Landing Remote Jobs Through The Art of Storytelling | DevFest Uyo 2023

Job hunting is a gruelling ordeal but remote job hunting has its own unique challenges. There are additional restrictions to consider when applying from Africa so understanding how to navigate job hunting is vital to having success.

I’ve been working remotely since 2018 and in that time I’ve worked with both local and foreign startups and companies. In this talk, I’ll dive into the art of storytelling and how to use it to stand out during the job application process. Throughout the talk, I'll go over my personal experiences with remote job hunting and highlight some tips to help improve your chances of landing a remote job.

Transcript

1. Landing Remote Jobs
   Through The Art Of
   Storytelling
   Kelvin Gobo | DevFest Uyo 2023
   

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2. About me
   ● Kelvin Gobo
   ● Frontend Developer
   ● Writer
   ● Gamer
   ● X (formerly Twitter): @slightlynerd
   

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3. Brief background
   on the current job
   market in tech
   Kelvin Gobo @slightlynerd
   

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4. 240,000
   More than
   jobs have been lost in 2023
   Source: Techcrunch
   

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5. You have to tell your story
   to stand out from the crowd
   

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6. Storytelling is not a
   substitute for skills or
   experience, it highlights
   what you have already.
   

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7. The Elements
   Of A Job
   Application
   Kelvin Gobo @slightlynerd
   

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8. Cover Letter
   ● First impression
   ● Keep it simple
   

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9. First impression…
   ● There's a saying that “first impression
   matters”
   ● Your cover letter is the first thing about
   you recruiters will see
   ● Make the most of your first point of
   contact
   

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10. Keep it simple
    “Good day Sir/Ma,
    I see you’re looking to add a
    motivated problem solver with
    superior skills to your Marketing
    team. I believe that my proven
    communication skills, upbeat attitude
    and ability to deliver under tight
    deadlines will make me an effective
    team member.
    …”
    Good 󰗰
    “Good day Sir/Ma,
    I’m writing to express my interest to join
    your Marketing team. In a previous role, I
    worked as a Customer Service Rep which
    required me to develop good
    communications skills. I served as a line of
    contact between customer and company
    and this helped me to understand customer
    needs and wants.
    …”
    Human ✅
    

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11. Resume/CV
    ● Point out key
    metrics
    ● List your projects
    

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12. Point out key metrics
    Noogle Technologies - Frontend Developer
    ● Develop the UI of company’s client web app that’s
    serving 1000 users
    ● Users have spent on average 20 hours per month,
    up from 15 hours per month previously, since
    redesign 6 months ago
    ● Migrated codebase from knockout.js to Vue.js
    which reduced the website load time by 50%
    

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13. Have a list of projects
    Have a section of recent/best projects.
    Example:
    Projects
    Investify - A fintech app that allows users
    to buy/sell airtime.
    Stack - Figma, Photoshop
    

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14. Interview
    ● Tell your story
    ● Highlight your
    skills
    

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15. During an interview, put
    together everything
    from your Cover Letter
    and CV to tell YOUR story
    

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17. How do you answer the question
    “Can you tell us a little about yourself?”
    ● A brief background of career
    ● Explain how you got started
    ● Talk about your motivations
    ● Highlight challenges you’ve faced
    ● Pinpoint skills you picked up
    

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18. Source: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis non erat sem
    To have a story to tell, you have to:
    ● Work on personal projects
    ● Put yourself out there (share what you are
    doing online)
    ● Join and be an active member of communities
    ● Take up volunteer opportunities
    ● When the opportunity comes, tell your story
    

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19. Source: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis non erat sem
    Resources
    ● A comprehensive list of 2023 tech layoffs -
    https://tcrn.ch/3RE54LX
    ● Image on cover letter title slide - Photo by Markus
    Winkler on Unsplash
    ● Image on Resume/CV title slide - Photo by Markus
    Winkler on Unsplash
    ● Image on interview title slide - Photo by LinkedIn
    Sales Solutions on Unsplash
    

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20. Thank you for
    listening! 😇
    Kelvin Gobo @slightlynerd
    

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