Navigating to your next job in IT, part 2

In part 2 of this post series we will give you our guidance as tech recruiters on getting your LinkedIn and other relevant profiles on point and look into writing a great cover letter. In part 1 we got introspective about motivating factors and different work environments, so after reading both these posts you should have the insight to know where to possibly head next and have the tools to actually get there!

LinkedIn and other social profiles

1. Fill in all the relevant information and also remember to update your profile (promotions, graduations, etc.) regularly
2. Make sure you have short descriptions on your responsibilities in work and volunteer experiences and add any relevant additional information about your studies
3. Update your profile picture regularly with a professional picture where your face can be seen clearly (this can make you easier to approach)
4. Remember to add relevant skills and keywords to your profile, so you are more easily “huntable”
5. Keep your profile “open to new opportunities” to increase the possibility for headhunters to find your profile and to receive job offers (only recruiters can see that you are open to new opportunities and you can even leave them information about roles that you are interested in so you don’t get spam)
6. Add people to your network that you have actually met or communicated with to stay connected and maximize your chances for new opportunities
7. Post, like and comment on content that really resonates with you
8. In GitHub / Stack Overflow / or other similar platforms, you can show your contributions to projects or problems. This provides an easy way to show your motivation and skills to future employers. You might also be able to skip technical tests if you have an active profile or if you are able to show relevant work samples.

Application documents: CV & cover letter

CV

1. Add your basic information: full name, clear photograph of yourself, address, phone number, email and links to LinkedIn and other relevant profiles.
2. Add your work experiences (if you have a lot, consider only adding the latest and most relevant ones) and explain shortly (with a few points) what your main responsibilities were in those roles.
3. Add your latest education and information about the faculty/field of studies/major/minor etc.
4. Add your skills. Don’t be afraid to add something which you only know on a very basic level. When listing your tech and language skills it can be useful to evaluate your level on some scale (e.g. 1 to 5, or basic to proficient).
5. The CV as a whole should be clear, easy to grasp and brief. Use visual components and keep the length of the CV to two pages max!

Cover letter

Before beginning to write your cover letter, go through the following points:

1. Why are you applying to this position in this specific organization?
2. What could you give, if you were selected for the role?
3. What could you get, if you were selected for this role?
4. Why you would be the best choice for the role and the organization, you are applying to?

You can write about one paragraph on each of the four questions above. The cover letter does not have to be extensively long, half a page to one page is optimal.

Final tips and tricks

• Whatever you write, check your spelling! This is a really easy way to look sloppy or professional – you decide.
• Ask feedback from recruiters. They can give you very valuable insights and advice and at the same time, you look motivated and growth-oriented – win-win.
• Just apply or show that you are interested! If you’re contemplating on sending an open application to a company you’ve been dreaming to work for or you can’t decide if you’re skilled enough to apply for an interesting role, just go for it. You really won’t lose anything and you’ll have a lot to gain. You might not proceed and you can learn that you’re not there quite yet or you might also make it to an interview and get a great experience from a nerve-racking situation for future interviews. And there is always the opportunity that you just might get that dream job!

Congratulations on getting to the end of this short blog post series! We hope these limited insights will be of use in your future endeavors in the IT job market.

Now that you are all tooled up for finding your next job, go check our open positions here, register to our candidate pool here to receive job opportunities targeted just for you and join our Telegram channel for current IT positions here.