You’re not alone if you’ve been exploring a career move and have been fascinated by the tech world. It’s a booming industry with a fantastic salary, perks, and a fast-growing landscape that you can surely get a piece of. But, before you shake your head and conclude, I still need help figuring out my Apple ID (same), We tapped into her vast knowledge to discover five very simple techniques to land the job you’ve always wanted.
#1 Focus on what you have rather than what you lack.
When it comes to figuring out where you fit in the computer world, zooming out rather than zooming in. When selecting a new career, keep in mind that technology businesses are trying to address huge challenges, so think about how your present talents and strengths might help these companies achieve, or even further, their purpose.
#2 Recognize Your Competitive Advantage as an Outsider
According to Glassdoor, non-technical occupations account for 43 percent of IT company job postings (about 53,000 positions!). This implies you don’t need to know ‘tech speak’ or have a software engineering degree to work in IT. In fact, this could be beneficial to you. Many of the firms we work with are looking for employees with non-tech backgrounds, especially for sales teams, because they have a unique perspective on how to communicate technology.
Tech businesses are looking for employees that are likable, can communicate in simple terms, and have a strong emotional connection with others. In short, lack of technical knowledge should not be a deterrent. An outsider’s perspective helps you to provide a fresh perspective to a firm, and as an outsider, you approach these companies as a user, which is always a valuable perspective for them. Consider this: Airbnb was not founded by someone in the hospitality industry, Netflix by someone in the entertainment industry, and Uber by someone in the transportation industry.
#3 Match your current skills and experience to the market segment to which you’re connected.
The second step is self-analysis and determining your strengths—sounds straightforward, right? For example, if you have banking experience, try working at a fintech company. If you have a retail background, try working at an e-commerce company. Because technology pervades every sector, concentrate on a section in which you have some experience and explore which companies are bringing that segment or service into the tech arena. A good strategy to break into the sector is to consider where your present skill sets and experience might be effortlessly applied.
#4 Request Referrals and Be Recommendation
While the tech sector is vast, it is also small, so a good word in your favor might go a long way toward landing your ideal job. People are frequently referred into positions by others—in many situations, even before a position is publicized. Being on companies’ radars in this way is a tremendous advantage, so don’t be afraid to reach out to former colleagues and bosses for references and recommendations, or even connect with new contacts at these firms and strike up a conversation. Instead of waiting for an opportunity to present itself tomorrow, get in there today—either you’ll be too late or you’ll be competing with a far larger pool of people.
#5 Having a lot of experience isn’t the be-all and end-all.
Stop, breathe, and relax if the lack of tech-savvy companies on your resume is stressing you out. Recognize that the IT business is rapidly evolving and that your lack of expertise isn’t as much of a barrier to entry as you would believe. What was significant in IT two years ago may not be relevant anymore. It’s never too late. In fact, according to The World Economic Forum (WEF), developing a level of literacy in new abilities (both technical and non-technical) can take as little as one to six months, implying that expanding your skill set is never unreachable. That’s something we’d like to hear more of!
