Career Advice

When researching a job opening, your focus is often on the responsibilities of the job, the location, and how much it pays. While the what and where of a job is important, it’s also important to discover what makes up the company’s culture as you move through the interview process.

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.

One of the best ways to leave a positive, lasting impression in a professional setting is by writing someone a thank-you note. While it may seem old-fashioned, drafting a quick card or email makes you memorable and sets you apart. But what do you write? And when should you write one?

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.

The process of getting an internship in itself can be nerve-wracking, but it’s just as important to be prepared for the actual internship. You’ve heard all the typical advice – dress professionally, be friendly, and stay motivated – but there’s a lot more to internship success than that. To find out exactly how to succeed in an internship, we chatted with Hannah Rafter, the founder and editor of ‘The Intern 24/7,’ to find out the best advice for avoiding some common internship mistakes.

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.

Picture this: You’re on your way to an interview but you stop for a pick-me-up cup of coffee along the way. As you’re about to take a sip, the lid comes off, and boom: It’s all over you. And your interview happens to be down the street in 20 minutes.