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How to Land a Job After Treehouse with Shannon Morales
28:38 with TreehouseShannon Morales, founder of Tribaja, discusses the digital talent marketplace community she has cultivated for underrepresented tech and startup enthusiasts.
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[MUSIC]
0:01
At this time, I would like to introduce
our first speaker of the day,
0:07
Shannon Morales.
0:12
Shannon is a passionate startup,
founder, operator,
0:14
innovation, enthusiast,
and diversity consultant.
0:18
She's also successfully
launched three businesses and
0:23
finds that the best ideas are generated
during times of ambiguity and chaos.
0:26
Shannon takes on impact driven missions.
0:31
And looks to create competitive advantages
through modern product features,
0:33
community partnerships, and
integration of emerging technologies.
0:38
Shannon is the founder of Tribaja,
an easy to use platform that connects
0:42
equitable employers to skilled
diverse talent and tech and startups.
0:47
And by implementing
a community first strategy,
0:51
Tribaja enables employers to find
the right fit in a shorter time.
0:54
So everyone, please welcome Shannon.
0:59
>> I am so excited to be here.
1:02
I think what Treehouse is
doing is is really amazing.
1:04
I absolutely,
obviously love the space of technology and
1:08
startups and the future of work.
1:12
Because the future is inclusive,
it is diverse.
1:15
And technology as well as the products
that companies create should be as well.
1:18
So I am here to talk about how
to land a job after Treehouse.
1:25
I have committed the past five
years of my life to helping
1:29
more professionals obtain
careers in the tech space, but
1:34
also find careers that are aligned with
who they are at the core of their being.
1:39
And so the first thing I wanna
1:48
talk about is who are you?
1:52
I wanna commend everyone for taking
this next step in your career journey
1:58
as a professional within the tech space.
2:03
If you're from a marginalized group
like Women in Tech, Black in Tech,
2:06
Latinx in Tech, then you're traditionally
under supported within the tech space.
2:11
So it's already hard enough
to make that transition and
2:17
to say, I'm going to go against the grain.
2:20
And to even try to be in
an industry like technology.
2:23
So what you need to think about is,
or if you have finished at Treehouse,
2:27
how are you gonna land that next
opportunity after graduation?
2:32
Who are you as a person?
2:37
What is your personal brand?
2:38
Where do you see yourself?
2:41
Are you confident in your abilities?
2:42
And does your resume showcase this?
2:45
A lot of professionals come to
me after boot camp and ask,
2:47
how do I transition into tech?
2:51
And I always give them advice about,
what are your transferable skills?
2:53
If you worked in an industry before,
how are you going, what's your story?
2:58
And how are you gonna relate the skills
that you obtained in your past
3:03
experiences to what you're trying
to do now within technology?.
3:08
I think very often we
sell ourselves short.
3:12
We leave out certain things in our resume.
3:15
We try to be modest.
3:19
This is not the time to be modest.
3:22
When you're creating
a resume it's all about,
3:24
highlight those accomplishments, saying
if you created some type of community.
3:27
If you've been a leader
within a nonprofit industry.
3:32
If you write blogs in your spare time and
it's focused on technology.
3:37
Also, what are those accomplishments and
3:42
the impacts that you made
in past work experiences?
3:44
Those are things that you shouldn't leave
out, especially if they're numbers driven.
3:47
So adding those metrics in
there you increase sales by x%.
3:52
If you increase performance,
3:56
if you decrease time of
being able to do something.
3:58
Are all of those things
highlighted in your resume and
4:02
making sure that they stand out?
4:05
Also, what's really key is,
are you continuing your education and
4:07
your learning as you're looking for
a job opportunity?
4:13
Very often when you
graduate from boot camps
4:17
during this process of now
you're looking for jobs,
4:21
but sometimes you get
a little sidetracked.
4:26
And you forget that,
a couple months may go by and
4:31
you start to see these gaps in employment.
4:34
So people are asking on how
do we fill in those gaps?
4:37
And so my best advice is
take on passion projects.
4:40
So create something that you're
super passionate about that
4:44
is going to showcase your skills,
your newfound skills in technology.
4:47
And show that you can, hey,
I can create this platform from scratch.
4:51
I created a dashboard with
my new programming skills.
4:55
And being able to add
those to your portfolio,
5:00
it's really gonna be key in helping
you stand out from the crowd.
5:04
Prepare a plan.
5:15
I know sometimes we go at it and
5:17
we need to find a career
opportunity really quickly.
5:20
So we just start our job search
without any clear vision and
5:24
clear plan, and
how we're gonna execute that.
5:28
But it's important because
this is gonna be where you
5:32
spend the majority of your time.
5:36
Company's full time work
is about 40 hours a week.
5:39
So you're spending more time at
work than you are with your family.
5:41
Than you are at home.
5:45
Than you are probably even with yourself.
5:47
So preparing a plan that's
gonna help you execute
5:49
on your job search is extremely important.
5:54
Some of the things that
I'd like to think about.
5:58
Or I'd like to help people think about
when they're thinking about their next
6:01
career opportunity,
6:05
is what type of impact do you wanna
make in your next career opportunity?
6:07
And that helps you to find which
companies you wanna work for.
6:11
So, for instance,
6:16
startups are a completely different
space than an enterprise or corporation.
6:18
When you're working for a startup,
you have to wear multiple hats.
6:24
You have to be able to deal
with ambiguity and challenges.
6:27
At Tribaja we work with a lot of tech
startups because we love that you
6:31
kind of get to get your hands dirty and
6:35
be able to apply your skills in different
types of departments really quickly.
6:37
But not everybody thrives in
those type of situations.
6:42
So being able to kinda
understand who you are,
6:45
will determine if you wanna
be at a tech startup.
6:48
Or do you wanna be at a company or
enterprise that's more established?
6:51
So they can offer you more guidance and
a sense of all the processes in place.
6:56
These are standard operating procedures,
and not kinda just throw
7:01
you in the fire and see if you are in
the ocean to see if you can sink or swim.
7:06
Having an idea in terms of minimum or
7:12
salary range of what you're
willing to accept and not accept.
7:16
I think because having a job,
it is so tied to your emotions.
7:24
Sometimes we accept the first
offer because we're so excited and
7:30
happy that we got a new opportunity.
7:33
That is a big mistake.
7:36
A lot of women do not
negotiate their salary,
7:37
they take the first offer, and
you're leaving money on the table.
7:40
Always negotiate.
7:46
I say, my rule of thumb is at
least 20% higher than what you
7:47
think you might potentially
be able to get.
7:52
Also always research the fair
market value for that role and
7:57
see where you fall within
those years of experience.
8:02
So like I said, if you're going for
an entry level job,
8:07
let's say it's between 75 and 85.
8:10
Let's say they offer you 80.
8:12
Ask for 90, and you may potentially
meet up in the middle, around 85.
8:15
And so that's how you kind
of negotiate your salary,
8:19
just a little quick run through that.
8:23
And are you looking for an opportunity
that offers you more flexibility?
8:26
I love tech because of the fact that
you can work in tech and be remote.
8:30
So this is really great time for moms who
are transitioning into the tech space.
8:38
For parents in general,
transitioning to the tech space.
8:43
Technology offers a lot of flexibility,
8:47
which allows you to be able to
create the life that you wanna live.
8:50
And this in turn will
lead to more success.
8:55
If you have a clear vision of
the things that you will accept and
8:59
you won't accept within your
next career opportunity.
9:04
Then you're kind of mitigating the risk
of falling into a situation where you're
9:08
in a corporation, or a company,
9:13
or a tech startup,
that you're not extremely happy with.
9:15
Because you allowed
yourself to accept things
9:19
that you weren't going to be
happy with in the long run.
9:22
Right now there's, over 3 million
jobs are posted in tech a year.
9:26
And probably even more than that
since I looked up this number.
9:32
And I believe 1.6 million
jobs will go unfilled because
9:36
of the lack of tech talent
that is able to graduate and
9:42
be able to build these
opportunities within tech.
9:47
So right now is an awfully good
time to be where you're at.
9:52
So definitely take advantage and
create that plan.
9:56
Yes, and this is where I come in.
10:03
Cuz I'm all about community.
10:05
I'm all about ecosystem building.
10:07
So find your tribe.
10:10
Yes, you might be a first gen.
10:12
You might be the first
person in your close
10:14
tight-knit circle that is in technology.
10:18
So you do need a tribe of supporters.
10:22
A tribe of people surrounding you.
10:25
Who are gonna help you.
10:28
Who are gonna guide you.
10:29
Who are gonna be your main chillier
saying, yes you can do it.
10:30
Yes, imposter syndrome does not live here.
10:34
Yes, you can find an equitable
workplace that you're happy with.
10:37
Yes you can do all these things and
still have a family.
10:40
So I believe finding your tribe or
community of people that are like minded,
10:45
that are on similar career path,
is extremely helpful.
10:49
I did not have one when I
was going through my career.
10:53
And I really struggled
because I'm a single mom.
10:56
First-generation college grad.
11:01
I don't have any siblings or
brothers or sisters.
11:04
If I asked my mom what UX, UI design is,
11:07
my mom probably could go
speaking a different language.
11:10
So having a support system
to hold you accountable,
11:14
to be able to run ideas off of.
11:20
I also wanted, and this might be
a little bit of a subtract, but
11:23
I do wanna talk about just really quickly.
11:27
Let's normalize being
able to share salary.
11:30
Because that's something within,
especially within the Black and
11:35
Latinx community that we don't do enough.
11:38
Because we feel like that's
something that's private.
11:40
But the more that we share being
transparent about our salary,
11:44
the more we can say, okay,
I know my friend is making x, y, and z.
11:49
And she has around the same
amount of years as I do.
11:54
Let me make sure that I don't accept
anything lower than the salary range.
11:57
So let's normalize that.
12:00
It's okay to ask your friends, hey,
what are you making in your job?
12:02
Nowadays I ask my friends, and
it may catch them off guard.
12:06
So what I do is I share mine first.
12:10
Because I wanna make sure that my
friends are all out winning and
12:12
negotiating those salaries.
12:17
And if I hear my friends say that,
she has a master's degree and
12:19
she's making under 65,000 a year.
12:22
That's a big no, no for me.
12:25
So, definitely, yes, salary.
12:28
But the community aspect of
everything is really important.
12:31
Because if you don't have those
people around you, surrounding you,
12:34
telling you, what's acceptable and
what's not acceptable,
12:39
then you kinda just go with
the flow kind of thing.
12:43
And you really honestly don't
know what you don't know.
12:46
So having a tribe, like I said,
is extremely important.
12:50
So at Trabaho we built the ecosystem of
diverse tech and startup enthusiasts that
12:56
hold each other accountable, and are going
through these career journeys together.
13:01
Whether they're just starting out,
whether they're experienced,
13:06
they are able to kind of be in
a situation where they feel open and
13:10
comfortable with sharing
their experiences.
13:14
And honestly that's the goal.
13:17
There is awfully a lot of
information out there right now.
13:29
Because of the Georgia
flow situation last year,
13:36
diversity and tech has become a hot topic.
13:40
But I wanna say that I've been working
on the future work in this space for
13:44
over five years now.
13:49
And it's refreshing to be able to
find employers that are committed and
13:51
that understand the value
that professionals
13:57
bring who have different
cultural backgrounds.
14:02
That have different experiences, that
come from different circumstances, and
14:06
things like that.
14:11
But you kinda wanna
filter through the noise.
14:13
And just because there's so
much out there right now.
14:16
So thinking about how can
you filter through that.
14:18
And it's fine job boards and directories.
14:21
Central hubs and locations,
where you can find information that is
14:24
specifically geared towards you and
geared towards where you wanna be.
14:28
So if you're looking for startups, there's
central repositories, and hubs, and
14:33
job boards,
specifically focused on startups and tech.
14:38
If you're looking for
social impact driven missions,
14:42
if you're looking for
clean tech and sustainability.
14:47
All those different industries have
their own platforms, job boards, and
14:51
directories that you can find.
14:56
And so I definitely urge you to either,
whether it's a job board,
14:58
join their newsletter.
15:03
If it's a community,
join their slack channel.
15:04
If it's a directory, whatever
those resources are, find them and
15:09
make sure to kind of constantly stay
in touch with that organization and
15:14
always look for updates.
15:20
I know if you join a lot of slack
channels, they can get overwhelming.
15:22
So definitely try to
find a mission focus and
15:27
what exactly you want after you graduate.
15:30
And obviously, this is gonna streamline
your job search tremendously.
15:34
And this is gonna really
help you hone in in zero and
15:38
on the top types of opportunities that
are going to be important for you.
15:43
It's like I'm going extremely fast.
15:49
So if I am just let me know,
try to slow me down.
15:51
Well, I'd like to talk
about equitable workplaces.
16:04
At Trabaho we do have a job board,
16:07
as well as an equitable
workplace directory.
16:11
And so
what that means is that we only work with
16:17
companies that are mission aligned.
16:21
And that are also committed to diversity,
equity inclusion, or
16:25
long term strategic reasons and goals.
16:29
So not someone or
not a company that posted one time about
16:33
the fact that they're gonna
hire a people of color.
16:37
For a month or two months, companies that
have actually put practices in place
16:42
to be able to build foundation
towards what they're doing.
16:49
And so, the way that I like to think
about it is, before they start to hire,
16:54
have they already created a space where
professionals feel like they belong and
16:59
they feel safe?
17:05
And so we look for
companies that offer psychological safety.
17:07
The way I think about psychological
safety, cuz I'm not sure if this is
17:12
a new term, but it is definitely something
that I knew that I have been using.
17:15
It's, if you walk into work and
17:20
you feel as if you can
truly be who you are.
17:23
If I can walk into the place and
be Shanna Mirallas.
17:28
And I may not wear my hoop
earrings all the time or
17:32
anything like that in a corporate
setting or in a work setting.
17:36
But if I can, hey, this is who I am.
17:41
Yes, I'm mom.
17:45
Yes, I do these things on the weekends and
just feel super safe.
17:46
And then also feel safe about
adding in your own ideas.
17:50
I think that's really important in terms
of being able to advance in your career.
17:55
Do you feel safe sharing
your ideas with your team?
18:00
Or do you feel like they're
gonna be literally for
18:03
making any type of suggestions for the
processes that they already have in place?
18:06
So making sure that you're
finding companies that are all
18:12
about their employees,
their career progression.
18:16
Are they offering you at least a decent
18:20
package in terms of PTO and
things like that?
18:25
All are extremely important
to your mental health.
18:30
And why, it's all about value alignment.
18:36
It's the company that you work for,
are your values aligned?
18:39
I'm running out of time.
18:45
So I'm gonna speed up just a little bit.
18:45
Here's a couple of success stories.
18:50
We connected Nalli to
a startup called the Crew.
18:51
We helped at least build her startup team.
18:56
And yeah, these are just
a few of our success stories.
18:59
But I did wanna open it up to
questions potentially in the chat.
19:03
Just what is the biggest challenge
in your job search today?
19:10
I mean, I would really love to kind
of be able to answer at least one or
19:14
two questions.
19:19
And if not, here is my website.
19:21
You can go to www.trabaho.com.
19:24
You can create an absolute free platform.
19:27
Free, sorry, free profile, where equitable
workplaces can actually find you.
19:31
And I find this to be extremely
helpful for our community and
19:38
our tribe who are looking for work.
19:42
We have quite a few workplaces in
our directory that you can actually
19:45
go in right now and just filter
through some of the jobs that we have.
19:50
Some are for entry level.
19:55
We do have entry level software
engineer roles available.
19:57
We also do diversity tech events,
20:01
which are virtual hiring events
with our employer partnerships.
20:03
We have one coming up
with Comcast in the fall.
20:07
And we have just a few other tech
startups that we work with as well.
20:10
And let me see.
20:18
I stopped sharing the rest
of sharing already.
20:29
Okay, So if there aren't
20:35
any questions, I mean,
I am here as a resource to you.
20:40
I mean,
this is literally my life's journey,
20:45
my life's goal is to help professionals
find fulfillment in their careers.
20:50
Right now my focus is in technology
because I feel that there's such
20:57
a massive opportunity to be able to
help people increase their salaries,
21:02
increase their way of living, and
just have a more fulfilling life.
21:06
And if technology is that way
to be able to get there then,
21:11
And yes, then I absolutely
look forward to helping you.
21:18
A couple of resources that
Tribaja has that I urge you
21:23
to definitely take a look at
is we hold open office hours.
21:28
So if you have questions about
your resume, what it looks like,
21:34
if it's clearly aligned with the job
opportunities that you're searching for,
21:39
then setting up those free
office hours with us.
21:45
If you have questions about the jobs
that we have coming up, and
21:49
if we have anything that clearly matches
with you, then that's another resource.
21:54
We always share a lot of tech
as upscaling programs, so
22:00
if you're constantly looking for
ways to refresh your tech skills,
22:05
we're constantly posting
on our Slack channel.
22:11
We're at over 2,500 members right now and
22:15
our goal is to double the size
by the end of this year.
22:18
And [LAUGH] I'm trying to
think of any other resources.
22:22
Yeah, and join our Slack channel,
come on, be a part of the tribe.
22:29
I'm here to support you guys,
I think Treehouse is amazing.
22:32
And yeah, honestly, I'm here to help.
22:36
You can also connect with me.
22:39
Where's the Q&A?
22:44
[LAUGH] So there, I see that there's
22:46
a few questions and
I do wanna answer them.
22:50
[COUGH] How do you
negotiate your salary when
23:02
an employer states that
there is no room for growth?
23:06
So sometimes there, honestly,
if a company gives you a salary range and
23:11
it's not within the range
that you're looking for,
23:16
then it may not be the best role for you.
23:20
There's companies that have
a very straightforward budget.
23:23
And they may say, hey,
my salary range is between 50k and 60k.
23:27
And you clearly want 65 and up,
23:32
then honestly that's a good hint that
that's not the right opportunity for you.
23:34
There's probably, but
I guess a caveat to that,
23:41
if there's no way to
negotiate a base salary, but
23:45
you might be happy if
you get maybe a bonus.
23:50
So think about negotiating other
things besides just the salary,
23:54
maybe like more PTO, flexible work.
23:58
Maybe negotiating on contract instead
of a full time opportunity in
24:02
case you wanna do some
other work on the side.
24:06
So there's some other things that you can
think about besides just negotiation of
24:10
a salary.
24:14
I'm not sure how to get it done,
let's see.
24:24
I'm trying to figure out if this is for
me.
24:28
Despite all the positive encouragement,
I have never worked so hard for so
24:32
little pay, any advice to get it done?
24:36
I'm not quite sure about that question.
24:40
After finishing a certification, I fail to
get a job in tech after trying six months.
24:44
I just kind of bridge after a cert
course and find a two level job.
24:49
Honestly, my advice about not being able
to find a job in a certain amount of time,
24:55
six months is definitely a long
amount of time to be out of work.
25:01
So my advice is to kind of think about
where you might be falling short and
25:06
not in a sense of who you are and
skills, but
25:13
maybe in how are you relaying your
abilities to be able to do something?
25:16
Are you able to get feedback from
some of the employers that you're
25:23
interviewing with?
25:27
And if you're not interviewing, then maybe
it could be something in your resume.
25:28
So you have to kinda take a step back and
25:31
see where in that hiring process
are you not able to progress forward.
25:34
But if you're not able to get enough
interviews, then normally it's the resume.
25:39
If you're getting enough interviews,
but not closing the deal,
25:43
then it's normally how you're
relaying your transferable skills and
25:47
also your confidence
during those interviews.
25:51
So if you want to set up 15 minutes
with me during office hours,
25:54
I'm more than happy to kind of
go over anything that you have.
25:58
Where can I learn?
26:01
Okay, I think that is it from questions.
26:04
Should you quit a full time job with
benefits for a contract with a more
26:09
reputable company that has potential
of turning into a full time job offer?
26:14
So I think that's dependent
upon your circumstances, right?
26:19
If you're in a situation
where you're comfortable,
26:24
kind of given that security of full time,
and I would think if you're
26:28
very early in your career, and
you can kind of afford the risk, right?
26:34
Because there is a big potential risk
with going for a contract role that isn't
26:39
giving you a full time opportunity,
that's kind of taking a risk and a chance.
26:44
So if you feel comfortable
enough taking that risk, and
26:50
you feel like you would be happy
at the larger company, then yes.
26:53
But I do want to make sure that
you know that contracts are not,
26:57
it's not a guarantee.
27:02
And so leaving something secure to go for
something a little bit more risky,
27:05
I would just kind of maybe
write down the risks.
27:10
Kind of measure [LAUGH]
what you're giving up for
27:14
something that you're getting
with the contract role.
27:17
And if this one is higher than that one,
27:20
then go towards the one
that has more benefits for
27:24
you overall in a sense where
you see yourself in the future.
27:28
If it's like a Facebook or Google, and
you're like yes, I'm all gung-ho and
27:34
I wanna leave this full-time job so
I could work at Facebook and Google for
27:37
the name and the reputation, then that's
something that you should think about.
27:41
But also know that if that contract
doesn't turn into full time employment,
27:45
that you might find
yourself without a job too.
27:49
So that's how I would think about it.
27:52
Any other questions?
27:59
I think I'm out of time.
28:07
Thank you so much, everyone.
28:10
I hope this was helpful.
28:14
Honestly, please let me know if I
can be of help or a resource to you.
28:16
You can find me on LinkedIn
at Shannon Morales.
28:21
You can find for Tribaja at tribaja.com.
28:24
And also, we're on LinkedIn, social media,
every place where the talent resides.
28:27
I hope you have an amazing rest
of your Treehouse festival.
28:35
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