Action Step #1: Establish a shareable calendar (like Google Calendar) and block out time on your calendar now to adhere to these goals. Be prepared to show this calendar to your instructors during your portfolio review.
Action Step #2: Backwards plan for your big goal. What is your cut-off for ending the job search? When do you want to receive and sign an offer by?
- My cut-off for getting a job is whenever I get a job. Ideally, I'd like to get a job within 30 days of graduation or less. I will be traveling to San Diego for one of my best friend's weddings on April 21st, so the absolute latest I want a new position is before I fly out, so I can brag about my sweet new developer job, obviously.
Action Step #3: Based on what you outlined above, create monthly, weekly, and daily goals to reach in order to reach your big goal:
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Daily Goals: Consistently be coding and refining your craft. Reach out to the tech community on a daily basis for code review, coffee dates, and general networking. Build your brand by cleaning up your code, posting to LinkedIn, Denver Devs (Slack), and Twitter on a consistent basis.
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Weekly Goals: You should have at least one coffee date or meet-up scheduled each week. Immerse yourself in the tech world, get to know people, and get people to know you. Represent yourself well in the digital sphere, but don't stay confined to the screen: get out there! Grow your portfolio by consistently working on new projects and bettering old ones. Get better at code challenges and educate yourself on tech trends by reading articles and doing research on unfamiliar topics.
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Monthly Goals: Growing your network will take time, but each month you should know people by name at other companies. This can be former Turing grads, former teachers, or complete strangers. If you don't have a job already, you've narrowed down exactly the type of place you want to work. Culture is your biggest want at a company, so you should know precisely what companies fit your ideal. Each month you should have at least one interview, whether it's via phone, video, in-person, or technical.
For time spent coding during your first 30 days post-grad, consider:
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What skills would you like to improve or develop?
- Overall tech interview and coding challenges. Improve best practices for organizing large code bases. Learn more complex CSS transitions and animations.
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Are there areas from Turing's program that you feel weaker in? How will you level up?
- I feel weaker in accessibility standards for HTML and would like to refine these by going back through my older projects and improving them. My Our Planet and SpIRiT applications in particular would greatly benefit from accessibility improvements based on their targeted audience.
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Are there new languages or technologies you'd like to learn? How and when will you do that?
- I've wanted to educate myself on how to use Ruby and Python, as well as improve my knowledge of the constantly evolving changes to JS (ie ES6/ES7/ES8).
Action Step: Establish a “daily-practice” repository where you’ll put small daily exercises or work on issues from your own projects that you want to update to keep your skills sharp and your GitHub activity chart active. For your Mod 4 portfolio review, be prepared to describe to your instructors what you plan to work on to sharpen and advance your coding skills for the first 30 days of your job search.
- For my 'daily-practice' I have decided to build an app called
my-library. I have had this project on my mind for a while now and thought now is as good of a time as any to build it. For the past few years I have dedicated myself to reading at least 1-2 books each month. I like to keep track of what I've read, but some times I forgot to write it down and lose track. I also want to keep track of what books I haven't read or books that I would like to read. The general concept behind this app is to have two different bookshelves, one for books I have read and ones that I have yet to read. I would love for users to be able to log in and save their libraries as well. With all of this in mind, I plan on building the app with a Node.js backend and a Redux frontend.
As we've discussed, meeting people, forming relationships, and having conversations are the key pieces to getting your foot in the door at any company. It's important to be proactive in your approach to outreach and networking to stay on track during your first 30 days.
Action Step #1: Identify at least 3 individuals from companies you're tracking who could connect with during your first 30 days. Describe why you want to connect with these people and what you hope to talk about, when you will email them by, and what your follow-up will look like once you've met with them.
- Jesse White - Software Engineering Manager at Craftsy
- Craftsy reached out to me as a small business owner prior to them being acquired by NBC Universal. I have a fondness for handmade things and thing working with a company that shares the same sentiment would be exciting. I would love to talk to Jesse about how he things Craftsy is helping the handmade craft scene grow and flourish, especially in Denver. I would like to contact Jesse ASAP to see if he can grab coffee. This would give me an opportunity to see how Craftsy works and how connected the actually are to Denver's handmade community.
- James Abendroth - Senior Software Engineer at The Trade Desk, Inc.
- I used to work in the advertising industry and like The Trade Desk's approach to trying to reshape how advertising is viewed. I would love to see how they work on the development side through James. I also have a former roommate who works on the sales side of The Trade Desk and has nothing but good things to say about it. This is another person I want to reach out to ASAP to pick their brain about how the dev team is helping to work towards the goal of reshaping advertising. After initial contact, I'd like to meet for coffee and potentially tour the office up in Boulder.
- Keagan McClelland - Senior Developer at SALT
- I've become increasingly interested in cryptocurrency and think it's a very intriguing field to work in. I would like to talk to Keagan to really figure out how it works and what SALT is doing to fit into the crypto world. I have seen posting for FE developer positions and would like to know what their frontend team does. This is another person I would contact immediately after graduation and schedule a coffee data ASAP.
Action Step #2: Find 3 new meetups or other career networking events to join during your first 30 days post-grad and describe why you'll attend those particular events. How will attending these meetups benefit you in your job search? How can you contribute to the community of these meetups? If you're interested in speaking at any of these meetups, describe how you'll connect with the organizers to arrange that and give a brief (2-3 sentences) pitch on what you might talk about and why.
- Startup Speed Dating (Tuesday, March 6th)
- Having started a small business myself, I've been curious about working for a tech start-up. I think this would be a great opportunity to talk to a lot of start-ups in one fell swoop. This will give me a chance to really explore some new companies I may not have heard of and decide if a start-up is somewhere I can really see myself working.
- RxJS for All of Us by Sieg Nagel (Wednesday, March 7th)
- In all honesty, I know nothing about RxJs, but this was a Meetup that was well represented in the Denver Devs Slack channel. The people running it seem genuinely excited about RxJS, which makes me want to learn more. I think going to this will not only increase my knowledge about the wider world of JS, but will help me meet new people that have a fondness for learning and contributing to Denver's tech scene.
- March Developer Happy Hour (Tuesday, March 13th)
- This is an event I've meant to attend since I started Turing and have never managed to make it. It has a large amount of people that attend on a regular basis and I think it would be a great way to really start meshing with the Denver tech scene. As a former bartender, I've seen how events like this can be great for networking. This is an event I would love to attend regularly, even after getting a job.
Success in the job search means staying organized. The best way to do that is to have a clear system to keep track of your contacts, research, and updates on what you're doing.
Action Step: Show how you've set up jobtrack.io to keep track of all your company/job outreach, who you talked to, what you learned, what next steps you'll take to follow-up, and anything you might do differently next time. Be prepared to describe this system to your instructors during your portfolio review.
- In all honesty, I haven't found a wonderful use case for jobtrack.io. I have set it up and tried using it, but having found it very useful. However, I have made great use of Built In Colorado and LinkedIn. In tandem, I have used Built In Colorado to find companies that I'm interested in and then used LinkedIn to reach out to employees that work there. Once I have established a clearer picture of what the company is like, I have either applied through Built In Colorado or the company's website. I am incredibly organized with my calendar and contacts and I think using these tools has helped me professionally. I am willing to give jobtrack.io another shot, but, at this point, haven't found it very useful.
During this module, you've had multiple opportunities to practice your technical and cultural interviewing skills. Think about how those experiences have helped you identify strengths and weaknesses in your interviewing skills.
Action Step: Identify 2-3 areas you'd like to continue to improve on for interviewing and outline concrete action steps on how you will improve those skills. If you plan on setting up more mock interviews, identify who you will set those up with and by what date.
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Technical Questions - I am good at talking things through and speaking to my logical decisions. However, I think I get caught on a particular solution quickly, that may not be the best way of attacking the problem. I would like to take time to slow down and really think about the problem. I also need more practice in general to have a better handle on technical questions in general.
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Asking questions of the employer - I have developed a few go-to questions to ask the employer, but would like to get more granular on these questions, directing them toward the specific job for which I am applying. This is something I should keep in mind when research companies, rather than waiting until I've applied to think about it.
Make sure you have all your job search components up-to-date and looking their best!
Action Step #1: Ensure your Turing Portfolio has at least 3 projects displayed, including your latest work, and an accurate list of your desired locations. Be prepared to show this to your instructors during your M4 portfolio review.
Hugh Hartigan's Turing Portfolio
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SpIRiT
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Our Planet
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Palette Picker
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Movie Tracker
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SWAPI Box
Action Step #2: Ensure your LinkedIn is up to date and indicates that you’re job hunting. Indicate here a summary of any adjustments you made and how you'll continue to update it and/or use the site to build your network and online presence.
- I spent an entire day during the break week between Mods 3 and 4 updating my entire LinkedIn profile. Since then I have become much more active on LinkedIn, sharing my peers work and reaching out to people I'm interested in meeting. I have had about 4-5 coffee dates from LinkedIn alone during Mod 4 and plan to continue using it after graduation. I am incredibly confident in my new found LinkedIn powers.
What other areas would you like to focus on during your job search? Some possible ideas include:
- Social Networking
- Blogging
- Planning and submitting meetup and/or conference talks
- Participating in hackathons or open source projects
Action Step: Identify one of the areas above or an additional area that you'd like to develop further during your first 30 days post-grad and be prepared to discuss this with your instructors at your portfolio review.
- I've blocked out time on my calendar to work on social media connections and technical writing. As much as I don't like Twitter, I realize it's worth and would like to become more involved in the tech community on Twitter. I also really enjoy writing blog posts and want to try and write more technical pieces to expand my presence on Medium.
Accountability is key during a job search and being able to check in with a person whom you trust (or, ideally, more than one person) on your progress will increase your ability to reach your goals in the timeline you've created.
Action Step: Identify 1-2 people you'll check in with during your first 30 days post-grad. Consider how you might continue to utilize your PD Peer Groups. Describe why you will check in with this person, how you will check in with them, what you aim to talk about, and what you hope to get out of these check-ins to benefit your job search.
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Jeff Duke - Jeff has been a consistent mentor since about midway through Mod 2 of Turing. I would love to keep in better touch with him as he consistently reviews my code and offers feedback. He's been incredibly invested in me, checking in from time-to-time to see how projects are going. He has been immensely helpful since I have reached out to him and I will absolutely continue to reach out to him after graduation.
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170-GREAT - My cohort has been incredibly supportive all throughout Turing and we have planned on meeting every Monday and Thursday after graduation to continue to help one another during the job search.
While you've made concrete plans for how to achieve your goal, it's also important to take stock of what could hold you back in the job search.
Action Step: Identify 1-2 "barriers" you might put on yourself in this job search as well as the steps you will take to overcome them. Be prepared to describe these in your M4 portfolio review.
- A consistent barrier for me has been committing to Meetups and other events. I think this is in part because I've been so busy at Turing and consistently away from home that it's hard to commit to going to yet another coding something after school. I know how important these events can be and, because I have anticipated my reluctance, I have told my girlfriend to make me go. I need a job.
Action Step #1: Identify 1-2 people from your PD Peer Group who you will continue to check in with during the first 30 days post-graduation. Describe what you will do in these check-ins, how you will help keep them motivated, and how you will follow up with these cohort-mates afterwards.
- Thomas Laird - Thomas has been a constant help during my time at Turing and I think we can continue to help and push one another post graduation. I know how talented he is and want to make sure that he has what he needs to feel successful in the job search.
Action Step #2: With the person(s) you identified above, describe one area of the job search that you feel particularly skilled in and will commit to helping them with on a regular basis during the first 30 days. Examples include: review outreach emails, review blog posts, practice storytelling, attend meetups or other events with them, etc. Why do you feel that you can help in this area? What will your help look like?
- I generally have a good eye for proof reading and have helped overview a cover letter for Thomas before. I already have reached out to him, letting him know that he can come to me if he wants an extra set of eyes on any of his cover letters or his resume.
Action Step #3: Utilize your networking experience in the job search to recommend 1-2 people whom you've met that others in your cohort would benefit from meeting as well. Describe how you will make the introductions for at least 1 person in your cohort and when you will execute this by.
- I would like to introduce Rob Morgan to my mentor, Jeff Duke. Jeff works for Effective Inc, which is a company I think Rob would really be interested in. Beyond that, I think Jeff has a good handle on what it takes to build a good UI/UX, something that I know is also very import to Rob.
In this section, you'll find action steps that you should aim to complete during your first 30 days post-grad, but these are not steps that you need to have completed for your portfolio review. Instead, you should begin thinking about how you will achieve these steps, and your post-grad job search support coach will ask about progress on these during that first 30 days.
Scheduling Post-Grad Action Step: At the end of each week during your first 30 days, assess what worked with the schedule and what didn't so that you can make adjustments as needed and manage your time even more effectively for the following week. This will also help you keep a record of what you've done in your job search.
Outreach Post-Grad Action Step: During the first 30 days, you should aim to reach out to at least 10 individuals. Even if you don't have a list of all 10 for the draft of this plan for portfolio review, be prepared to meet this target during your first 30 days of the job search.
Job/Company Research & Tracking Post-Grad Action Step: Reach out to and apply to at least 10 companies/jobs.
Housekeeping Post-Grad Action Step #1: During this timeframe, you should establish a “master” resume that you’ll customize per employer. You should already have a working version that you submitted in Module 3.
Housekeeping Post-Grad Action Step #2: Establish a “master” cover letter with your key talking points that you'll customize per employer.
Use this checklist here to make sure you have everything needed in your plan for your portfolio review. Your instructors will also use this checklist during the portfolio review.
- Establish shareable calendar and show to your instructor(s)
- List your cut-off date for having a full-time position
- List monthly, weekly, and daily goals
- Create "daily_practice" repo and describe to instructor(s) what you plan to practice
- List 3 people you will reach out to. Describe to instructor(s) why you'll reach out, when you'll email them by, what you hope to talk about, and what follow-up will look like
- List 3 meetups you'll attend and describe to instructor(s) why you'll attend them
- List the job search tracking system you're using and describe to instructor(s) why you're using it/how it will help you
- List 2-3 areas you'd like to continue to improve on for interviewing and outline concrete action steps on how you will improve those skills to describe to instructor(s)
- Turing portfolio is updated with 3 projects
- Summary of how you've updated your LinkedIn profile
- List additional areas you'll focus on in your job search and describe why to instructor(s)
- List 1-2 people you'll check in with during job search
- List 1-2 "barriers" and describe how you will overcome them to your instructor(s)
- List 1-2 people from PD Peer Group who you will continue to check in with during the first 30 days post-graduation. Describe your plans for these check-ins to your instructor(s)
- Describe one area of the job search that you feel particularly skilled in to help your cohortmates with and how you will do that with your instructor(s)
- List 1-2 people whom you will recommend your cohortmates to, how you will make that introduction, and when you'll do that by to share with instructor(s)