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Nadia Zhuk
Nadia Zhuk

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How to land your first tech job: apply everywhere

Getting your first job in tech is tough, especially if you are a self-taught software engineer.

In this video I share my first tip about getting your foot in the door. It's all about being creative - and humble - when you choose where to apply.

Subscribe to my channel if you don't want to miss upcoming videos about job search in tech.

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nikaffa profile image
Veronika Fatikhova

Thanks, Nadia!
That's always a tradeoff of learning something new today OR applying for one more position :) When I hear about stories that someone's applied for 500 openings last month, it scares me!!! Omg is it the only way to land a first tech job, just to keep applying 24/7? I'd never had time to work on projects or prepare for the interview then (which are also important parts of the puzzle, right?)! It's a cul-de-sac!

How did you keep the balance during your first job hunting?

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beetlehope profile image
Nadia Zhuk • Edited

That's a tough question!
To be honest, I don't remember how much time I spent on job search vs on learning (I wish I kept a blog or at least a diary), but I think that once I felt I was ready to start applying, I spent most of the day on job hunting, and the rest of the day on learning and improving my portfolio. It's hard to find a balance here.
None of this is easy, and when looking for my first job, I treated the job search as my full time job in itself.
Having said that, I never applied to 500 jobs a month, no near close to that. I need to look up how many applications I sent in, but I have a feeling it was fewer than a hundred in total, and my job search lasted around 1.5 months.

Are you looking for your first tech job right now?

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nikaffa profile image
Veronika Fatikhova

Thanks for your reply!
Yes, I'm looking for my first tech job now and I agree, that's a full-time job itself))) I appreciated you sharing your personal experience! I took your advice and I'd love to hear more about your interviewing experience (and preparing for it as well) and the rest of the job-hunting history (landing your first job)!

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beetlehope profile image
Nadia Zhuk

Best of luck with your job search!

I will try to cover these topics in my upcoming videos, please consider subscribing to my channel if you are interested in such content :) Thank you!

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nikaffa profile image
Veronika Fatikhova

Thank you very much! Sure I will!