Information Technology is an ever-growing sector with a continually increasing demand for skilled talent. But a career in IT requires a set of specialized skills like in-depth Knowledge of Computers, Software Programming Languages.For entry-level tech jobs, a Degree or diploma in Information Technology (IT) is a good start.There are a number of things which can help you land your first IT job.

As a Career Coach, I would like to give you a few suggestions to help you get your first IT job:

CERTIFICATION: Get Certified, a Certification from an acclaimed source is the fastest way to get a job.To have a Degree in Information Technology, it takes 3-4 years of going to college, passing multiple examinations. At the same time, certification can be achieved in a few weeks or months. Entry-Level Certifications like An Introduction to Web Development, Android Development for Beginners, etc. are excellent places to start and can be used to develop your skill in the programming language of your liking.They also help in improving your Resume and making it stand out against fellow candidates for the job.

TECH SKILLS: There can never be enough learning when it comes to technology where innovations are done daily. Hence there are countless possibilities of skills that can be acquired to improve your resume further. Anything from understanding Salesforce to knowing how to post on WordPress might be helpful to your employer. Follow your interests & keep teaching yourself. You can keep learning form various YouTube videos & other free videos as well, to keep yourself updated as a technology which was latest in your college times, might be outdated today.

JOB PORTALS: Keep checking various Job Sites for a suitable job opening for you. Don’t limit yourself to the big job-hunting sites only, check out the niche ones too. If not a big company, a small company is not a bad option as it will help build up your portfolio. Visit www.mockrabbitcom.mars-cdn.com for tech jobs & for building apt Resumes. Keep sending your resume via emails to potential employers for the job.

FREELANCING: Working on freelance projects is a great way to get real experience before reaching the first tech job. This will help you get an understanding of what your skills are required in a tech job. You can keep exploring different projects, which will further help in developing your skills. It will give you knowledge, experience & some financial assistance too.

BUILD PROJECTS: Many people contribute to open source projects; they take it a step further by creating projects from scratch. These projects don’t have to be complicated, and it can be simple with a few lines of code. This will help you display and further develop your code writing skills and teach you how to write clean, readable code. Furthermore, creating projects will attract companies towards you as you display your talents through your projects to them.

GITHUB PROFILE: Build a GitHub Profile. GitHub is a code hosting platform for version control and collaboration. It lets you and others work together on projects from anywhere. There are millions of programmers, that download, review, and evaluate each other’s work. Moreover, it is the platform of choice for developers from various large corporations, too.

SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK: Don’t forget the power of Networking. Update your Professional Social Media Profiles. Make sure to use social media and everyone in your address book to reach out to anybody you know who’s associated with the tech world. Keep your social media network about the projects that you are developing and the new programming challenges that you’re taking up.

START BLOGGING: Though its become common nowadays, but you can attract many opportunities through blogging.Sync your Blogs to your twitter a/c & share your blogs to all social media platforms you are on.

VOLUNTEER YOUR SERVICES: In the beginning, you might have to take some assignments/projects, which are not very high end or technical. You might also have to render your services for free and work for a start-up. All of these things will help you gather the necessary exposure, which will keep you in good stead when appearing for an IT job interview.

GET TESTIMONIALS: You should ask your clients whom you rendered your services, for experience & learning, to write a recommendation on your LinkedIn Profile. Ask them to comment on your work ethics.

POST ON FORUMS: Keep posting on Forums/Online Communities like:

■ Quora
■ LinkedIn Groups
■ Growth Hackers
■ Product Hunt
■ Stack Overflow

UPDATE YOUR LinkedIn PROFILE: LinkedIn is where recruiters are, which means its where you need to be. If you want to get noticed by various recruiters/employers, make some contacts in the IT/Tech Industry. Put yourself in the faces of these recruiters by keeping your Linkedin updated with ongoing projects and the coding challenges you have been facing.

ROCK YOUR FIRST TECH INTERVIEW: Don’t be nervous for your first tech interview. Don’t think that the recruiters/potential employers will not notice you because of a lack of experience. As a Career Coach, I can suggest that you just be confident and showcase the skills & knowledge you have garnered over the past few months. I am sure following these steps will help you land your first tech job.

Start practicing Mock Interviews to prepare better. Visit www.mockrabbitcom.mars-cdn.com, to find your ways of cracking the Tech Interview Download>>>http://bit.ly/MockRabbitApp  to practice Mock Interviews as often as you want and gain confidence in cracking your next coding interview!

POOJA SURI

Career Coach