I empower millennial & gen X job seekers in tech to interview with confidence

Do you feel frustrated with the current job market?
Do you struggle to communicate in interviews?
Do you get rejected often? 
Do you get ghosted?

It usually takes a handful of interviews to warm up. 
But those handful of interviews are jobs. 
Jobs you might really want. 

For the last 20 years, I’ve been studying interviews. 
First as a candidate, then as a hiring manager. 
I’ve been in hundreds of interviews. 

I interviewed countless candidates and interviewers. 
I worked with interviewers to make hiring decisions. 
I learned what worked and didn’t work. 

And I learned that interviews aren’t about trivia. 
They’re about human connection. 
They’re about story telling. 

Interviewers want to experience working with you. 
Interviewers want to see if you’re like them. 
People want to work with people they like. 

I know what rejection feels like. I’ve been there. 
And I know what it’s like to crave feedback.
I know what it feels like to be ghosted. 

And I know what it feels like to get the offer. 
What it feels like to crush an interview. 

Today, I help people make a lasting impression. 
I help them show, not tell, how they work. 
I coach them on how to tell their story. 

I give them the feedback they crave. 
So they don’t have to warm on when it counts. 

Dozens have worked with me so far. 
And they’ve seen results in as little as 7-8 weeks. 

So what are you waiting for? I’m here to help you.

"I got laid off and don't know if I will find a job again. I can't land an interview. Non stop rejections."

Getting laid off is bad enough. But landing zero interviews and getting only rejections is salt meeting a freshly opened wound. 

It's important to know what to do, but also 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰. You have limited time and energy. For many, job seeking will take six months on average.

In a recent poll with over 2,302 respondents, 37% (852) reported being on the job search for 9 months or more. That's consistent with my conversations with 1,188 job seekers in the last two years. Source in comments. 👇

Here are seven things I've noticed that 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 someone's job search:

1️⃣ Applying for everything:
If it's remotely related to your experience, you apply. Your audience will be confused because it's not obvious how you're a fit, especially if you use the same resume for everything.

2️⃣ Applying because it was posted an hour ago:
I know it's a common piece of advice to apply within an hour. But if you're not qualified for the role, you'll just get rejected faster. Take the time to figure out if you're qualified. Focus on min qualifications.

3️⃣ Not reading the job description:
There are many reasons to read the job description. But one of them is to make sure there aren't special application instructions buried in it. Sometimes you need to send an email. Sometimes you need to record a 1-2 minute video. Read the fine print.

4️⃣ Arbitrarily messaging random people at a company:
Another common piece of advice. Message everyone at a company in the hopes that they'll give you a referral or backdoor into an interview. Your message usually gets ignored. Especially if you're asking for value first.

5️⃣ Sending "what do you have for me" messages:
If there's one way to annoying recruiters or hiring managers, it's sending them a message like, "what do you have for me?" with your resume attached. Especially if that recruiter doesn't recruit for your position/seniority.

6️⃣ Not tracking applications:
If you apply somewhere, they might call you randomly. If you don't remember applying, you're either applying to too many places or you're not using a job tracker. You need to note why you applied and why you're a good fit.

7️⃣ Not applying to jobs consistently:
Once you have a target role and seniority, you should start building a pipeline of opportunities. The best way to do that is to apply to your target roles every day. If it's your target and you're qualified, apply. Expect a response in 2-3 weeks. 

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👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.

#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

Jonathan Corrales

I empower millennial & gen X job seekers in tech to land and pass interviews with confidence

"I've gone through 50 interviews since we last chatted and I hope to see an offer soon."

50 interviews is fan-freaking-tastic. But it also sets off alarms that there are no offers after yet.

If we doubled the number of interviews and there was still no offer, something is wrong. 

Ultimately, the point of a job search is to land a job. Not to land an interview. 

I've found the best tool job seekers have in their arsenal: research. Especially if you're going for more senior roles, like team lead, technical project manager, and so on. 

You can use research for everything from your resume to your elevator pitch to questions for your interviewers. 

If you're going for a position that pays six figures, you want your employer to see that you know their business, their customers, their competitors, and their industry. 

The higher up you go, the more important research is. 

Here's a checklist I use to help my clients get ready for their interviews. My clients get offers that range from $96K to $197K base. I call it the 6C framework.

1. Company
- Mission
- Values
- History 
- News
- Industry trends 

2. Customer (or client)
- Age
- Education 
- Interests 
- Problems 
- Pain

3. Competitors
- Strengths 
- Weaknesses 
- Opportunity 
- Risks
- Value proposition 

4. Consumer products 
- Name
- Price
- Reviews 
- Pros
- Cons

5. Colleagues 
- Name
- Tenure 
- Titles
- Interests 

6. Culture
- Employee experience 
- Employer brand
- Sentiment on leadership

--
👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.

#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

I spoke to a job seeker that hasn't interviewed in 14 years. That's staying power.

When I was a kid, I remember hearing about people having long careers at one company. 

In college, I learned that didn't necessarily apply to tech, especially if I wanted my salary to go up. A lot of people in industry suggested I hop around every couple of years.

(There were some exceptions. Microsoft was supposedly a place to retire from.)

The average tenure for a person in tech is roughly 3 years, based on my experience. 

But I've met plenty of job seekers that changed my view on how long someone can stay at one company.

One of my clients worked at a company for over 20 years, he out lived two acquisitions. When we met, he said this would be the first time he's made a resume or interviewed. Ever. 

I met another job seeker in ed tech that hadn't interviewed in 14 years. She expected a layoff at the beginning of next year. She saw the writing on the wall and decided to plan her exit. 

It's hard to imagine updating a resume after a decade or two, but I see it more often than I thought I would. 

Lesson
If you're employed, you don't have to update your resume every week. But you should record your accomplishments regularly. You don't want to forget important details.

Application
- Create a doc on a cloud drive. 
- Name it "my awesome doc."
- Block 30 minutes every Friday. 
- Name the event "deep work."
- Add the problems, actions, and results (PAR). 
- Use this doc for resume updates, perf evals, etc. when you need it. 


--
👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.

#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

One shot: if your resume's summary is 12 lines, it's too long. That's a cover letter, not a summary. 

Another: if your bullets are four lines, they're too long. That's a paragraph, not a bullet. 

Your resume is a sample of your communication skills. You're demonstrating your ability to discern what's important or relevant information to share. 

I understand the idea is to show how much you know or can do, but putting everything you can think of into that document doesn't work as well as you think. 

Less is more when it comes to a resume.

A great test is to give the job description and your resume to someone. Ask them if they see an obvious match with your resume as written. If they can't do it, recruiters and hiring managers will struggle too. 

Remember that you're resume is skimmed, not read word for word. 

--
👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.

#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips #techresume

A year after you got your job, you feel like you should get a pay increase. Now what?

If you're a year into your new job and you want to prepare to have a conversation with your manager about increasing your pay. This is for you.

Having that conversation is easy. Preparing for it is hard. 

Well, not really hard. Tedious is more like it. But with a little planning you can do it easily.

Save your job description 
Your job description has all sorts of useful information for performance evaluations. It's got responsibilities, goals, etc.  It's your scope of work. If you're doing more than what's expected, we'll use that. 

Build an awesome doc 
Write down all your wins. If you make mistakes, write down how you overcame it and what you learned. If you're doing stuff that wasn't in your job description, write it down. This is your reference doc. 

Record achievements and accolades
Anytime you get rewarded or recognized for your achievements, write it down. Help close a sale? Led delivery of a project? Helped someone get promoted? Record what you did and how you helped.

Time, money, and scope 
Here's where you demonstrate the value you delivered. Companies care about making money, saving money, going faster, and improving quality. If you can demonstrate that in terms of money (increased revenue or decreased cost), time (delivered sooner), or scope (closed 300 tickets or led 12 engineers), you're golden. 

Research
Here's where you tie everything together. Do some research on what someone with your qualifications, skills, and experience is making. Figure out what the average and 75th percentile are. Get a sense of what's reasonable. 

Given everything you've accomplished and based on your research, what's a number you would be comfortable asking for?

--

👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews. 
#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

"What is a good software project and how do I make one?"

Before getting into it, think about your goal here. If you're building software to land a job, your goal is to learn and show potential employers what you can do. 

A good software project is one that works. If it does something interesting, that's good. But if it solves a problem, that's better. 

Problems can be all sorts of things. Like broken processes, repetitive tasks, or boredom. Solutions can be new tools, automation, or entertainment (think games). 

But software alone isn't enough. You have to describe what you did, how you did it, and why you did it. Do it in writing or on video. Discuss trade offs and design decisions.

Note what you learned and what you would do differently. You can put that information in your portfolio (e.g. GitHub) or use it in your interviews (in your responses). 

Frameworks, languages, and so on will change overtime. Feel free to explore different combinations. Get creative. Just make sure it's inline with the job you want. 

When you try different stacks you'll see new ways to solve problems. You'll be invaluable. 

Don't know where to begin? Find a job description you're interested in. Note skills, tech, or experience they want. Then build pick a tech stack to work with. 

Pick a problem and get after it. 

--
👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.

#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips #techportfolio

Going for a technical project or program manager role? Don't call people resources. They're people.

There are some words you just don't say at work. But I didn't think resources would be one of them...

A few years ago, I had to fill a technical program manager role. I got a referral from a coworker. 

When I opened that person's resume, he had decades of relevant experience. He seemed like a shoe-in. 

I gave him a phone screen. We spoke for an hour. I was excited about working with him. 

I booked him for an on-site interview with all the team leads in my org.

When he showed up, I escorted him to the interview room. I introduced him to the leads and left. 

He had his interview. I was hopeful. 

I got feedback from all the leads. No one was thrilled with his performance. 

"He called people resources," one team lead said. "He's not going to fit in here."

That's when I realized the candidate inadvertently talked himself out of a job. He said a bad word: resources. No one wanted to be called a resource. 

In the candidate's defense, project management books called people resources for decades. It's part of the vernacular. Human resources, for example. 

But times changes they do change. 

Eventually, we interviewed another candidate for the position. He nailed the vibe check. He called people people, not resources. He got the offer. 

And that's why it's important to practice how you respond to questions in an interview. Remember your interviewers are paying attention to the words you choose. 

--

#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

We all start new jobs with potential. Sometimes those hopes are dimmed by unexpected challenges.

A few years ago, I'm sitting in my office looking out of my window. It oversaw a little air strip where small planes and helicopters landed. 

One of my devs leads, M, knocks on the door. He wants to talk about a recent hire, J. 

J passed his interviews without any issues. But he wasn't performing as expected.  

M starts to tell me about J's performance issues. He asks me for guidance. J is a few months in. I worry M is about to recommend J goes somewhere else.

"J isn't doing well," M says. "Maybe there's another team he's better suited for."

"Actually," I say. "I have an idea. Our support team could use a resident dev to help with support requests. I've got buy-in from leadership to fill that role."

"That sounds like a plan," M says. 

I meet with J and review the plan with him. I ask if he's interested in making the switch. 

"Let's do it," J says. "Sounds like fun."

Fast forward to J's performance evaluation a year later: his new lead gives him a glowing review. "J is one of the best hires we've ever had."

J still works there six years later. 

And that's why it's important to understand expectations before beginning a new job. Ask as many questions as you can throughout your interviews. 

Make sure you understand those expectations clearly. 

--
#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

I was about to fail my job interview, and I knew it. 

It's 2005. I'm standing in a room with three interviewers staring at me. It's not a big room. I'm not sure why I'm standing. 

I feel like they're waiting for me to say something impressive. 

They're about to be very disappointed. 

I'm holding a dry erase marker that smells like strawberries. They want me to solve a problem that reminds me of a physics problem I couldn't solve in class. 

"That's it. You're screwed," I think to myself.
"Can you repeat the question?" I ask. 

I start writing whatever they say. I underline things like distance, speed, and draw a circle. I'm hoping I magically remember how to calculate the circumference of a circle. 

"I know pi is part of it," I think to myself. "I should have paid attention in math class. Fu..."

"Jonathan," one interviewer says. "Can you say what you're thinking out loud? We want to understand how you're doing thinking about the problem."

I look at him. I probably made a face that showed I was irritated or nervous. Both would have been correct. I can feel a bead of sweat forming on top of my head.

"Sure," I say. "No, problem."

But there was a problem. I couldn't solve this problem in silence. How was I supposed to solve this problem thinking out loud? Awkward.

That's when I realized I was going to fail that interview. There was no way to save it. 

Ever since that experience I practiced solving problems out loud. I would practice with others, my friends, my family, my wife. Anyone that'll humor me for a few minutes. 

And that's why today I help my clients practice solving problems out loud. I help them organize their thoughts and deliver responses clearly and concisely 

That's what turns interviews in to offers, especially in the tech industry. 

--
👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.
#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

"Interview process is moving very fast. I'm suspicious."

It's easy to feel like something is wrong now that we're conditioned for hiring to be slower than molasses. 

But lesser-known companies still need to fill roles urgently. And they don't want good talent to go anywhere. 

Still, if you feel like it's going too fast, don't be shy about understanding the rush. Get curious and ask questions. 

Sometimes, job descriptions will say something like urgent or immediate. Ask about that. Why is it urgent? What's the expectation for the next couple of months?

Learn about what you're getting yourself into. It might be a great opportunity. Not a scary one. 

--
👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.
#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips #oneshot

He was exhausted from working holidays and weekends, but terrified of what it meant to chase his dream in tech. 

A year ago, one of my clients was working in retail as a manager. He worked 60 hours a week for more than 10 years. 

He was tired of it. He wasn't a fan of working holidays and weekends. He wanted to spend more time with his wife. He wanted to break into the tech industry. But he was terrified it was too late for him.

He went to school while working retail and got a bachelor's in computer science. He went to school at night. Still, he was worried he couldn't break into tech because he lacked experience in the field.

When I met him, he wasn't getting a lot of interviews. The ones he got ended in rejection. 

He was working on a side project to build experience and keep his skills sharp. He was helping a bootstrapped startup build a cloud-based platform by building its infrastructure. 

He had something to talk about in his interviews. If only he could get someone to look at his application and see potential. If only someone gave him a shot to prove himself. 

After I heard his story, I was emotionally invested. 

I helped him get organized and stay consistent throughout his search. He started getting interviews. It helped him get traction.

Then I made sure his resume showed his qualifications for a systems engineer role.

One day he got an interview at local university in one of their engineering departments. He passed his interviews. A few weeks later, they gave him an offer. 

On the way to his retail job, he got a phone call. It was an offer for his first position as a systems engineer. He broke in to tech. He called his wife and cried with her the phone. 

He was finally able to take nights and weekends off. 

And that's why I'm a firm believer in showing employers what you can do, especially in tech. I help my clients put together portfolios, pitch desks, and complete take home assignments to secure offers. 

--
👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.
#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

"I don't need to tell you about how dehumanizing the application process has become."

To make sure I stay empathetic and compassionate for the job seeker experience, I like to help clients apply to jobs. 

I'll join call with them. Then invite them to open a position they're interested in and we go to work. I show them how to parse job descriptions, tailor resumes, and so on. 

Occasionally, we come across applications that require so much information, it's kinda like a body cavity search. 

Some applications want a video recording. And some want to see demos of side projects. Some ask for sexuality. One asked for a spirit animal. (I wish I made that up). 

I'm talking applications for all sorts of companies from large to small, and everything in between. 

I'm old enough to remember when applying to a job meant filling out a single double-sided piece of paper on a clipboard with a pen that barely worked. 

Today, the expectation for job seekers is exhausting. Frustrating. Intrusive. Exhausting.

So when a job seeker says, "I don't need to tell you about how dehumanizing the application process has become," my response is "Nope. I'm well aware."

If you're a job seeker in this market. I see you. I feel what you're going through. This mess isn't your fault. Employers need to focus on improving the candidate experience. 

Everyone has been a job seeker at one point. Everyone can be a job seeker again. 

--
👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.

#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

"I just graduated college and don't have any professional experience."

When I graduated college, most of my classmates and I had zero professional work experience. We worked retail jobs and did some gig work. Employers didn't count that.

Some of my classmates were savvy enough understand the value of internships (and how to get them). Many, like me, thought a degree alone was enough to land a job.

In some ways, the field has changed drastically. It's remained the same in others.

Entry level positions still require three years of professional work experience. After 20 years, it's still a requirement today. That part hasn't changed. 

Some job posts today even explicitly mention the internship experience doesn't count. 

If you're a recent graduate and need to add experience to your resume, here a few things you can do.

Open source
Open source contributions is basically a simulation of working a job out there. You have users, version control, and an issue tracker. It'll help you build out your Github profile. Checkout goodfirstissue[dot]dev for entry-level issues to tackle. 

Volunteer 
You can contribute your skills to organizations that need them but can't necessarily afford to pay for those services. Volunteering can lead to job offers, just like internships can lead to offers. Checkout 48in48[dot]org. Add that work to your portfolio. 

Side project
If you see a problem you can solve, go for it. The great thing about a side project is that you can pick your tech stack, design your own solution, and so on. The downside is you'll like be working on it alone. If you need inspiration, check out theforage[dot]com. 

Post grad internships 
Some companies offer internships for recent grads. They have  restrictions on how recent your graduation date should be, typically about a year. But it's a great opportunity to build experience and your network. Search for "recent grad internships."


As you work on those things, keep a notebook of your experience. Note the problems you solve, how you solve them, and what impact your work has. 

That'll give you stories to tell and a body of work to demonstrate what you're capable of. 

--
👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan.
I empower people in tech ace their job interviews.
#techjobs #jobseekers #interviewprep #protips

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