Recorded Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJNLwJ_zsCE

This 1+ hour video is a recording from a previous practicum career class and provides a brief summary of the content for this week. For more examples and detailed explanations, please read the written content below.

Personal Branding

You can think about your own brand as "what other people say about you when you're not in the room."

Imagine that for a moment. How would people describe you? Would this description differ if it came from close friends versus from a stranger who can access only your social media platforms?

Often, employers fit into this latter category. Because they don't know you, they rapidly make assumptions about you based on the few resources at their disposal: your resume and public-facing online profiles.

That's why it's important to start cultivating your public profile carefully, especially since this is a huge part of how you begin networking. Countless job seekers use their network to find the “hidden job market” since many jobs are not even posted on any job board or website.

The more aware you are of how your professional brand tells your story and helps you communicate your evolving career experience, the more successful you will be in your ongoing career goals.

Note: remember that employers will also sometimes review your social media profiles (e.g. Instagram, Facebook, etc.) during the hiring process! Make sure that all of your public-facing profiles are employer-friendly and/or your privacy settings are turned on!

Strengthening Your Application

Now that you have a rough draft of your resume, it's time to put on the finishing touches to polish it up!

Bullets

Work on rewording your bullets so that they follow this general formula:

Note: Some resume writers say that starting with the Metric or Result can be even better when you're able to word it that way! For example, "Achieved an 80% reduction in preparation time of standard client materials by creating a performance reporting template" or "Generated 70% more leads via email capture forms by overhauling Resume Worded's website in a redesign of its landing pages..."

Let's break each section down in more detail:

Action Verbs: For each bullet, make sure that they are starting with a unique action verb, like developed, created, led, or managed.

• Try to avoid using the same verb more than once if possible.
• Visit this list of action verbs to see more examples.

Metric or Result: As you may have noticed, several of these strong bullets include numbers. What can you quantify in terms of the work you did? Ask yourself these questions below about each bullet to see what numbers you can add:

• Did you increase efficiency or productivity? Calculate the percentage! (e.g. Reduced webpage loading time by 25%...)
• How many people did you support or serve? (e.g. Supported 100+ clients by troubleshooting...)
• Did you work with or manage a certain number of team members or employees? (e.g. Collaborated with 3 other team members to...)
• Did you implement new ideas or processes for the company or project? What was the impact? (e.g. Streamlined documentation process by 30% by initiating a new system that...)
• Did you work with a budget or increase profitability? (e.g. Saved $X by...)
• Were you promoted or did you win an award? (e.g. Promoted within 6 months to Manager-level due to strong performance and organizational impact...)

Length: Remember the golden rule of how resumes should look - they must be easy to skim! Keep your bullets concise, and no longer than 2 lines at most.

Skills: Avoid just listing soft skills on your resume, and instead demonstrate and prove that you have that skill through your resume bullets. For example:

Customizing Your Application

Now that your bullets are polished, let's discuss how to customize your resume for a specific job. While this can take additional time, customizing can sometimes be worth it if it's a job you want very much!

But strike a balance that works for you - applying for a job with an imperfect resume is ALWAYS better than not applying at all because you took too long customizing your application and the job posting was taken down.

To start with customizing, read through the job description and pick out the keywords.

Keywords are words or phrases that describe what the employer is looking for in a candidate. This can include:

• Role titles like "fullstack" or "developer"
• Hard and soft skills like "Ruby on Rails" or "creativity"
• Areas of knowledge like "customer engagement" or "data analytics"
• Certain experience like "5+ years of experience" or "Bachelor's degree"

Yes, this will mean that you will have a lot of keywords to choose from - narrow down your list to just the keywords you know you have experience in or knowledge of.

Some people like to use tricks for this to make it easier or faster, such as:

• Job Scan is an online tool that helps you optimize your resume for any job by highlighting the key experience and skills recruiters need to see: Job Scan
• The Word Cloud Technique, which you can learn more about here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cool-resume-hack-analyze-job-descriptions-word-cloud-emily
• ChatGPT: While you could use ChatGPT to write the entire resume, it's typically best if you use ChatGPT as a helpful tool rather than rely on it 100%. One of the best ways to use it without having it write your bullets for you in a robotic way is to copy and paste the job description into ChatGPT and ask it something along the lines of: "Based on this job description, please list the top 20 most relevant and important keywords that the perfect candidate would have for this job."

Skills

Now that you have a list of keywords from the job description, the easiest parts of your resume to add these in are:

1. Your Skills section,
2. Your Summary section, and
3. Your Cover Letter.

For your Skills section, you can plug in the keywords that you may not have included before. If it makes sense and would look more organized, you may also sort your skills into categorized lists. Here are some examples below:

By Category:

• Languages: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Python, Node.js, Express.js
• Project Management Tools: GitHub, Trello, Jira, Kanban
• Areas of Knowledge: Backend Development, Design, Algorithms, Agile (Scrum), Unit Testing, Debugging

By Proficiency Level

• Expert in: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Git, GitHub
• Proficient in: Python, Node.js, Express.js
• Familiar with: Trello, Jira, Kanban

NOTE: Same rule as before with bullets - no list should be longer than 2 lines. If it's longer than 2 lines, you need to make more categories for your skills to make it more readable.

Summary

You can also plug keywords into your Summary as well.

Resume Summary Formula

Adjective(s) + Job Title + Your Experience. [Describe how you can help the employer/company]. [Provide at least one top relevant achievement or qualification].

Example:

Keep your summary around 3-6 lines long, and make it as relevant and specific to the job as you can. To read more on resume summaries, visit https://novoresume.com/career-blog/resume-summary

Cover Letter

Cover letters are usually optional, but if you're a decent enough writer and are interested enough in the job, you should write one because it can often be enough to push you over the edge. Plus, if you already have a template, it shouldn't take much more time or effort.

To craft a basic cover letter, see the example here:

Some quick tips:

• Always keep it to only one page.
• Always adhere to the job posting's specific guidelines. If they tell you to submit your cover letter as a PDF, do it. If they tell you specifically to NOT submit a cover letter, than don't submit one. Failure to follow explicit instructions can result in the employer assuming you can't follow directions.
• Explain why you want the job at the specific company - you can mention your interest in the company's mission, values, or goals.
• Emphasize your top accomplishments and experiences relevant to the role.
• Provide specific examples of your relevant skills and accomplishments that align directly with the job description.
• Optional: You can address employment gaps and career transitions by explaining how these unique experiences have contributed to your qualifications and make you a stronger candidate for the position.
• Optional: In terms of formatting, you also have the option of listing your key relevant accomplishments and/or skills in a bullet format instead of as its own paragraph. See here for an example:

For more information on cover letters, please visit here.

Moving on to LinkedIn!

Your LinkedIn profile is essentially an online version of your resume, but better! It's interactive, follows a standardized format, isn't limited to a couple of pages, and allows you to attach work samples.

95% of employers use LinkedIn as their go-to platform to source talent, which means that it's essential for job seekers to have a complete LinkedIn profile. Additionally, having a complete profile makes you 40 times more likely to receive job opportunities.

Once you have a profile, you can use LinkedIn to do the following job-searching tasks:

• Find and apply to job listings
• Grow your professional network
• Find someone to conduct an informational interview with
• Share and find work-related news and tips
• Share your professional history and projects with employers
• Get recruited

LinkedIn Profile Sections

Happily, because LinkedIn profiles are similar to resumes, you're able to copy and paste a lot of the information that's on your resume, which makes creating a profile easy. There are, however, some additional components and considerations, which you can review below.

Custom URL

When polishing your LinkedIn profile, the first thing to do is create a customized URL for your profile. Customized URLs look cleaner on your resume and make it easier for employers to find your profile.

Ideally, your customized URL should follow the naming convention "FirstName-LastName," or something similar. If that's unavailable, choose a variation of your name that's still recognizable, simple, and professional.

Profile Photo

One of the first steps in completing your LinkedIn profile is to add a profile photo. When you have a LinkedIn profile photo, you can get up to 21 times more profile views than users without a photo.

You want your profile photo to showcase the best, most professional version of yourself.

The photo should reflect what you might look like when you go in for an interview and should be representative of what you look like currently. Here are some guidelines that your LinkedIn profile photo should adhere to:

• Smile. Like everyone else, employers prefer working with people who are friendly and fun to be around. A smile is the best way to signal that you are.
• Be professional. No sunglasses, hats, or potentially offensive logos.
• Be in focus. Either use a neutral, nondescript background or a camera lens that blurs your background so that you're the main focus of the photo and nothing distracts from you. For the same reason, you should be the only person in the photo, and your head and shoulders should be taking up at least 60% of the frame.
• Opt for high quality. Your photo doesn't need to be taken by a professional photographer, but it should be high quality, have sharp (not fuzzy) focus, and be well-lit. (No selfies!)

Background Photo

The next thing to consider is customizing your background photo. This is the long photo that's displayed at the top of your LinkedIn profile. While it's okay to keep the generic image, uploading a background image can add visual interest to your profile and help it be more memorable to viewers.

If you do choose to customize your background photo, try to choose one that has the same color scheme as your portfolio or resume. You can also use your background photo to keep a consistent brand, or you can pick an image that reflects your location or the industry that you're transitioning into. Just keep it professional, high quality, and simple—you want it to enhance your LinkedIn profile, not be a distraction.

You can either use your own image or something that you find online, like from the free photo-sharing site Unsplash.

Headline

Your headline are the words that you see right below your name on your profile page. LinkedIn automatically makes your headline the title of your current job. However, you can update it to reflect the job that you want, such as, "Frontend Developer," "FullStack Developer," or "UX Designer."

About

Like the summary section of your resume, the LinkedIn About section is an opportunity to control your story. Be strategic about what you write in this section, knowing that how you describe yourself influences the way that viewers think about you.

Are you a former technical support person, or are you a frontend developer with expertise in a particular industry (finance, healthcare, etc.)? Are you a developer with a knack for design?

Generally, you can use the summary section of your resume as a starting point. But because you're not limited by space, it's okay to expand and be a tiny bit less formal.

For example, it's helpful to say what motivates you, share a relevant personal anecdote, or identify your top skills. You can demonstrate that you're someone who works well on a team, mention impressive projects, or provide links to your portfolio.

Finally, write in first person. Viewers know that you're filling out your own LinkedIn profile, so it's a lot more natural to use language that reflects that. Here's an example of an interesting LinkedIn About section:

I am a digital media entrepreneur, marketer, and full-stack web developer who lives at the intersection of technology, art, and content creation. I currently work in marketing for one of the world's largest technology companies and spend my time outside the office empowering women through my digital platform, mentoring, and service work.

My specialties are digital marketing, growth hacking, SEO, content creation, blogging, web design, full-stack web development, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, Bootstrap, AngularJS, ReactJS, Drupal, UX/UI Design, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), design principles, color theory, wireframing, and digital media.

Experience

Your LinkedIn Experience section should mirror the experience section on your resume.

While you need to manually write in your job title, company name, and location, and select your start and end dates, you can copy and paste the bulleted accomplishments on your resume for that job.

LinkedIn doesn't have formatting options, so you can use hyphens (-) or dots (•) for bullets. When you finish adding entries, cross-reference them with the entries on your resume to ensure that they match.

You indeed have more space on your LinkedIn profile than on your resume, but that doesn't mean that an employer's attention is infinite.

Resist the temptation to overload your profile with unnecessary details or jobs that you had more than a decade ago. If you do choose to add more detail to your LinkedIn profile, it should be by adding accomplishments that are relevant to the job that you want but didn't have room for on your one-page resume.

Education

Like your Experience section, your LinkedIn Education section should match the education entries on your resume.

Skills & Endorsements

You can add up to 50 skills in this section, and we recommend that you aim for that. Recruiters often use this section to search for candidates, so the more relevant skills you can add, the more likely you'll come up in their search.

After you have connected to all of your teammates in your group, you can endorse skills for another person’s profile.

Do that for all of your teammates, and remind them to do it for you too!

Recommendations

Since you're probably new to your chosen field, having someone vouch for you can be incredibly valuable.

Your mentor is a good person to ask for a recommendation because they can verify that you've mastered the skills of your program before you graduate. A peer who you've collaborated with on a project, or someone who can speak to your professional skills, may also be good people to ask.

LinkedIn Connections

Something to think about is how many people you're connected to on LinkedIn. The more connections that you have, the easier it is for you to get introductions to a company, and the easier it is for employers to find your profile. So be intentional, and aim to have at least 50 connections right now.

Search for and connect with past and current coworkers, past and current students from Code the Dream, your family, friends, and people you meet at networking events. LinkedIn also helps you find people to connect. Just click the "My Network" link in the top navigation. When the new page loads, you'll see a variety of people you may know.

LinkedIn is far less personal than other social media platforms, and it is intended for networking. So, it's okay to extend and accept invitations to connect with other LinkedIn users, even if they're strangers.

Moving on to Interviewing!

Interviewing is a key part of the hiring process. It can take more than dozens of applications to get a single interview, so it's important to make a good impression with every opportunity that you get. Luckily, there's a lot that you can do to prepare for your next interview, even before it's scheduled.

Making a good impression at an interview starts with preparing for the interview before it happens. Some things you should do well in advance, and other things you should do on the day of the interview.

Before the Interview

Before the interview, get prepared by conducting some research, rehearsing your answers to common interview questions, and making a list of questions that you want to ask the interviewers.

Research the Company

Employers appreciate candidates who are familiar with their company and work. Take some time to review the company's website and blog, as well as any recent articles about the company that you can find online. You should be able to explain the work that they do and why you're interested in working for them.

Research your Interviewers

Try to find out who's interviewing you and then check them out on LinkedIn.

Look at their backgrounds and figure out how long they've been at the company and in their job. Look for things that you have in common or that you find interesting about them. Knowing a little about your interviewers can give you clues about the types of questions that you can expect them to ask, and help you know what questions you should ask them. It can even provide some conversation topics to bond over during the informal, in-between moments of an interview.

Review the Job Listing

It might be a while between the time that you apply for a job and the time that you interview for that job. Always review the job listing so that you know exactly what the job is and what skills the employer is interested in. This will help you determine which relevant skills and projects you should highlight during the interview.

Prepare Questions to Ask During the Interview

Interviews should be two-sided! In most interviews, you are asked if you have any questions for your interviewers at the end of the interview. Your answer should always be YES.

Asking thoughtful questions is a good way for you to learn more about the company, and it's also a way for you to show your interest in the company and connect with your interviewers.

Remember that you're also trying to decide if the company and employers are a good fit for your life. Write your questions down ahead of time and bringing them to the interview makes you look prepared.

In general, it's good to ask a couple of questions about the job, a couple of questions about the team that you'd be working with, and a couple of questions about the company's work culture.

Around 3-5 questions is a good amount - don't be inconsiderate and take up too much of the interviewers time!

Common Questions to Ask

And here are some more of our favorites! Pick questions based off of who your interviewer is. For example, if you know they're an HR recruiter, they're probably not going to know much about the role itself, so focus your questions more about the organization or workplace culture.

• How would you describe a typical day?
• What are some examples of projects that I would be involved with?
• Is this an existing role, or is this a recently created position?
• What are the top qualities needed to have success in this role?
• Do you expect the primary responsibilities of this role to shift significantly in the next six to 12 months?
• What are the major challenges that this position might present?
• What are the most important goals to reach during the first 30, 60, and 90 days in this role?
• Can you describe this company’s performance review process?
• What goals and metrics do you use to evaluate my performance in this role?
• What can you tell me about the company’s growth and expansion plans?
• What do you expect of this company in the next three to five years?
• What are the team’s greatest strengths? What are the team’s greatest challenges?
• Do you anticipate adding more personnel to this department in the next six months to a year?
• Do you have any questions or concerns about my background concerning me being a good fit for this position?
• Can you describe the next steps in our interview process?
• Is there anything else you would like from me that would help this process?

NOTE: At the end of an interview or in your follow-up thank-you email, you should always ask "What are next steps of the interview process and when should I expect to hear back from you?". That way, if you don't hear from the employer by the date and time that they stated, you can follow up accordingly.

Prepare Answers to Common Interview Questions

Although it's impossible to know the specific questions that you're going to be asked during an interview, there are common types of questions that arise in most interviews.

For example, you're going to be asked about your past work experience, your projects, and your salary expectations. Think about how you want to answer these questions before the interview so that you're ready to provide effective answers during the interview.

For my favorite, most comprehensive guide to answering the most common interview questions, read through this advice here.

Tell me about yourself. / Walk me through your background. / Is there anything you'd like to share first?

This is often the logical first question that you're asked during an interview. It helps the interviewer get to know you and establishes what follow-up questions they should ask you during the rest of the interview.

Your response should always include these components:

• What's relevant about your Present: What are you currently doing now? (e.g. I currently work as a [Current Job], but I recently just completed a coding certificate about...)
• What's relevant in your Past: How does your background connects to your desired profession? Most employers want to know why you're changing careers, so it helps to briefly explain how your background led you to where you are today. Highlight all of your relevant education and experience and transferrable skills. Make it clear that you have the skills that are on the job listing.
• What's relevant in the Future: Mention your desired profession and how you're qualified for it (e.g. Because of how much I enjoyed coding in my online classes and how quickly I picked up React, I became really interested in frontend development, which is what brought me to apply for this job!)

The Job Interview Cheat Sheet

Here is a quick and helpful visual for how to answer the most common questions:

Tell me about your past projects.

Employers often ask you questions about your past work or projects. This helps them gauge how transferable your experience is and assess your ability to communicate concepts and processes.

This is an opportunity for you to bring up facts that show off your skills. Start with an overview of your practicum project (and other projects) then get into specifics. Focus on your specific contributions, how you solved problems, and your results.

What are your weaknesses?

When interviewers ask you about your weaknesses, it's probably for two reasons: They want to know what your weaknesses are in case they disqualify you from the job. And they want to know if you're self-aware and able to turn your weaknesses into strengths.

In your answer, you should provide a real weakness, but you should make sure to choose a weakness that won't disqualify you from the job. You should also say what you're doing to improve upon that weakness.

Here's an example:

Though I've never missed a deadline, in the past, I've struggled with staying organized. I recently started adding every single thing on my to-do list to a Google calendar, which has made a huge difference. I'm also teaching myself how to use Kanban boards and project management software, like Asana.

Answering Behavioral Questions

There's also a common type of interview question that you should be aware of: behavioral questions. These questions are asked to determine how you might behave in a particular situation (hence behavioral questions).

To determine how you might behave, interviewers ask you either about your past experience in a given situation or how you would respond in a hypothetical situation. Here are some examples:

• Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
• What do you do when you disagree with your boss?
• What would you do if you disagreed with your boss?

Talking about your project(s)

There is an infinite number of behavioral questions that interviewers can ask, but they tend to fall within one of these categories:

• How you work in stressful situations.
• How you respond when you fail.
• How you handle conflict with other people.
• How you motivate yourself and others.
• How you make decisions.
• How your work has made a positive impact.
• How you build relationships with or manage stakeholders.

Before the interview, think of situations from your past that you can refer to for each category.

Ideally, think about the ways that you can answer these questions with your practicum experience; consider your projects, group assignments, or interactions with your mentor and fellow students. This allows you to answer the interviewer's questions and remind them of your relevant skills and experience. This is particularly important if you don't have prior experience in the field or are struggling to think of transferable examples.

When you answer these behavioral type questions, follow these guidelines:

• Use a specific example: Examples tell stories and are more unique, memorable, and evidence-based rather than a vague, general statement about how you typically approach a situation.
• Time yourself: Answers should be at least 1 minute and shorter than 3 minutes.
• Record yourself and watch the recording: It might be painful and make you cringe, but I promise you'll notice things about yourself that will help you strengthen your interviewing skills. Are you saying "um" too often? Do you sound too quiet or unsure? Are you looking away from the camera all the time? Pay attention to these patterns and correct them the next time you record yourself answering the question.
• Follow the STAR method: We've mentioned the STAR method below, but here are some examples:

You may notice that these examples are very different in terms of length! However, they both fully cover all 4 aspects of the STAR method. Some people naturally tend to speak faster in interviews while others speak slower - either way is fine, but ensure that your answers are between 1-3 minutes long.

What are your salary expectations?

You do NOT want to be the person to share a number first. If they ask this question early in the hiring process, here are some strategies:

Flip it! Ask them what the salary range is for the role instead. "I was actually hoping to learn more about the role and responsibilities before I decided on a salary. However, since you brought it up, I would love to know what is the salary range for this position?" (unless their answer is drastically lower than what you would ever work for, do NOT proceed with salary negotiations this early and just say "thank you, that sounds great" -- they don't know enough about you to want you yet, so you're at a disadvantage!)

Avoid it! If they refuse to share and press you for an answer, you can politely sidestep the question. "Right now, finding the right position for me is more important than salary. I'd love to learn more about the job, the company, and the entire benefits package before we talk about numbers."

Estimate it! If the salary range was shared in the job posting or you've found an estimate on Glassdoor already, you can always share that. "I saw in the job posting that the salary range for this role was $___ to $___. Is that still correct?"

During the Interview

Monitor your Nonverbal Behavior

In addition to your verbal answers, interviews are also paying attention to your nonverbal behavior during interviews. Here are a few things to keep in mind during your interview:

• Maintain an upright posture. Sit up straight and roll your shoulders back. This communicates confidence and competence.
• Face the interviewer with your body. This communicates that you're interested in the interviewer and invested in the conversation.
• Uncross your arms. Open posture communicates that you're friendly and trustworthy.
• Be still. Try not to fidget, swivel, or tap your fingers or feet. This communicates nervousness and can distract the interviewer.
• Maintain eye contact. It's okay to blink (obviously), but you should look at your interviewers when you're answering questions, especially when they're talking. This communicates that you're listening and engaged.

Keep Calm

Interviewing can be stressful. It's important to know some techniques that can help you stay calm in a stressful environment. For example, you could try striking a power pose, listening to a fun playlist, or practicing breathing exercises before your interview. And, ultimately, remember that some interviews are meant to test your knowledge — so it's okay if you don't know the answer to every question.

Stay Positive and Avoid Negativity in Your Answers

As a general rule, avoid criticizing past employers or colleagues and avoid criticizing yourself! Focus on the lessons learned from challenges with a positive tone. For example:

Bad: "My current work is really stressful, which is why I'm wanting to leave."

Good: "I've discovered my passion for coding, and I'm excited to find a job where I get to use those skills every day."

After the Interview

Follow Up After Interviews

You might assume that the interview is over once you hang up or leave, but that's incorrect. After every interview, you should follow up — both to thank the interviewer and to stay updated about next steps.

Send a Thank You Email

Send a follow-up thank-you email within 24 hours of your interview.

Your thank-you message should include the following:

• Gratitude
• Excitement about the job
• Something specific about the conversation that you had that pertains to the job and your experience
• An invitation to contact you if the interviewer has additional questions
• Enthusiasm about the next step in the interview process

Example Template 1

Dear [Name],

I wanted to thank you for chatting with me about the [Job Title] role at [Company Name]. 
It was great to get a better understanding of the team as a whole and your emphasis on
[Insert].

After learning more about the work you’re doing on [Insert based on the company/role], I’m
even more excited about the opportunity to work for [Company] and believe my skills in 
[Insert] make me an excellent fit. 

Thanks again for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon. In the meantime, 
if you have any questions, please let me know. 

Example Template 2

Hi, [Interviewer Name],

It was such a pleasure talking to you today and learning more about the [Role name] role at 
[Company Name]. I am even more interested in this role after learning about [the high level 
of innovation (or whatever you learned about the role during the interview)] this role 
provides. I believe my background would be a great fit within your team and organization.

I look forward to hearing back from you soon. Please reach out if you need anything in the 
meantime. 

Kind regards,

[Your Name]

Example Template 3

Dear [Mr./Ms. Name],

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about the [Job Title] opportunity. I was 
excited to learn more about this position [or name the product you'd be working on] and 
appreciated meeting with [“you” or “all of you”].

As we discussed, [tailor this section to the conversation]. I am eager to leverage my 
skills to help [Company Name] reach its goals.

I look forward to taking the next step in this process. Thank you again for your time and 
consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Follow Up When You Don't Get A Response

Sometimes employers get busy and forget to follow up with you.

Don't take it personally.

Instead, be proactive and follow up with them.

Allow yourself two check-ins for every step of the interview process. And leave about 5-10 business days between each of those check-ins. If the employer doesn't respond after the second check-in, move on to the next opportunity.

It's generally best practice to follow up via email with your recruiting contact or the last person you interviewed with.

Keep your follow-up short and professional. Don't make assumptions and don't indicate any anger or frustration; there's probably a good reason why they haven't gotten back to you that's entirely out of anyone's control.

Mock Interview Resources

• PracticeInterview.online: FREE interview prep tool (one-way interviews)
• Peerfect: FREE interview prep tool (two-way interviews)
• Pramp by Exponent: paired tech interviews (free trial, two-way interviews)
• HackerRank: Online Coding Challenges (free version)
• LeetCode: Coding Challenges (free version)
• Final Round AI: fake AI interviewer to practice interviewing with (free trial)
• Interview Warmup by Google: FREE AI that analyzes your interview answers
• ChatGPT: ask ChatGPT what questions they think the interviewer will ask based on the job description and provide example answers that a strong candidate would have

WEEK 10 ACTIVITIES

Time to put all we've discussed to work!

Complete these three activities below and share your answers with your weekly team meeting.

Activity 1

Networking is (and will continue to be) critical in this highly competitive job market. The “hidden” job market is a real thing and many companies only hire internal or through referrals. Just like all things, networking takes time, but you have to take those first steps to start.

1. Create your LinkedIn profile (if you don’t already have one).
2. Connect with everyone on your team, and post your LinkedIn profile URL in the practicum channel for others to connect with you.
3. Ask for LinkedIn recommendations. It can be your mentor, teammate, etc.
4. After you have connected to all of your teammates in your group, you can endorse skills of another person’s profile. Do that for all of your teammates.
5. If you have questions about LinkedIn, you can ask me or your mentor(s).

Activity 2

Continue polishing up your resume! Now is the time to add little details such as quantifying your bullets or reorganizing your skills section.

Once you feel like you've done all you can, follow this checklist to proofread:

• Read it out loud - does it make sense?
• Remove any contractions.
• Make sure acronyms or abbreviations are spelled out or common enough for even non-tech recruiters to understand.
• Remove redundancy or non-relevant fluff.
• Check punctuation for consistency.
• Review all numbers for consistency.
• Check font size and type, margins, spacing, and all formatting for (you guessed it!) consistency.

Activity 3

Practice some of these questions with your team at your weekly career meeting. If you have your resume and LinkedIn profile ready, you can also have your mentor or teammates review if they have time.

For the best advice on how to answer the most common questions, visit this page here.

Tell me about yourself.

• Who I am now (program)
• What my background is
• My a-ha moment to switch to [program you completed] from my former role
• Why I’m passionate about your company

Tell me about one of your accomplishments.

• 2-3 minutes (Hint: Give a concrete example that relates to the job.)
• Use the STAR method
  • 30 seconds: Situation
  • 30 seconds: Task
  • 1 minute: Action
  • 30 seconds: Results

Tell me about a challenge that you overcame.

• 2-3 minutes (Hint: Give examples of how you overcame this and grew professionally.)
• Use the STAR method
  • 30 seconds: Situation
  • 30 seconds: Task
  • 30 seconds: Action
  • 1 minute: Results and reflection on new, improved self

Can you recount a conflict that you had with a colleague?

• 2-3 minutes (Hint: Give examples of how you overcame this and grew professionally.)
• Use the STAR method
  • 30 seconds: Situation
  • 30 seconds: Task
  • 30 seconds: Action
  • 1 minute: Results and reflection on new, improved relationships

What unique qualities do you bring to this team?

• 1-2 minutes
  • 30 seconds: Overview of your unique background
  • 30 seconds: Background and how it fits
  • 30 seconds: Vision for what you’ve done that applies to this role

What’s your biggest weakness?

• 2-3 minutes (Hint: Give examples of how you overcame this and grew professionally.)
• Use the STAR method
  • 30 seconds: Situation
  • 30 seconds: Task
  • 30 seconds: Action
  • 1 minute: Results and reflection on new, improved self

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

• 1-1.5 minutes (Hint: It should be similar to where you’re interviewing, growing at the company.)
  • 30 seconds: Plus one or two important qualities
  • 30 seconds: Plus how this company embodies it