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Cover Letters - Initial Effective Communication

It’s imperative that you communicate why you are the right person for the job. Employers have a problem. They need an engineer or data scientist on their team, and you can be that person! They’ll never get the chance to meet you unless you introduce yourself. Be sure to make a strong first impression by following the guidelines in this ReadMe.

Follow the First Rule of Job Search

“Never say or write anything unless it positively supports your position as an applicant.”+

• Communicate why you are the right person for the job
• Don’t undermine yourself
• Failing to send a cover letter
• Not showing enough interest in the company

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RESUME CHECKLIST

The following checklist is designed to help you prepare your resume for the job search. The list is extensive, but is not meant to be complete. Please see your Career Services Manager for additional information and insight.

RESUME

Formatting:

Your resume should follow this structure:

Header

Include:

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Email Templates/Outreach Messages

Recruiter/Human Resources

Hello [their name],

I hope this email finds you well.

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Resumes

Regardless of how you organize your content, your resume needs to scream "software engineer" or "data scientist." With too much space taken up by your education, prior professional experience, or personal section, people will be confused about what kind of job you are seeking. To avoid this, make sure that an overwhelming majority of your resume is data science or software engineering-related.

Using Google Docs to Make your Resume

It is mandatory to use Google Docs to create your resume. This allows the outcomes HiRs to make comments and facilitates peer editing.

• Avoid using a Google Docs template. You don't want your resume to be exactly identical to someone else's.
• Avoid using any other basic template you find online. Recruiters have seen them a million times and they generally look bad.
• You’re welcome to make a non-Google Doc resume for your final version (e.g., Illustrator, online template, etc.). If you do so, make sure the HiRs and your Career Services Manager know you’re cre

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Seattle Data Science Specific Meetup Groups

New Tech Northwest

New Tech Seattle

Puget Sound Programming Python (PuPPy)

Data Viz Jam Sessions

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Seattle Software Engineering & Web Dev Specific Meetup Groups

New Tech Northwest

New Tech Seattle

She's Coding

Google Developer's Group

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Job Searching Strategy

This is a summary of Steve Dalton’s book The Two Hour Job Search

Background

Applying through random online channels produces a mere 1% response rate. Steve Dalton suggests a new approach focused on reaching into companies to find advocates who can help you find your job. In the exercise outlined in Steve's book (and below), you will create a list of 40 companies you want to work for.

Build your list:

1. Create an Google Sheets document with four column headings: List, Alumni, Motivation, and Posting.

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Salary Negotiation

For many of you, this will be your first time negotiating. Perhaps some of you have never once considered negotiating, and have always accepted what the employer offered. While negotiation isn’t required, it’s often recommended. You should be compensated fairly for your valuable technical skills.

This section will cover a number of strategies to help you get the best compensation possible. You shouldn’t be out to take the employer for all they’re worth. Instead you should look for compensation that works for everyone involved. Negotiation offers the ability to dramatically increase your earning potential in a very short period of time! Negotiating in a way that is researched, open, and strives to create a win-win result for you and the employer tends to have the best outcome.

Conversation vs. Negotiation

Effective negotiators understand the difference between negotiating and having a conversation. The conversation is everything that happens before the employer makes

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Networking

The Purpose of Career Networking

Career networking, or "professional" networking, involves using personal, professional, academic or familial contacts to assist with a job search, achieve career goals, or learn more about your field, or another field you'd like to work in. Networking can be a good way to hear about job opportunities or get an "in" at the company you'd like to work in.

Why Spend Time on Career Networking

Networking can help you get hired and help you grow your career. LinkedIn reports:

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Job Searching Sites

Dice

AngelList

LinkedIn Jobs

Slack at Work