Some business owners have a clear-cut idea of what tech line they will pursue after graduating from a tech college. For most, it is more of a trial and error. After establishing a successful company and deciding to get back in the workforce, the market must be assessed. In the ever-changing tech scene, it becomes all the more difficult to know what you are good at.
However, if you belong to the latter category, don’t be concerned if you are apt for the job. There are ways to find out if that elusive job that you are aiming for is the right position for you. And employment websites are just the starting point.
Find out if you are the right fit
These points will help:
#1 Know your goals
Top companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc., hold a strange allure for tech graduates who fall over each other for any job opening they find in such companies. This is a mistake since it is not necessary to be the perfect fit for these jobs. It is best to introspect and ask yourself what your underlying goals are to determine what jobs you should look for.
To this end, it is always better to list out your top priorities and then compare them to the positions that you are applying for. You may want to do multitasking or aim at enhancing your technical skills or be keen on moving up the ladder quickly. Your goal should correspond with what the company offers.
#2 Know the skills required
Before applying for a job, know what skills the company seeks. This can be gathered from a recruiter or a mentor or through your network of the company people you know. However, don’t feel discouraged if you don’t have the exact technical skills since these can be learned on the job.
Along with your technical skills, what a recruiter is looking for are your ‘soft’ skills too, such as work ethic, communication skills, creative thinking, problem-solving ability and the like. Entrepreneurs do have an advantage with the skills they pick up from managing a business. So, be realistic about your abilities and qualifications and do keep soft skills in mind.
#3 Know the company culture
It is important to know the office culture of the organization. Nobody will tell you this, but you can get an idea if you do a bit of research. You can track your potential employer online, check out the profiles of company employees and other research tactics. This will indicate whether you would enjoy working alongside these people.
Another indicator is the company’s values that are listed in the company profile. These are also indicative of the company’s culture. If you agree with the values emphasized, you will ease smoothly into the company’s culture. The last resort for finding this out is through the interview itself. You will need to ask the right questions.
Perfect fit? Now land the job
If your search for a perfect job has ended and you have found a great culture fit, and you have the qualifications and skills for the job, the only thing left is to land the job. This requires impressing your recruiter in the interview so that the job comes to you. Technical interviews are no cakewalk since the interviewer will subject you to a grueling session and make you solve questions on a whiteboard about data structures and algorithms.
Preparing for the interview is extremely important. You must get down to the business of acquiring information on how the interview is likely to be structured. This will not only help you in preparation but will also get rid of the jitters.
Although technical interviews are difficult, practice makes perfect. So, practice for the interview by doing mock interviews. This will give you the material and help you fine-tune the delivery. Also, read about the practice of interviewing to get some invaluable insights into your conduct during the interview.
There may be times during the interview when you don’t know something. It is okay to admit that you don’t know the answer. Lying your way through may put off the interviewer. Fibbing can ruin your chances of landing the job.
Conclusion
There are innumerable cases where people who ace the interview and land the job find themselves to be a cultural misfit in the company or don’t possess the exact skills required for the job. However, a little research regarding the company, the skills required and the office culture goes a long way in preventing this.
