but also the place I'm working on. I also learned that the interview is a 2 way street, not only for the interviewer to get to know me/about me, but also for me to know about them, so I get to interview them as well to see if they are a good suit for me and my values.
The hardest part was to reach out to people that I haven't met before. The most fun was to get a feedback from one of these people, and hear what is like to work at one of the places I would like to work.
My advise to anyone else interested in joining this challenge is to make sure to dedicate time to this challenge, and be open to some feedback about your social profiles, linkedin, CV/Resume, etc.
What's Next
I'm getting more confident in my job search and my approach for applications. I have a brand new CV and I'm more comfortable in asking for feedback after an interview. So definitely feeling that job getting closer.
I can't wait to be able to participate in another challenge, I bet I'll learn more than I'll expect.
Top comments (1)
Congrats on completing the challenge, Rodrigo! Best wishes with your job search 💪🏽