A career in tech is the rave of the present and the future. The tech space tends to have more career transference in this new age than ever before. This is owing to the availability of jobs and the progressive change in skill demands that never seems to end. Yes, the tech space is big enough for new innovations to be happening at a fast speed. However, vacuum in job availability is still not enough to guarantee you jobs. Competitions are usual, not as prevalent as in other fields though. Not just your technical skills, employers are looking for other intrinsic qualities that make you sufficiently part of a progressive team focused on output and organizational goals.
So in kick-starting a successful career, these are some other steps you should focus on climbing so you can get hired fast, and by a reputable organization because this is often what everyone is looking for.
Embrace Good Communication
The scale of the organization's project can be large or small, but often than not, projects are usually collaborative efforts that involve a lot of communication through the stages of development. It doesn't matter whether you get to meet clients or not; sound communication skill is essential to appear qualified for employment space.
And beyond the place of development with your co techies, part of the DevOps process which most organizations have adopted today involves that you communicate your findings to people who are not technically sound like you. It could be stakeholders who are to vet a project or kick against it. Your ability to communicate in simple and clear language can decide if the project will stand or get scrapped.
Even if you don't get hired by a firm, a freelance option is always on the table, and as a freelancer you may not be meeting your client in person. Everything could be happening online. Your ability to listen till clarity and speak till understanding is passed can decide if you'll land the job.
Are you are having a problem with communication? Here are a few things you can try out to be better at communicating and to pass a strong sense of competence to your employers at your next interview:
Own a blog
A blog tells a thousand stories of competence than you can get to tell in person. It should contain blog posts and articles that are written in your area of technical proficiency. If you're able to write quality expositions and opinions, your employers would likely see you as a communication genius.
Start a Podcast.
As is owning a blog post, starting a podcast can validate your proficiency with oral communications. Employers can listen to you and create deduction as to your communication skills.
A blog and a podcast can be testaments to your proficiency with written and oral communications.
Be team-spirited
In a sense, you can be proficient with communication and still not have what it takes to be part of a team, especially when you've built a personal framework on which you learn and work alone. Being team-spirited means you will have to collaborate usually at every stage of a project, interspersing your own duties with that of others to achieve your organization's goals.
In trying to be a team-spirited developer, you should reach out to other developers to work side by side on projects in which every stage is interdependent. Contributing to open source codes can also be pivotal since you would have to take questions concerning the codes you've written or ask questions about the codes of others or provide insight where necessary.
Build a Portfolio
The place of a portfolio in getting hired cannot be overemphasized. Your portfolio compresses your practical real-time experience into what employers can access to evaluate your competence. In building a portfolio, you can opt for freelance jobs that do not require much experience. You can also take on pet projects or volunteer to build projects for NGOs.
Building a portfolio is not difficult. If you don't get to have people who want what you have, you can it build for yourself as a medium of learning and mastering. Employers do not really care what your drive is or who you're building it for. They focus more on what your piece of code, software, or application can do.
In building a portfolio for self, you can brainstorm on real-life problems and see if you can build an app that can solve the problem.
Join Communities and Network
You're as rich as your network, the people you know, the circle you belong to. Your ability to network and belong to communities can determine how far you'll go as a techie, and if you'll get a job fast. Organizations prioritize recommendations from respected techies. They prioritize CVs taking a reference in mind, and that is why you need to start shaking hands and meeting people. You need to attend events to meet people. You can also use social media to follow respected individuals in your field, sharing your projects with them, and contributing to theirs.
Twitter makes it easy to find people in your field these days, and if you can successfully build great followership, you may be able to sell your service even to your own followers. A well structured LinkedIn profile will also put you on the radar of job search and help employers find you really quickly.
Enroll for a Bootcamp
Bootcamps are one of the best ways to learn whatever technology skill you desire for. Companies are seeking for professionals in various fields and gaining these experiences will put you in a better position. Whether you want to become a Data scientist or analyst, web developer or designer, cybersecurity specialist, or more, enrolling for a Bootcamp to obtain a proper foundation in the field is always recommended.
Following these steps in detail will surely boast your pedigree when combined with equally sharp technical proficiency in your job search. Always remember, not just your technical abilities but certain other qualities mentioned above can decide if you're the potential candidate for an organization or not