Career Advice

Considering a career in software engineering? Whether you’ve already declared a major in Computer Science or just started learning how to code on your own, there are some key things to know before pursuing a career in software engineering. To help you through the journey, we’ve compiled a guide to the most frequently asked questions about starting your career as a software engineer, covering everything from degree requirements to top skills to salary expectations.

A typical recruiter will spend an average of six seconds looking at your resume before deciding to move you to the next stage of a job application or send your resume to the reject pile. Sometimes it’s not even a recruiter that’s looking at your resume – applicant tracking system (ATS) screen resumes based on keywords or phrases. It can be tough to make your resume stand out to a recruiter or an ATS, but there are specific things you can do to make sure your resume has the best chance to move through the screening process. Here are eight best practices that will give your resume a competitive edge in the recruitment process.

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding early-career sales roles. Are you constantly cold-calling customers using the same script? Do you contact as many people as possible to sell your product, regardless of whether they’re the right customer profile? While entry-level and early-career sales roles do involve constant outreach, sales is much more challenging and rewarding than portrayals in pop culture make it out to be. So what does starting your career in sales really look like?

To succeed in sales, you need to be articulate, competitive, ambitious, empathetic, possess a strong work ethic and have strong writing skills. Most of those skills and attributes will be evaluated during an interview, so acing your sales interview is a make-or-break point in your hiring process. Aside from the usual things you should do before and during an interview (like reading the job description and researching the role beforehand) there are some specific things you can do to increase your chances of your interview resulting in an offer.

You’ve made it through the countless resume edits, cover letter rewrites, and multiple interviews. Now you have the ultimate reward for your efforts: a job offer. First off, congrats! But of course, it’s not over yet. Along with a verbal offer, you also will receive an official offer letter, and like any sort of contract you’ll want to read it over carefully… and then read it over a few more times. Signing this document means you’re agreeing to important terms of your employment (think salary, benefits, etc.) and you’ll want to know exactly what they’re proposing. The problem is, these letters can be filled with a lot of job offer jargon that might throw you off, so here’s a definitive rundown of common terms you could encounter.

Picking out what to wear is the last thing you should be worrying about when you’re prepping for your dream job interview, but unfortunately, it can be a source of stress before the big day. It’s tough when you want to make a good first impression, but also look like you can fit right in with the rest of the office. How you dress ultimately affects how you feel during your interview, and if you’re fidgeting and uncomfortable, you’re not going to feel confident explaining why you’re a great fit for the job. Finding the perfect outfit doesn't have to be stressful – try following these basic guidelines when you’re rummaging through your closet the night before your interview.

You’ve negotiated your pay, accepted your job offer and moved into a new apartment. You’re ready to start your first real job. Along with excitement, you’re probably feeling a bit nervous and maybe even wondering if they picked the right person for the job. Before you stress yourself out too much, remember that the company hired you for a reason. You have the qualifications and the potential to succeed in the role and hopefully grow with the company. However, it can still be helpful to have a list of things to think about your first six months on the job.

After revising your resume countless times, building professional relationships throughout college, and making it through the interview process, you finally have an offer in hand. While this is an incredibly exciting time, it’s important to take a step back and consider the offer you’ve received before excitedly emailing back your acceptance. You’ll be at this job for at least a year, and it has the chance to lay the foundation for the rest of your career. Whether or not you have competing offers, you should still be sure that the job you accept is the right one for you, and you’re not just accepting it because it’s the first offer you received.

Ah, the cover letter. It’s the source of many hours of frustration that just might push you from potential candidate to hired employee – as long as it’s good. Equally, a poorly-written cover letter can get your name tossed from the pile, never to be heard of again. While the success of a cover letter is ultimately based on the taste of the person reading it, there are some universal tips that can help anyone along.