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If you've gotten your current (or past) job without any prior connections, what kind of job was it and how hard was it to get?
If you're looking for something new, I'd seriously recommend getting to some events and at least making _some_ connections. If you're in a city that has IT jobs, there are groups out there; it might just take a little looking to find them
I can't help much with your direct question; every job and gig I've had ended up being the result of knowing someone in some form or shape. If you're looking for something new, I'd seriously recommend getting to some events and at least making _some_ connections. If you're in a city that has IT jobs, there are groups out there; it might just take a little looking to find them
i wanted the job that i earned instead of the one i was handed. but, i'm kind of hardheaded about that type of thing.
The cover letter is the most important part of any job search. In mine I explained my side projects that I work on and my insatiable love of learning new technologies. I was up front in both cover letters, stating that I had no experience in the language they were hiring for, but I have a verifiable track record of being a quick learner when it comes to technology.
Hit rates for monster etc are pretty low. Local job boards, University "career center" online listings other low volume job sites are still worth looking at. It is how I found both my current position and my last position.
I was in college, had no experience, and knew very little. I needed an in, and saw an ad in our Computer Science building. Emailed my resume, got a call, interview etc. I met with the owner who told me to go home and learn PHP and MySQL over the weekend. Did that, took a quick development test, and started work the following week.
I made minimum wage for about a year before we (the other newbie and myself) power played for a pay raise.
That job is what got me where I am today. We had to learn everything, be everything and do everything from support, engineering, development on through server admin and db schema design. I couldn't ask for a more rewarding first job.
From there all of my jobs have been based on my experience. My first salaried position I got because I was willing to move, could answer a battery of basic questions on programming and system admin, and I fit in. My current position I got because I learned ColdFusion at my previous job.
Everything builds from that first job. Being able to demonstrate your skills is extremely valuable. Connections can get you in the door, but real work will get you the job.
I actually got an interview through a connection once and was called the day of to cancel. That sword is double-edged.
I can't help much with your direct question; every job and gig I've had ended up being the result of knowing someone in some form or shape. If you're looking for something new, I'd seriously recommend getting to some events and at least making _some_ connections. If you're in a city that has IT jobs, there are groups out there; it might just take a little looking to find them
thanks for the quick reply! so how did you get your FIRST job then? it seems easier to bootstrap once you've made connections at your Nth job to go to the (N+1)th job, but how do you start?
Out of college I worked for IBM. Initial contact was at an engineering job expo. I had interviews on campus and then on site.
After that I submitted my resume to Xanga.com on a whim. I had a phone screen and then an on site interview.
From there I got a job at a law firm where my wife worked (the only connection based job I received).
Google found me via LinkedIn. I had two phone screens and an on site interview.
A recruiter found me via LinkedIn looking to fill a position for some other company. I told him I wasn't interested but from our exchange he picked up that I would like to work closer to home. When an opportunity at OpenX came along he contacted me again, and I did two phone interviews and then an on site.
In my experience LinkedIn is a great way to have jobs find you. Being able to interview well helps seal the deal - to do that you have to know your stuff and be able to present it well.