Written by: Jane
Mon Apr 19 2021
Really don't want to write this article because I am not proud of my progress and don't really want to expose my vulnerabilities but let me just do it. And, who cares? I will start from scratch.
1. What do I want to do?
What is the thing that makes me get out of the bed without snoozing my alarm? Me, personally my driving forces are motivation, inspiration, and excitement. Doing things I don't like or things I think it's not useful can't keep me still. I did refuse an offer because I find the job does not fit me and after that, I was struggling to land on one. But, I did not regret my decision. Money is important but I can't afford to waste my time. How can I figure out what I like? It's somewhat brute force. I need to do different things and a lot of things to figure it out. Bear in mind that the only constant is change itself and excitement fades as well. And, it's okay. Don't think too far. What is your current interest and go for it.
2. Learn that skill
Desire and acknowledgment are not enough. You don't want to come empty hands to the interview. Take time to learn that skill, who knows maybe while learning that skill you will change your mind or you will feel over the moon about it. If you have no background related to that skill, you might have to take 3-4 months or more than that but if you have for me I like to be quick and spend the time to learn deeper during the job. I like the principle of fail fast.
3. Prepare a resume and cover letter
Prepare various versions of them. Forget to mention, you can have more than one skill/job of interest. I have at least 3. For me, I have 4 different versions of my resume and cover letter. Each one of them aligned to the position and the extra one for general which means it can fit almost any position. There are a lot of good tips to write an outstanding resume and cover letter.
4. Do you have a company you want to work for?
I like to opt-out my decision based on position or the company I am dying to work for. I followed the company's social media. I registered to their talent network. Based on position, I filter them on platforms like Glassdoor and LinkedIn. I created a job alert based on the title of the position and the location. Also, I regularly check the company website directly to see if they are open for any new position. Protip, companies do initiate a lot of webinars or conferences that are open to the public. What you can do is to join those things and when they open for public questions you can use the chance to ask about any open positions. This way is faster than applying traditionally. And, you will leave a good impression on them. I did that initially not to impress anyone because I was genuinely interested but I knew later that it helped me.
5. Apply, apply, and apply and apply.... LOL
Two things you have to face: you are contacted and you are rejected. Don't get hurt! Have a thicked-face :D. Prepare for the worse and when it gets worse it won't be able to tickle your pain. Don't blame or doubt yourself as well. Everything happens for a reason and you will realize why when your time comes. If you are successful on your first try, congratulation. If you are not then that place is not for you or it's not the time yet. Also, you can apply to the same company overtime or any other position.
6. Getting to know the recruitment process
In general, the process goes this way:
- Application shortlist
- Some companies will ask to do the online assignment: it can be a personality test, knowledge test, technical test, or project depending on what position you apply for. If you fulfill the requirement, HR will contact you.
- A short call with HR: mostly they will ask a little bit about the background to see if it matches the position and then they can either suggest or not suggest you to the hiring manager. The call is between 15 - 30 minutes.
- If the hiring manager is interested to learn more about you, then they will arrange a call for about 60 minutes. This is the time when they will try to learn more about you and the time for you to learn more about the team as well.
- It might stop at the above step for some positions or it might result in advancement to technical test (live) or the interview with the team. The technical test is about 90 minutes.
7. Going to interview(s)
Well, you google it. Watch videos on Youtube or Linkedin learning. You do your own homework XD. I just want to prepare you for the worst case. If you fail the interview with the 'A' company, you still can apply to this company again in the next 4 - 6 months. Don't afraid or feel ashamed to do so. You are not doing anything bad. If you don't want to do that, it's fine. Apply for another company. You reach the interview stage so be proud. Use the experience for your next interview. Don't be sad! Use the time to sharpen your skill and COME BACK STRONGER <3
THE END ~
Maybe there are more steps but I want to sleep hehe. It's late. I procrastinated for a moment and ended up writing this article. Now, I am panicked about the DEADline.
One last word, job searching takes time or a long time depending on location, current situation, demanding, and your luck too. So study hard and smart, build projects/portfolios, expose yourself, and do good deeds :) Don't forget to be grateful when you get what you want and also don't stop there.