Tech Roles and Interviewing

Typical Roles on a Software Team

  • Software Developer
  • UI/UX Designer
  • Quality Assurance Engineer and Tester
  • Project Manager
  • Product Owner / Business Analyst

Adjacent roles you might see

  • DevOps
  • Data Scientist
  • Sales
  • Marketing
  • Support

Homework: Define your learning goal

  • What is your "Dream Job"? Find a REAL job post.
  • Why this job?
  • Outline Your Learning Path
  • Set Measurable Milestones (Using SMART Goals)
  • Draft Your Success Criteria
  • Potential Blockers & Overcoming Them

Networking

  • Most jobs are never posted

"Do you know anyone who ...? I'm looking for a role in ..."

  • Doesn't hurt to ask!

Application Submission

  • Connect with someone at the company before applying
  • Include a 1 page resume + cover letter

Initial Screening

  • Typically a phone interview with a recruiter or hiring manager
  • Research the company and write down questions beforehand

Ask Good Questions

  • You are also interviewing them!
  • Let's go through some good interview questions to ask at the end of the interview
  • Why do you think these are good questions to ask?

"Is there anything else I can elaborate on to ensure I'm the best choice?"

"What doubts do you have about my qualifications for this role?"

"What are some of the skills and experiences you're hoping the ideal candidate has, that we haven't gotten a chance to talk about?"

"Can you describe a typical day in this role?"

"What key achievements would define success in the first 6-12 months?"

"How does this company handle internal promotions and career advancement?"

"What are the biggest challenges I would face in the first 3 to 6 months if hired?"

"What are some must-have soft skills you feel contribute most to success here?"

Technical Interview

  • Solve coding exercises, technical challenges, or a small take-home project
  • May have you pair up with an engineer to solve a coding problem, review a pull request or do a code review to assess how you think and communicate
  • Practice:

On-Site Interviews

  • A series of interviews with different members of the team
  • The purpose is to assess your technical abilities, problem-solving skills, communication, and how well you work in a team.

Offer and Negotiation

  • If successful, they will extend an offer with details about compensation, benefits, and other relevant terms.
  • At this point, you may have the opportunity to negotiate the offer

Rejection

  • Don't take it personal
  • It says more about the company than you
  • Keep putting yourself out there

Focus on what you can control

Most common roles (so far)

- Software Developer - Consultancy/Engagement - Data Scientist / Business Analyst - Project Manager - Sales - Customer Support

Employer partners (so far)

- SAP - John Deere

Writes code to create software applications: Frontend, Backend, Mobile, Integrations, and more...

Responsible for creating wireframes and prototypes, as well as helping to design the look and feel of your app.

Tests the software applications to ensure that they meet the requirements and are free from bugs

Oversees the software development project from start to finish

Defines the product vision and ensures that the software development team is building the right product

Deploys, monitors, and maintains the software applications and infrastructure

Analyzes and interprets data to gain insights that can be used to inform business decisions

Identifies potential customers, builds relationships with them, and sells the software product

Promotes the software product and builds brand awareness

Assists customers with their inquiries, technical issues, and concerns

# Find Your Focus

- Problems You Like to Work On 😄

- What excites you?

- What kinds of projects do you naturally gravitate toward?

- Problems People Pay to Solve 💵

What do companies hire people to do?

What roles are growing or in demand?

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound

- Expand your network

- Submit your application through the company's applicant tracking system (ATS).

- Some application tracking systems will screen out resumes that don't match the job description

Focus on the role

- Assess your basic qualifications, skills, and fit for the position.

- Use <https://shadowing.ai/> to practice

this could be a coffee or lunch (especially when from your network)

- Open ended - Address any lingering questions - Double down on your unique strengths. - Last impression is a *lasting* impression

- Respond to any hesitations and remove roadblocks to an offer

- Remind them of your past successes handling similar challenges

- Prompts them to call out must-have skills

- May expose where you lack must-have skills

- Helps you understand the daily responsibilities and expectations of the position

- Will surface their current challenges and top priorities

- Defines what success looks like in their eyes

- Growth potential is a major factor in job satisfaction and employee retention

- Shows you are thinking beyond just getting the job and are preparing for long-term success

- Every workplace has personality and behavior clues that unlock culture fit and influence performance

- Mismatches signal poor culture leading to frustration and blocked growth in the future

Algorithms, Data structures, Architecture, Problem-solving

- These interviews can cover various topics - System Design - Software Architecture - Coding - Algorithms - Behavior - etc.

Remember, most job opportunities are never posted and come from your network