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Getting hired in tech

A strategy for standing out as a uniquely qualified candidate in a noisy field of prospects—without turning the job hunt into a numbers game.

Chazona Baum
Chazona Baum@chazonabaum.com
Oct 19, 20198 min read1 read

Welcome!

757COLORCODED

We exist to empower and educate local people of color to achieve careers in technology and improve their lives.

https://757colorcoded.org
https://757ColorCoded.slack.com
@757ColorCoded

Upcoming events:

HI!

I’m Chazona Baum
Mother, web developer, technology generalist, career coach
@ChazonaCodes

Graphic Design, Computer Literacy Training, Customer Relations, Web and Software Development, Emerging Technologies, Software Architecture, Deployment & Operations, Software Engineering Management, Project Management

WHAT I’M DOING

Technical & Career Dev Principal Technologist
Project Management, Technical Leadership, People Management & Hiring, Career Mentorship

MAXX Potential: the technology talent incubator
We open doors to transformational opportunities for people from all walks of life.
https://maxxpotential.com/apprentice/
Our mission: to bridge education and industry

Upcoming Career Labs:

Why A Career in Tech?

AGENDA

  • Resumes
  • Cover Letters
  • Interviews
  • Networking
  • Negotiation
  • Additional Tools

RESUMES

Your first impression

RESUMES

  • What’s in a Resume?
  • Tired Tropes
  • Pro Tips
  • Resources

WHAT’S IN A RESUME?

  • Contact information
  • Experience
  • Relevant Skills
  • Education
  • Awards

The challenge of life, I have found, is to build a resume that doesn’t simply tell a story about what you want to be, but it’s a story about who you want to be. - Oprah Winfrey

TIRED TROPES

  • The HR Red Flags
  • The Selfie Application
  • The Bloated Objectives
  • The Skill Stars
  • The Keyword Stuffers
  • HR Red Flags
  • Possible discriminatory information
  • Parental Status
  • Marriage Status
  • Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation
  • HR is about consistency
  • Photo
  • Takes up valuable space and contributes nothing to hiring value
  • Objectives
  • Most lack value or would be better as cover letter
  • Don’t waste valuable space!
  • Skill Ratings/Keywords
  • No one knows what 3 out of 5 in JavaScript means
  • Use concrete examples of what you have done or can do to show these
  • Give me a list of skills with no qualifiers, and it’s fair game to ask about any of them

PRO TIPS

  • Start with value
  • Use words from the job description
  • Actions (w/ action verbs) and numbers speak volumes
  • Career Changer? Plan to Cover Letter

RESOURCES

COVER LETTER

Your elevator pitch

COVER LETTERS

  • What’s in a Cover Letter?
  • Tired Tropes
  • Pro Tips
  • Resources

WHAT’S IN A COVER LETTER?

  • Contact info
  • Greeting
  • Who are you and why are you writing?
  • Skills, qualifications and accomplishments
  • What do you bring to the table?
  • Closing

TIRED TROPES

  • The English Class Cover Letter
  • The No Cover Letter Application
  • The Copypasta
  • The Land Mine
  • The English Class Cover Letter
  • Boring
  • Identical information (“…applying because I saw your posting for x and I’m a good fit…thanks for the opportunity…”)
  • Wastes time
  • Doesn’t convey your unique qualifications
  • No Cover Letter
  • Wasted opportunity—THIS is your spotlight moment
  • Sometimes required, so shows can’t follow directions
  • The Copypasta
  • Can only show uniquely qualified for the job if the CL is unique
  • The Land Mine
  • The spelling and grammar version of Grammarly is free—please use it
  • If English is not your first language, please ask someone to read over it

PRO TIPS

  • Start with value
  • Use words from the job description
  • Take inspiration from trashy novels: hook from the first sentence

I always encourage people to learn the basics and nail the basics. Take the time to customize your resume and cover letter to reflect your qualifications, your research on the specific company and position, and how you believe you can add value. - Kathryn Minshew

RESOURCES

INTERVIEWS

Talk the talk, then walk the walk

INTERVIEWS

  • Typical Interviews
  • Tired Tropes
  • Pro Tips
  • Resources

TYPICAL INTERVIEWS

  • Professional
  • Phone
  • Culture Fit
  • Technical
  • Concepts (Phone)
  • Practical
  • Whiteboard
  • Pair Programming
  • Take Home Project

Get to know the job intimately that you’re applying for. Don’t just read the job description—study it and picture yourself performing every task required of you. When you interview, framing your responses so that you reveal your significant knowledge about the job gives you a massive advantage. - Travis Bradberry

TIRED TROPES

  • The No Show
  • The Silent Picture Show
  • The No Show
  • You lose 100% of the shots you don’t take
  • The Silent Picture Show
  • Tell me what’s in your head
  • Hiring managers aren’t clairvoyant
  • May be able to help get you back on track

PRO TIPS

  • You should be a storyteller
  • Sweating a technical? Keep talking
  • We’re watching your process more than your solution
  • Practice doesn’t make perfect, but the confidence makes you better

If you can’t relax during your interview, then nothing you do to prepare will matter. Being yourself is essential to the selection process, and interviewers will feel it if you’re too nervous. Showing fear or anxiety appears weak compared to a relaxed smile and genuine confidence. - Travis Bradberry

RESOURCES

NETWORKING

Your community is your superpower

Networking has been cited as the number one unwritten rule of success in business. Who you know really impacts what you know. - Sallie Krawcheck

NETWORKING

  • What is networking?
  • Opportunities in our community
  • Tired Tropes
  • Pro Tips
  • Resources

WHAT IS NETWORKING?

  • Building relationships in your industry community
  • Not for the purpose of your own benefit
  • Can lead to job and other opportunities

One of the challenges in networking is everybody thinks it’s making cold calls to strangers. Actually, it’s the people who already have strong trust relationships with you, who know you’re dedicated, smart, a team player, who can help you. - Reid Hoffman

OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY

  • 757ColorCoded
  • Code4HR
  • Meetups, like:
  • Norfolk Go Meetup
  • Norfolk.js
  • These groups could use:
  • Volunteers to help with events
  • Speakers
  • Technical skills

TIRED TROPES

  • The Bad Boyfriend/Girlfriend
  • The Creeper
  • The Hostile Takeover
  • The Bad Boyfriend/Girlfriend
  • Just there for the food & jobs
  • It’s all about them
  • You feel used once it’s over
  • The Creeper
  • Take it slow, this is an opportunity to build social skills
  • Take no to mean no, the first time
  • The Hostile Takeover
  • Be yourself, but let the meetup’s structure remain

PRO TIPS

  • Pick something you’re passionate about: it doesn’t have to be the tech
  • Give more than you take, as a rule
  • If you start your own group, get some friends to help

We all have a gift; we all have a passion—it’s just about finding it and going into it. Being an asset to your family and community. - Angela Bassett

RESOURCES

NEGOTIATION

Your final make-or-break moment

NEGOTIATION

  • What is negotiation?
  • The Caveat
  • Tired Tropes
  • Pro Tips
  • Resources

WHAT IS NEGOTIATION?

  • Hiring is a business transaction
  • Labor for compensation
  • Negotiation should even the trade

THE CAVEAT

Don’t negotiate for a job you can’t afford to lose

TIRED TROPES

  • The Wishy-Washy
  • The Dunning Kruger
  • The Sob Story
  • The Workers’ Warrior
  • The Hostage Taker
  • The Wishy-Washy
  • If you’re going to do it, commit
  • Don’t let yourself show less enthusiasm for the job than you have due to nervousness
  • The Dunning Kruger
  • Be sure to do your research in advance
  • Entry level has less bargaining power than senior talent
  • Don’t come off as pompous
  • The Sob Story
  • Don’t make it about your needs
  • Keep it to your value
  • The Workers’ Warrior
  • Do the research, but present your value
  • Don’t argue your increase on basis of market averages
  • The Hostage Taker
  • Businesses do not negotiate with terrorists

PRO TIPS

  • Don’t negotiate for a job you can’t afford to lose
  • Connect your ask with your value
  • Starting out?
  • How soon could your pay be re-evaluated?
  • How aggressively could it increase if you exceed expectations?
  • Aim for the win-win: zero-sum favors the employer

RESOURCES

ADDITIONAL TOOLS

Filling your toolbox with opportunities

ADDITIONAL TOOLS

  • Informational Interviews
  • Mentorship
  • Resources

INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS

  • What is it really like to work this job?
  • Do you even want the job you’re pursuing?
  • What will your day-to-day be like?
  • How will you get ahead?

MENTORSHIP

RESOURCES

The following are great to start with:

Emphasize your strengths on your resume, in your cover letters and in your interviews. It may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people simply list everything they’ve ever done. Convey your passion and link your strengths to measurable results. Employers and interviewers love concrete data. - Marcus Buckingham

THANKS!

Any questions?

You can find me at:
@chazonacodes

chazona@chazonabaum.com

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