Heads up! To view this whole video, sign in with your Courses account or enroll in your free 7-day trial. Sign In Enroll
Preview
Start a free Courses trial
to watch this video
How to Get Your First Job In Tech: Search, Apply and Interview Effectively with Grant Ovsepyan
20:23 with TreehouseTreehouse graduate Grant discusses his journey from retail manager to web developer. He covers the importance of networking, how to interview, and how to find a company that shares your values.
Presentation Slides (Right Click + Save Link As):
Related Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign upRelated Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign up
All right.
0:04
Hello, my name is Grant Ovsepyan.
0:04
I wanna thank everyone for
taking the time to be here.
0:07
Welcome to How to Get Your First
Job In Tech Search, Apply and
0:09
Interview Effectively.
0:13
Let me share my presentation.
0:14
So a little bit about me.
0:19
I recently graduated from the Treehouse
PHP Techdegree program back in February.
0:21
Before that, I was a store retail
store manager for 12 years and
0:26
manage the FedEx Office stores
the most recently HomeGoods store.
0:30
At HomeGoods, I managed a team of 40
to 60 people, depending on the season.
0:34
For those of you who don't know what
a HomeGoods is, it's an off-price retailer
0:38
that sells furniture, home decor,
and kitchen accessories.
0:42
Even though I had no background in tech,
0:45
I always had the desire
to become a developer.
0:47
I kept finding success as a retail
store manager, though, so
0:49
I kept putting off studying programming.
0:53
There were times I tried
to learn on my own,
0:55
but I would become overwhelmed by all
the information and just give up.
0:56
After a friend recommended Treehouse and
graduating from their amazing program,
0:59
I was able to finally overcome
hurdles that couldn't do on my own.
1:03
This allowed me to
successfully change my career.
1:06
I officially started my new career
as a developer on May 11th.
1:09
I got a job as a junior PHP developer
working with Laravel at a company called
1:13
Enerflow.
1:18
Today, I'm going to share with you how I
was able to successfully search apply and
1:18
interview for my job.
1:24
Where to start.
1:27
So you're on the path of
becoming an engineer,
1:28
you've completed the training and
are ready to find a job in tech.
1:30
It's a big world out there so
where do you begin?
1:33
We all know the big job boards,
Indeed.com,
1:37
Glassdoor.com, Ziprecruiter.com,
and many more.
1:41
This is where I started looking for it.
1:46
There were lots of job postings, it was
easy to search and narrow down results.
1:48
You can also create an account and
configure your search to send you updates.
1:52
You never know when an opportunity
might come your way.
1:56
I was able to get a few interviews
through these websites and
1:59
going through them helped
me better prepare myself.
2:01
There are lots of pros and
cons to the big job boards though.
2:06
Some of the pros.
2:10
So the benefits these job boards
are all the options, right?
2:13
You see job posts from
multiple companies and
2:15
even multiple cities depending
on your search criteria.
2:17
You can narrow down and
expand your search easily.
2:20
You can also sign up for
automated emails that let you know when
2:24
new jobs have been posted that
match your search criteria.
2:29
You can sign up for it to get as many or
as few emails as you would like.
2:33
One of the benefits I got from doing all
these job board is essentially job market
2:39
and core skills that hiring
managers are looking for.
2:44
You start to see what is in demand and
this can give you guidance and
2:47
what skills you need to work on.
2:49
Next, if you have a particular role or
position in mind.
2:51
These can also save you time.
2:56
You can upload your resume and
2:58
basic information to your account by not
having to input your basic information and
2:59
upload your resume every time you apply
to a job to speed things up quite a bit.
3:03
So what are the downsides?
3:07
Downside is that it can get overwhelming.
3:12
I know at times, I felt a little bit
of despair getting emails every day and
3:14
searching through these jobs feeling
like I don't qualify for anything.
3:18
It can be difficult when you've worked
hard to get to where you are and
3:21
it feels like it's still not enough.
3:25
You might start to feel like
these are your only options.
3:27
Even reading the posts might make you feel
like there aren't jobs that match your
3:30
skills.
3:34
This led me to lose my confidence
that I could successfully find a job.
3:35
Obviously, that is not the case,
but I had to persevere.
3:39
My personal recommendation
would be to network.
3:43
This is where I was able to
overcome many challenges.
3:46
I worked on building a career
support group for myself.
3:50
Surround yourself with people that
will encourage you to succeed.
3:54
Jennifer Nordell, the student success
specialist in the Treehouse PHP Techdegree
3:57
program was an amazing advocate.
4:02
She not only helped me succeed in the
course but was amazing supporting me and
4:04
helping me feel confident in my skills.
4:07
I definitely would not have been able to
accomplish what I have without her help.
4:09
Take every opportunity you can get,
4:14
I was able to go to a mentor
day at a company called Picasa.
4:17
This gave me the chance to meet and speak
with developers and other students there.
4:20
I was able to gain insight
into the programming world.
4:23
There, I also met Alicia Ram,
the director of platform engineering.
4:26
I shared with her my experiences and
she was so kind and genuine and
4:30
wanting to help me.
4:34
Ask for advice.
4:36
Please give me advice on where to look for
work and
4:38
also got me in touch with recruiters.
4:40
These personal connections were key
in me being able to find a career.
4:42
Even after I was able to land a job,
4:46
I still keep them updated because not
only am I grateful for that help, but
4:48
these connections can lead to
greater opportunities in the future.
4:51
Look for these kinds of opportunities
where you are whether in your current job,
4:55
neighborhood or at Treehouse.
5:00
And don't be shy to ask for
recommendation letters and references.
5:02
Someone who can vouch for you in the field
you're trying to transition to will help
5:05
with any lack of documented experience.
5:09
Mostly of the people in tech I spoke
with recommended LinkedIn.com.
5:14
If you already don't
have a LinkedIn page or
5:17
haven't dusted it off in a while,
I urge you to get it up and updated.
5:19
This is the first thing
at least asked me and
5:23
recommended I get it updated right away.
5:25
I still had it as a store manager
at HomeGoods and she told me,
5:27
you're a developer now and
make sure your LinkedIn shows that.
5:30
Build your network on LinkedIn,
create connections and follow people.
5:34
The recruiters at least introduced me
to connected to me through LinkedIn.
5:39
They helped me find more resources and
speaking with them,
5:42
I was able to refine and update my resume.
5:45
I also frequently see
them post about jobs on.
5:48
These people want to get you a job and
5:51
it's in your benefit to make these
connections as soon as you can.
5:53
Make sure to let the rest of your network
know that you are looking for work.
5:58
Many people will come to your aid and
help you succeed.
6:01
Keep your account up to date with
each new exciting thing you do,
6:06
share any new skills you obtain.
6:10
Doing all this will certainly
applied to a lot of jobs.
6:12
So some people, myself included,
try the shotgun application approach.
6:20
You know what I mean when you're making
a generic resume and cover letter and
6:25
pepper every job post you barely
qualify for and hope for the best.
6:29
It's not the most effective method though.
6:32
Instead, really dig in deep and
find the jobs that you really want.
6:34
Don't feel intimidated by
some of the job requirements.
6:40
You may not have all the skills listed,
but rarely are companies looking for
6:43
someone who has everything mastered, ready
to go for a junior engineer position.
6:46
If they are, then I recommend you
move on as that face probably doesn't
6:51
have the correct environment
to nurture a junior developer.
6:54
Even if you don't have all
the skills listed in the posting,
6:58
try to break down what
they're really looking for.
7:01
Look for core skills.
7:04
Are you applying at Tesla to
their self driving program?
7:06
Okay, then maybe you do need
to know AI and data science.
7:08
Are you applying to a WordPress
theme building company,
7:12
then that computer science degree
requirement isn't truly a requirement.
7:15
Think about the business and what
skills they really need versus prefer.
7:19
Look at the other skill requirements.
7:23
How quickly can you fill the gap for
the rest of the requirements?
7:25
Are there things you can fill in
between now and potentially hiring?
7:28
Are there any things you want to learn?
7:31
Make sure you will be happy and
successful should you get the role.
7:34
Take your time to research the company.
7:39
Do their values match yours?.
7:42
Not only is it very difficult to work for
a company whose values don't match yours,
7:44
it's also very hard to
convince them to hire you.
7:48
You aren't bought in and
that gets conveyed during your interview.
7:50
Does their mission statement sound
like something you can get behind?
7:55
Do you believe in what
the company is doing?
7:58
This alone can help you get hired.
8:00
If you're passionate about the product or
service the company offers,
8:02
then that excitement will be
felt during your interview.
8:05
You will also be much
happier going to work there.
8:08
Also, be sure to note what you found
interesting about their company.
8:12
Things like if they donate to a charity,
you also support or
8:14
seem to have an amazing company
culture all great things to look for.
8:17
So first impressions
are extremely important.
8:23
First impression you leave on a hiring
manager happens before they even get to
8:28
meet you,
which is when they see your resume.
8:31
Take the time to tailor your resume and
cover letter for each application.
8:35
Your time is precious and
so is the hiring managers.
8:38
As a hiring manager, it is easy to
see who generally took the time and
8:40
care to apply for the position and
to weed out the others.
8:44
When you have large quantities of
people applying for the same position,
8:47
you look for any quick ways
to eliminate the applicants.
8:51
Your resume says a lot about you on
top of what is actually written.
8:55
Are there spelling or grammar mistakes?
8:58
Do you have consistent
punctuation across your resume?
9:00
Are there spacing off on some parts?
9:03
All these little details
give hints on who you are.
9:05
It can show that you are either someone
who has a high attention to detail, or
9:08
someone who can't be bothered.
9:11
Do you care about quality, or are you
someone who does the bare minimum work?
9:13
These are all key abilities that you
convey without even writing about it.
9:17
So how do you make sure
your resumes are amazing?
9:21
Get help with your resume.
9:25
To be sure my resume was perfect,
I had multiple people look over it.
9:26
The more people that review a resume,
the better polished it will be.
9:30
One advice I got from the recruiters
was to convey confidence.
9:36
Present the work that you
have done confidently.
9:39
It's okay if it was your first project,
use it to show your growth.
9:42
That project five you were
stuck on a Treehouse,
9:45
display that with pride as it shows
how you overcame a challenge.
9:48
There's a time and place to have imposter
syndrome and that is not on your resume.
9:51
Every hire is a risk, so
9:55
make sure your hiring manager knows
you're confident you will succeed.
9:56
Your current work experience
is also important.
10:02
What key qualities and
10:04
traits can you show from your past that
will help you succeed as a developer?
10:05
Being ambitious and self-driven are traits
that can be displayed in any career, but
10:08
it's still important in tech.
10:13
Another big thing people look for
are soft skills.
10:15
Well, these are things you
need to succeed in any job.
10:17
Make sure to highlight those experiences.
10:20
And lastly, be honest.
10:23
Do not put on your resume,
you have 13 years of experience or
10:24
know a programming language, if you don't.
10:29
It may help you get an interview,
but it won't help you get the job.
10:32
Do not wait until you are applying
to start preparing for your new job.
10:37
What you are doing today matters.
10:42
Use your current job to develop yourself.
10:44
I used to tell my employees that even if
this might not be your final destination
10:46
for your career, use the time
to develop any skills you can.
10:50
No matter what you will
be doing in the future,
10:53
customer service skills are something
you need to know universally.
10:56
In retail, it's called customer service,
and in the medical field,
11:00
it's called bedside manner.
11:03
And in tech, it's called soft skills.
11:04
The name is different, but
the essence is the same.
11:07
Even if you don't end up working directly
with customers, your ability to take care
11:09
of customers becomes skills on how
to take care of your teammates.
11:13
If you don't work with customers right
now, you can still work on your teamwork,
11:16
time and task management, problem
solving skills, and many other skills.
11:20
Interviews consist of you telling
stories of your past experience.
11:23
Hopefully, that doesn't come
as a surprise to anyone.
11:27
What you are doing today will become
those amazing interview answers.
11:30
This came almost as a surprise when I was
trying to explain it to my employees.
11:34
When it comes time to interview for
your next job, I don't think, well,
11:40
I did enough just to get by because
I really wanted to become this, or
11:43
I was only doing this job while I went to
school, will impress any hiring manager.
11:47
Take the time to excel
at your current role.
11:51
Use that to show your ability to
problem solve and overcome challenges.
11:53
Explain how you work well in teams and
have examples to show that.
11:57
Becoming an expert in your current role
shows hard work, drive, and initiative.
12:01
Your awesome coding skills might
be what get you the interview, but
12:05
these are the things that
will help you land the job.
12:08
Having the personality traits to succeed
no matter what work you do is highly
12:11
desired and you can show that now.
12:15
As you work and accomplish great things,
12:18
write them down now to reference them when
you need to prepare for an interview.
12:20
It may seem like you will remember,
because you were so awesome,
12:24
how could you possibly forget?
12:27
But it can be difficult months from now.
12:29
Remembering details when answering
interview questions will make your answers
12:31
that much better.
12:35
But how do you convey that
all during the interview?
12:36
So what makes a good interview answer?
12:39
After interviewing hundreds of people and
reading different guides, I've come up
12:42
with, I think, is the secret formula to
answering interview questions effectively.
12:46
Most people think that simply
answering the question is enough.
12:50
But the interviewer is looking to see how
you think and approach a problem as well.
12:53
This can and
usually is more important than the answer.
12:58
When asked, tell me about a time
you overcame a challenge or
13:01
some variance of that, you could go,
I just did this and it fixed the problem.
13:04
But that's not the correct answer.
13:07
You haven't really told
the interviewer anything about it.
13:10
I've come up with my secret five-step way
to answer interview questions effectively.
13:13
So what is my secret sauce?
13:17
This is the recipe to better
answer interview questions.
13:20
Phrase your response in this format.
13:25
Step one, state the initial problem.
13:27
Step two, state how you originally
planned to solve the problem.
13:30
Step three, state how you actually
solved or failed to solve the problem.
13:34
Step four, state the outcome.
13:40
And step five,
state what you learned from it.
13:41
Be as detailed as you can,
and let's break it down.
13:45
So, state the initial problem.
13:49
How did the problem
come to your attention?
13:52
Usually, interview questions consist
of how you overcame a challenge.
13:54
These questions can vary from tell me
about a time you had to work on a project,
13:58
or tell me about a time you had
to deal with an upset customer.
14:02
Or even quite literally, tell me about
a time you had to overcome a challenge.
14:04
Make sure your initial statement covers
who gave you the task or problem.
14:09
Was it an issue that you
noticed on your own?
14:13
And some examples of how this would
start are, my boss asked me to, or
14:16
an upset customer, or
I noticed this issue.
14:20
So how do you planned to solve it,
Explain your thought process.
14:22
How did you initially think
about solving the problem?
14:28
Did you initially have a clear solution or
did you need to do more research?
14:31
What was your gut reaction?
14:37
What resources, if any,
did you think you would need?
14:38
Did you need to seek guidance or
have to do more research?
14:43
What made you realize
you lacked information?
14:46
Example of this would be how to start,
I initially thought to, or this wasn't
14:50
something I had dealt with before,
so I knew I needed to ask for help.
14:54
So step three,
explain how you solved it, or didn't.
14:59
Explain if you had had to
take a different approach.
15:02
What caused you to need to
take a different approach?
15:08
What unforeseen hurdles
did you need to overcome?
15:11
Did you need to recruit any help?
15:15
Did something happened that
made you unsuccessful?
15:18
Sometimes telling a story
of initial failure and
15:22
how you grew from that experience
can be an even better answer.
15:24
Step four, state the outcome.
15:29
So, what was the outcome?
15:31
Was the initial problem solved?
15:33
And then what value did the customer,
your boss, or you gain from it?
15:35
Step five, state what you learned,
What you learned from the process,
15:40
what you would do differently next time,
and
15:46
any processes you put in place to prevent
the issue from occurring in the future.
15:49
So let's bring it all together.
15:56
I'll give you an example of a question
I had during one of my interviews.
15:58
So, which project or concept did I find
difficult in learning programming?
16:04
So, state the initial problem.
16:10
One of the projects I found difficult
was project 5 in the Treehouse program.
16:11
At the time, we're using the Slim
3 framework to create a blog.
16:17
It was a huge jump from previous projects
as we hadn't used a framework before.
16:21
I initially struggled with the project.
16:26
It was hard to conceptualize all the magic
that happens in the background of
16:28
frameworks at the time.
16:33
I tried to utilize the documentation, but
16:35
it was difficult to see
how it all went together.
16:37
I started to look at other
student's examples of
16:41
the project to see how
they put it together.
16:44
I also made sure to partner with the
student success specialist to help answer
16:46
any questions that came up.
16:51
With those two combined, I was finally
able to start putting the pieces together.
16:53
I could finally conceptualize
how the MVC pattern works.
16:59
I understood how the frameworks
separate the settings.
17:02
I knew where I was getting those seemingly
magic methods, and I was super excited.
17:05
I took my newfound understanding and
17:11
tried to help answer other students'
questions on the Slack channel.
17:13
This helped cement my knowledge and also
helped me to continue to learn things.
17:17
I was excited to finally
understand how it worked, and
17:22
wanted to share that excitement
with the other students.
17:25
As you can see,
17:29
I provided a lot of details on how
I approach to solve a problem.
17:30
I also touched on what I
took away from it, and
17:33
used it to better enrich those around me.
17:36
I could have just given a basic answer,
I struggled with project 5.
17:38
It was on Slim 3 framework.
17:42
I worked hard and figured it out though.
17:44
That answers the question but doesn't
really show how my though process and
17:46
problem solving skills are.
17:50
And it's an opportunity missed to show
what a great candidate you really are.
17:52
I spend a lot of time interviewing people,
and being interviewed myself, anywhere
17:56
from doing mass hires to practicing
being interviewed by previous mentors.
18:01
Being interviewed is a skill.
18:06
It's something you can work on and
should be something you develop.
18:07
Find some basic interview questions
online and have your friends and
18:11
family interview you.
18:15
The act of speaking your answers out loud
in front of another person will make you
18:17
a better interviewee.
18:20
You might feel weird and
goofy at first, but push through that.
18:21
Practice forming those amazing experiences
you're creating right now into interesting
18:25
and well-articulated answers.
18:30
Receive feedback on how you did,
and afterwards, try again.
18:31
Keep at it until you feel confident enough
in your answers that the confidence is
18:35
conveyed in your voice.
18:38
Have them mix in some
questions you didn't provide.
18:40
This will help you formulate
your thoughts on the spot.
18:42
It's okay to take a moment to collect
your thoughts before answering.
18:45
Try to speak clearly without
a lot of ums and uhs.
18:48
If you feel like you have to say or
don't say anything at all.
18:51
That two to three seconds your brain needs
to process can be done in the silence.
18:54
It takes practice to get over
the habit of saying fillers, though.
18:59
Just like anything else, practice is key.
19:01
Even with all the practice, you'll
probably go through multiple interviews
19:04
before you're actually in the job.
19:08
It can be hard to get rejected.
19:10
Remember though,
rejection does not reflect your value.
19:12
I had multiple companies I applied
to that I had my heart set on.
19:15
I did my research,
spent time on my resume, cover letter, and
19:18
did the best that I could at the time,
but still did not receive a job.
19:22
It can be tough,
19:26
but viewing each interview process
as a learning experience can help.
19:27
Use the interview as
an opportunity to learn and grow.
19:30
Do not take the rejection personally, but
instead use what you learned from that
19:33
interview to be better prepared for
the next one.
19:38
What new questions did they
ask that you struggled with?
19:40
How can you better prepare for
that question?
19:44
And if they give you any feedback,
sometimes you can ask for
19:45
it afterwards and they may provide it.
19:49
Each interview is a step
forward towards your goal.
19:52
Eventually, with enough effort,
you will be successful.
19:55
Every day, I wake up amazed that I'm
finally able to do my dream job.
19:59
It was a difficult path, but
one that was well worth it.
20:03
I'm grateful to Treehouse for being able
to help change my life for the better.
20:06
I know searching, applying, and
interviewing is only one step of the long
20:11
journey, but once you finally get here,
it feels amazing.
20:16
Thank you for taking the time to listen.
20:20
You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.
Sign upYou need to sign up for Treehouse in order to set up Workspace
Sign up