At an event hosted by The Job Forum, professionals interested in working in the Bay Area Tech Industry had an opportunity to meet and talk directly with hiring managers and recruiters working within Tech companies. Tech company managers were there from Google, Autodesk. Splunk, Aeva Inc., San Francisco International Airport and Unity Technologies and gave their time to help job hunters increase their chances of being hired at tech companies.

One message the managers at tech companies shared is that in one way or another, we all need to transform in order to keep up with the world of work. If you are looking for a job it is necessary to understand the possible opportunity areas.

For example, when you think of working in a technology company, your mind probably floods with images of an engineer hunched over a desk coding the next big app, but the work in technology doesn’t always equate to what you may imagine. Technology is a broad term. Many jobs require technical expertise, however the roles available in tech do vary from company to company. Contrary to the myth, tech companies may also need your soft skills — communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and flexibility so you should communicate these. Also the tech boom has resulted in many adjacent opportunities, in other specialty fields, where you may have experience that tech companies will perceive as quite valuable experience.

Salespeople, for example, work in tech. Like all organizations, tech companies need to pitch their products to customers and align them with business objectives. The tech world also welcomes Project Managers who can organize, plan, and direct their programs, such as in IT. Marketing roles in tech ensure that the brand of the company is attractive, and the product features are understood and match customer needs.  Human Resource roles attract valuable new talent. Other roles include but are not limited to QA testing, Account Management, UX/UI designers, Finance, Admin Assistants and so on.

So the message is you can work in tech without being a highly skilled technical worker or an engineer or computer programmer.

Where do the job applications go?

 Job hunters wonder how the applications they carefully develop and submit to technology companies actually go and if they are saved for future possible hiring?

• Once you have submitted a job application it goes through the ATS (Applicant Tracking System), which is the way they organize the candidate information to keep it on file and to match it to openings. Technology company managers at Facebook, Google, Autodesk said that at their tech companies, HR and recruiters do certainly keep mining these databases for the right candidates. They also said they like the people who have applied in past and have shown interest in their company.
• A recruiter at Autodesk said “ You do have to be a little bit discerning about which jobs you apply for, and if you’re applying for everything, you get a reputation of just kind of throwing your resume at the wall, but if our company is a top choice for you, please do apply again ”.  All the managers said “ Please apply for jobs even if only a portion of the qualifications match your skills, but don’t apply for jobs where there is no or very little connection”.
• There are a few reasons why you’re possibly not getting contacted even though you have some of the things that the job description says are wanted. There are some behind the scenes realities, and examples are that some of the managers may be leaning really strongly for one set of characteristics or set of experiences over another, and at other times, an internal candidate fills the open role.

Customize your application to make it easier for your relevance to the job description to be more clear and obvious

•  A hiring Manager at Unity Technologies said “Taking time to customize, especially the top part of your resume, where you’re highlighting some of the summary features and really draw the parallel to what you’re reading in the job description is a very good use of your job hunting time ”. “Make it as clear as can be why you ought to be on the list of candidates to consider”.

Majority of tech and non-tech roles can be divided into these broad categories:

• System managers, analysts, administrators: They operate the IT systems and ensure that they comply with the company’s business goals. Business systems analysts are people who are going to be documenting requirements, do the evaluation part of the way towards delivering and implementing a solution.
• Data scientists and researchers: They use their technical knowledge to find answers to problems, and are critical to innovation and progress.
• Programmers and developers: They build applications or solutions for their own company or another one, and have frequent interaction with business stakeholders to gather feedback.
• IT support: They assist and solve problems for internal and external customers and see the impact of their job each day.
• Customer-facing technical roles: They are the customer’s trusted advisors, such as customer engineers, solutions architects, or customer success managers. They understand the pros and cons of technology solutions and help customers solve business problems.
• Project, Product and Program managers: The Product Manager usually is very specifically tied to a given product over its lifecycle in terms of initial development and deploying it and then evolving it. Whereas a project manager is really working on a project. The project may be enhancing a solution. It may be deploying a new business process. It may be deploying a product or not. A program manager usually will manage a portfolio and for example, they’ll probably manage multiple projects that are related.
• Technical Writer: Technical writers, also called technical communicators, prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily. The tech company managers point out “It’s a wonderful way to get into tech and learn so much every day”.
• UX UI Designer: a UX designer works with everything related to the user interaction with digital products. From user research, persona creation, journey mapping, building wireframes and using a design thinking approach, to ensure that everything is intuitive and looking visually solid. They usually collaborate closely with engineers, product managers, QA and more.
• Management, HR and recruitment: Recruiter, coordinator or sourcer are great roles to start out in recruitment and help find great talent for the company.
•  Finance roles: There are of course the basic administrative, running a business roles, and finance is just one and legal or other administrative roles are others.

There is, in tech, a tremendous opportunity for transferable skills. For example, experience with Salesforce, NetSuite or Workday, provides valuable training and experience for a lot of careers. Working on these kinds of solutions provides good entry points that give you an opportunity to hone your skills and then move around.

How to stand out during a technology company interview?

• You really need to have show some energy, and you need to seem like you’ve been looking forward to talking with them and are excited to be there in the interview.
• Growth mindset is so important. Showing the times in the past where you have not known how to do something, and then you have figured it out and is important because almost any job you ever apply for at a tech company, they’re hiring for problem solving and learning aptitude.
• Be prepared to talk about specific examples around work that you’re particularly proud of, and tell your lessons learned those experiences that if you could go back and do something again, you would do differently.
• Be proactive, detail oriented and discuss your ability to be resourceful and a problem solver.

How important are the referrals at technology companies?

• Employee referrals at tech companies are often thought to be the proverbial golden tickets of job seeking. While they don’t guarantee you a job, they can increase the odds that your application will be seen and considered by a recruiter or hiring manager. Referrals ultimately give you a boost in the hiring process. 
• When a job has hundreds of people who apply, recruiters have a hierarchy of the people they’re going to look at. “If you’re referred, you’re generally going to go to the top of the pile.”
• The key to making a referral work is by finding a connection between a job opening and someone you know. “Once you’ve identified a connection in your network, send them an e-mail asking about the specific job that you’ve seen at the company (not: “are there any openings?”), and include the link to the job description if you can”.

“Hi (Name), I hope you’re doing well. I am in the middle of a job search and would like to apply for the open (insert title) position at (Company Name). Do you know who I should talk to? I have attached my resume for your reference. I will appreciate your time and a referral to help me connect and be considered by the hiring decision-makers”

Technical or non-technical, everyone has a place in tech. Every background, skill set and perspective can bring value to tech companies and helps foster innovation. So, find out what opportunities are right for you, get your LinkedIn profile ready, and take a look at company career sites and job boards for current openings at leading tech companies.

The Job Forum is there to help your job search efforts

Come to The Job Forum to actually meet volunteers who are managers working at tech and other kinds of companies. These managers are interested to help job hunters succeed. By attending The Job Forum, you can expand your professional network of contacts. https://thejobforum.org

The Job Forum has volunteers from over 100 companies and organizations who volunteer to help job hunters. You can sign up for 1 to 1 advising sessions over the phone on Tuesdays and for job search input about your individual special circumstances on Wed evenings at interactive Zoom sessions. You will get helpful input and referrals from 3-4 of our more than 100 volunteer managers.  The Job Forum helps experienced as well as new job hunters and shares practical tips and “lessons learned” that you can use for your own job search situation.

What Do Job Hunter’s Say The Job Forum is REALLY Like?

We had a chance to talk to several job hunters the other day to find out what was helpful to them in coming to The Job Forum. Naturally job hunters want to know what can one expect: Will it be valuable? Will you learn something new? Can you act on the advice?

Stephanie shared that there were several points that validated what she and other job hunters are doing.

“The validation is really valuable!” she said. One important theme is being flexible. Stephanie says, “Changing your résumé with every job application is a big pain in the neck, but by coming to The Job Forum, I can see why it matters.” She discerned that being flexible is important in other ways too, “[It is] important to be flexible in how you network and important to keep going to more events and try new approaches to build up your professional network.”

Stephanie goes on to say, “The Job Forum event was quite simply the best event I’ve ever seen on Zoom. It was so effective, and everybody put their LinkedIn profiles and their resumes right into the chat. The Job Forum creates a situation where there is real concrete feedback right there in the meeting! The whole atmosphere is so positive and helpful to everyone in the group.”

One new insight and helpful bit of advice Stephanie got was how to walk the fine line between follow up and being overly aggressive. She describes what many job hunters worry about, “How do you follow up and show your enthusiasm for a company without being perceived as a pest or a pain in the neck?” Stephanie says she learned that one way of checking in is to say and acknowledge the rushed state of everybody’s life, such as, “Everybody is so busy and I’m just wanting you to know I’m still interested in your company and in the job.” She says, “This is a lovely way to walk that fine line!”

Stephanie also heard about the benefits of working with a staffing or recruiting company as one way to get access to a job in a technology company. She says the feedback she got from The Job Forum helped her focus in on a few major obstacles: having sufficient confidence and staying focused on her goal, following up, and keeping track of what works and doesn’t work in her job search.

Natalie is a marketing strategist from a large tech company who came to The Job Forum after she’d gone to a lot of other meetings with people looking for work (Geek dinners or other job meet ups.) She says the difference is that “At The Job Forum, it’s clear that the volunteers are skilled enough to really help job hunters. The Job Forum volunteers are from impressive companies, yet they focus first on listening to understand what help is needed.”

Natalie lists three things she learned at The Job Forum:

1. How to reframe her goals so she could be much more specific so others will know what job she seeks next.
2. How exactly to speak with others during a networking event or via LinkedIn when she wants advice or contacts.
3. That she needs more research in order to better connect her existing skills to the job she wants next.

Susan, who is looking for work in biotech, says was so excited to find out about The Job Forum via the co-hosted program with UC Berkeley Extension Career Services.

“There were so many mid-career job hunters there. I felt more normal to hear from others who are experienced and yet looking for a next career step,” she said. She underscored, “I really appreciate that everybody was able to put their resumes and LinkedIn profiles into the zoom chat. It is amazing how effective the volunteers of The Job Forum are at connecting job hunters to one another – an exchange of contacts and referrals actually happens! This was exactly what I was looking for where job hunters and advisors are helping each other. The Job Forum facilitates real referrals and contacts! The Job Forum works. I have already gotten opportunities for interviews, I made it past 2 screening interviews, and now I’m focused on the next round. The Job Forum can really help you meet good people in companies you are targeting!”

The Job Forum welcome job hunters to come and find out what is most helpful to you.

We recently asked JP Morgan Chase to share some detail about a career path and job role that may be of interest to those who enjoy delivering exceptional customer experience and want workdays that are spent actually helping customers. This is an example of just one job, that of a Relationship Banker:

Do you have a passion for helping customers, building relationships, and delivering extraordinary customer service? JP Morgan Chase is looking for energetic, enthusiastic people to be the face of Chase to our retail branch customers. From a personal standpoint, you’ll also have the opportunity to take ownership of your career development through a variety of cross-training opportunities. As a Relationship Banker on our Branch Banking team, you’ll take a lead role in delivering an outstanding experience to Chase customers. You’ll establish, manage, retain meaningful relationships with our customers, using your financial knowledge to offer thoughtful solutions to help address their financial needs.
Apply Here- Bay Area Relationship Banker Positions

Chase is a leading financial services firm, helping nearly half of America’s households and small businesses achieve their financial goals through a broad range of financial products. Our mission is to create engaged, lifelong relationships and put our customers at the heart of everything we do. We also help small businesses, nonprofits and cities grow, delivering solutions to solve all their financial needs.

The Job Forum has volunteers from over 100 companies and organizations who volunteer to help job hunters. You can sign up and get helpful input and referrals. The Job Forum helps experienced as well as new job hunters and shares practical tips and “lessons learned” that you can use for your own job search situation.

Research shows older workers who have been laid off from their positions face unemployment longer than younger workers in the same situation. Here are a few questions you need to consider when looking for a job:

How will you work with younger managers?

As the workforce continues to turn over, it’s entirely possible your interviewer or manager will be younger than you are. Will you be able to work and collaborate with someone younger? Regardless of what you may think, they have evidently earned their position and job title. You want to proactively show that you respect their experience and position and that you’re excited to be on their team.

How will you thwart age discrimination?

The most important thing to remember is to work on what you can control; you can be your best self and you can be the best at the standard rules of interviewing- regardless of age:

• Show your enthusiasm about the position and energy to take on a new challenge
• Communicate a “future forward attitude”, rather than one fixed on the past.
• Exhaust all resources to learn about the company, and go to your network and see who is working there; referrals are gold at any age.
• Ask for an introduction to the hiring manager if that is not who you are interviewing with initially.
• Finally, don’t be afraid to create a conversation to better connect with the interviewer. It will show that you can fit in with the team.

Why don’t recruiters respond to your résumé?

–Salary or expectations of what your salary will need to be.

You might be approaching your peak earnings. Salary is a factor and job grades define salary ranges. Men usually have higher paying jobs than women do.
By the time women hit 39, their typical wage is $60,000 per year, while men earn $95,000 per year, depending on the type of job.

–Your résumé is probably outdated.

When you are searching for a new job, one of the first things you should do is update and modernize your résumé. Your résumé from 2000 is likely irrelevant, or a bit outdated, and may be detrimental to your over-40 job search. Your résumé is the first impression a hiring manager gets of you, so you best make sure your résumé does you justice. The old adage, “best foot forward,” is so true when it comes to your résumé. A few key tips to consider:

• That objective statement listed under your contact information? Remove it and replace it with your target JOB TITLE and a strong summary statement that highlights your skills and experience.
• Core competencies should have no more than 8 bullets, 4 bullets each in two columns.
• The paragraphs under every job title? Break them out into short bullet points instead; they should be factual and concise.

• Most of the time your resume is submitted electronically and many companies have built-in search engines for key words that match the job description, and if they are not found, your résumé is automatically rejected.
• Those graduation dates? Delete them. They will date you!

It can take months to find a job, so get started soon and expect some bumps in the road.

It is estimated that the average person takes six months to find a job. Be sure you and your family understand that this can be a laborious process. You want them to support you. Plan to try to “Be OK with rejection.” Keep learning and look forward to meeting more people to get to the one who will say “yes”. There is competition. If selected to interview, you could have multiple interviews with various people within the company and still not be chosen for the position, so having a positive network to keep your spirits up and your network growing is very important.

The Job Forum is a network you can tap into to help you get the next job. Come and meet the helpful people who volunteer at The Job Forum. The Job Forum will help you overcome job search obstacles.

It is rare that you get the first job you apply for, so cast a wide net and apply to multiple companies.

The most important thing to remember is that it is not YOU.
Looking for a job is a numbers game, so don’t take it personally.
Be open to constructive feedback,

Ask for input at The Job Forum and don’t give up!

Cindy Fassler is a Job Forum volunteer, a career coach and recruiter.

http://cindyfassler.com