I just graduated with a Bachelors degree in computer science and I am struggling to get my first tech position.

14 Comments

1. Becca A.June 6,2023 at 3:14AM UTC

   Does your college have a career center that can help set you up with internships or employment? Or an advisor that can review your resume to check the quality of it? Have you cross checked the resume youre using for the job listings for your applying for to ensure that the skills you have learned from your program are applicable to the job listing? An advisor at your college could ( SHOULD ) be able to help with this. You have the pivotal resource of having a college advisory division to lean while many dont. Utilize it as best you can. Keep your head up. You got this and DO make sure you research the companies you apply for to make sure they are at least decent. Dont let your desperation make you accept a volatile employer. You will most likely regret it.

2. Georgia SinghJune 6,2023 at 11:53AM UTC

   Try LinkedIn. There seems to be an uptick with Associate positions in IT.

   Booze Allen is always looking for new grads.

3. Jessica Karl RiceJune 6,2023 at 1:12PM UTC

   *I apologize, the site keeps losing my formatting when saving, so it’s difficult to read.

   As a former hiring manager for FE/UX Engineering and executive coach, I have a few thoughts to help. I checked out your LinkedIn profile and one suggestion would be to focus on dialing that in.

   Regardless of your resume, your LinkedIn profile needs to reflect the information and skills you are stating on your application. If the two do not align, it is usually a red flag.

   In addition to tips below, do you have a GitHub and portfolio site that highlights your work? Companies need to see proof that you can do what you say you can do. Even if it is school related assignments, demonstrate your skills for both coding and design.

   Here are some ideas:
   You need a strong About section to explain who you are and why love what you do.
   Add your website or GitHub URL to demonstrate your work.
   Make your tagline stand out by stating something unique about you.
   Demonstrate your graphic design skills by adding a banner to profile.
   Expand on your experience section, what did you do in your positions, how did you help the organization or project succeed, how did uniquely provide value.
   List your education. And extra-curricular interests, volunteer work, hobbies
   Get some reviews, from professors or fellow students and offer to do the same in return.
   As others mentioned, join groups like Girl Geeks, etc. to get more visibility and list that on your profile to demonstrate affiliation and a continual growth mindset.

   I hope this was helpful. :)

   If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

4. AnonymousJune 7,2023 at 12:22PM UTC

   Aim for entry-level, junior developer jobs. I hate saying that, but there are a lot of young developers who think they should apply to senior-level roles. The first job is always the hardest. Once you have your first job, it's a lot easier to move up and around. Have sample code for interviews. Make sure you understand delivery end-to-end... Show a willingness to listen and understand. Most importantly demonstrate aptitude by having sample code of something you are learning that is relative to the job. I didn't have a degree, I took the first job I could get ($35k) using a portfolio I put together and it was easy to move up after that. I did work nights and weekends to learn and grow my skills. Also, make sure your skills cater to the market you live in. You can look online for jobs. If there aren't any jobs in what you want to work in then change paths. For example, there aren't many AI jobs around here but there are plenty of .NET. It's going to be easier for me to get a .NET job than AI. As a seasoned developer, I can pretty much go wherever now and leverage my way into other areas of my career.

5. Mary PoolJune 7,2023 at 1:01PM UTC

   Having hired many new college graduates in computer science, my only additional tip would be to focus on your objective statement, which I would place at the top of the resume. Identify your goals and objectives and how you can contribute to the company. Two sentences max. This will differentiate you from other new college graduates.

6. Patricia CrookJune 7,2023 at 1:23PM UTC

   Start low at the end of the chain with entry-level jobs. Grow mad skills in that first job. Work your way up to what your overall goal will be in 3 years. And network as this will be how a good job will be found.

7. AnonymousJune 7,2023 at 1:28PM UTC

   I'm just going to repeat a suggestion offered before. The career center at your college or university should have plenty of help. They generally help with resumes and often have a career site that suggests companies looking for entry-level employees. Good luck. You've got this. Getting interviews is a good sign.

8. AnonymousJune 7,2023 at 2:40PM UTC

   I would disagree, they're better than nothing, but often they have limited connections to a specific industry. The one at my large state uni was a complete waste of time. unless it's a tech school Comp Sci isn't probably one of them. OP's best bet is to draw on past experience, hire a headhunter, and be open to relocation. if OP has no IT job experience, they may not find work or work in what they want. unless you have industry ties already (or rich parents) college is a crap shoot. our country wouldn't have a student loan debt problem if college degrees were silver bullets.

9. AnonymousJune 7,2023 at 3:09PM UTC

   The college career center is a good suggestion and how I just got a job after receiving my Master's degree at age 53. I have applied to probably over 50 jobs and tailored my resume and cover letter over and over and only received a few interviews. I found that most companies I found were looking for mid-level people. If you have a "network" then reach out to any and all contacts you have but your college should be a good starting point since they will have companies looking for entry-level, degreed candidates.

10. Afo Ogbeyalu KaluJune 7,2023 at 2:21PM UTC

    If you are open to relocating, target cities experiencing brain-drain/skilled tech flight. Register with a head-hunter or agency which specializes in tech sector. Your assigned agent would review your case and provide advice tailored to your situation and skills-set. Good luck??

11. Cindy GrossJune 7,2023 at 7:55PM UTC

    It may sound counter-intuitive, but really narrow down what you're looking for. Be as specific as you can about what you are most passionate about. Maybe that's shipping regularly, a focus on one area of tech, working for an org with a specific focus. Whatever it is, find it and claim it. This comes across as passion and confidence to interviewers. It also increases the chance you'll love the job you get. #BefriendingDragons

12. AnonymousJune 7,2023 at 9:21PM UTC

    Find a mentor, find a company that will be willing to do informational interviews. Use your college advisor for intros, join meetup groups. Having no experience means you have to push into places where you may be uncomfortable, do an externship. Offer yourself up for free where you may be useful to get some real world experience. Try going into sustaining engineering roles or QA to start, learn how companies do things. Apply to everything, write cover notes! Women in tech roles are still quite a rarity, you got this! make it happen.

13. Aryeil FlowersJune 8,2023 at 1:28PM UTC

    First, I’d like to congratulate you on completing your degree program! It’s a great accomplishment and this is a unique phase of your life. I know this because I just experienced it myself a few months ago. My best advice from one early career professional to another is that you go to your school’s career center. Most institutions offer career resources for up to a year post grad or at least until you get your first job. Every degree comes with post graduate services but most people don’t take advantage of them because people don’t typically return to school after the ceremony. That said, you likely have access to professional help on a consistent basis so that you don’t have to go through this process alone. You ideally have individuals who will engage in mock interviews, resume and LinkedIn profile reviews, salary negotiation practice, and other career counseling activities.

    Your discipline likely has a community of people for you to network with also via professional organizations. These are often free groups that you join to connect with fellow job seekers, find a mentor, etc. I checked Google and found “the Association for Computing Machinery”, “Computing Research Association”, “the Association for Women in Computing”, among others.

    All in all, while this time can be scary, you don’t have to be alone while you navigate it! I wish you much luck, in your journey!!

14. Samantha BoyerJune 8,2023 at 7:49PM UTC

    Thanks everyone. I guess I'm just in a little of a panick and did not expect it to be so hard with the tech field and I feel somewhat limited because I am not willing to relocate far because of my kids and family.