Wednesday, May 30, 2012

How to find an IT or CS job in OC or LA



These are suggestions that have worked for me and/or worth trying.  YMMV.
  • Order business cards.  I recommend using a template which is designed to include a photo, as it makes it easier for employers to remember you.
  • Update your LinkedIn profile.  Detail is good as long as it is specific and relevant.  Make your profile public and searchable.  For example, here's my profile.
  • Recommendations:
    • Get relevant connections to write you LinkedIn recommendations:
      • Faculty advisors
      • Teachers
      • Co-workers (current and former)
      • Clients
      • Vendors
    • Once you have a few good recommendations, copy and paste them into a word document and print that to a PDF.   You should email this document every time you email someone your resume.  You should bring this with you to interviews in addition to your resume.
  • Post your resume on Monster, Dice, and Indeed.  Be ready for a flood of spam, so maybe use a different email address other than your usual email address.
  • Link up with contacts on Facebook BranchOut
  • Search job boards and apply for postings:
  • Paper resume:
    • Make two versions:
      • See if you can get it on one page without making it look crammed, while giving some relevant details.
      • Then make a different version which is two to three pages long with all of the detail from your LinkedIn profile.  
    • Print both versions on high-quality paper using a laser printer.
    • Put your LinkedIn profile URL at the bottom, and when your LinkedIn profile starts accumulating good references, note that with the URL.
    • Have several people review it who are experienced resume reviewers.
  • Recruiters:
    • Contact these people:
      • expanxion
        • 805-496-3500
        • Say 'hi' to Drew Greeley for me -- he got me my current job
      • JobSpring Partners OC
        • (949)553-4200
        • Say 'hi' to David Belsky for me
      • JobSpring Partners LA
        • (310)996-0200
        • Say 'hi' to Rameet Singh and Erin Wilson for me
      • Workbridge Partners OC
        • (949)833-1300
        • Say 'hi' to Cory Eustice and Brett Sterling for me
      • Workbridge Partners LA
        • (310)445-3300
        • Say 'hi' to James Valone for me
    • Ask them at the end of each phone call when you can next follow up -- and if they don't have an answer, ask them if you can call them in a week or two.  Your goal is to be fresh in their minds without being a nudge.  Make sure you follow up.
  • Read up more about resume writing, interviewing, etc. on the Internet.
  • Go to relevant events:
    • Job fairs
    • Alumni meetups
    • User / developer groups:
  • Get your name out there
    • Start a blog with a relevant IT or CS focus (Tumblr and Blogger are great for this)
    • Every time you post on that blog, post a link to Twitter and Facebook
    • Join relevant groups on LinkedIn and get involved
    • Consider contributing to an open-source project on GitHub or SourceForge

FYI #1: a single parent company owns both Workbridge and JobSpring.


FYI #2: I don't receive anything back from these references -- except (hopefully) gratitude from the recruiters if and when I ever re-enter the job market.