How to find your dream dev job & get them to pay you CA$H MONEY

PyLadies Seattle

Many of us have been in jobs we hate. Many of us have also been in hostile work environments. As women in tech, it can be hard to figure out where to find a good job amid all the brogrammer havens, startups, and mega-corporations. At the same time, we are highly sought after as more and more companies try to boost their diversity numbers. How do you leverage this position and your skills to land that dream job? In this talk, we'll go over strategies to scratch below the surface level and suss out what a company is really like, how to ensure that it's a healthy and respectful culture, and how to negotiate your offers! This will be especially helpful for women just starting on their first or second programming jobs, but will also be useful to anyone who is looking to make a change or to improve their company's hiring process.

Transcript

1. How to find your dream dev job & get them to pay you CA$H MONEY @lizmrush
2. hi, i’m liz rush. • developer at cool dating app & woman-owned startup Siren • invite code: n0pants (that’s a zero) • ada developers academy, cohort[0] • i have a job • they pay me money • for now • lol, #startuplife
3. what we’ll cover tonight at pyladies: • basics of dev job hunting • culture fit 101 • negotiate like a boss
4. this ish is really hard. there is no “natural”.
5. find your system
6. find your networks • go to meetups • use online forums, google groups, & boards • not everyone will like the same, find what works for you • make yourself visible • lightning talks • talk to people
7. tell people you are looking ➡ tell them you are looking ➡ tell them what you are looking for ➡ give them a blurb about yourself ➡ let them know if you are looking on the DL use twitter! (especially if you are doing ruby, web dev, front-end, etc.) email your buds
8. sell yourself tell a story about yourself build up your confidence: ) sell yourself to a friend * sell to a person in your network + sell to a group
9. ⏰ 60 second elevator pitch
10. resumes you should have a one-pager pdf make a gist or online resume creep linkedin use your non-code jobs to sell yourself as a well rounded person iterate! get feedback! iterate!
11. be creative • look at non-tech companies • use job boards • online • literal job boards • conferences • scholarships • volunteer • “Hallway Conf”
12. think about ROI 3 months? ✂ cut losses early take risks!
13. but is it a good job? ⚠
14. who are you & what do you want determine what you want: determine what your values are: now, does the company align with you? work/life balance independence collaboration product pairing, client-facing, agile, flat orgs, advancement, etc.
15. how do you learn the culture • ask them! • get all up in their space • fish for info from your network • ask current & former employees to chat
16. red flags/green flags talking shit (on other companies, candidates, you) extreme amounts of unpaid work before the interview internal communication breakdowns ✅ tailoring the interview to you ✅ openness about their process ✅ treating the interview as a two-way match
17. set boundaries on your time • do not let an interviewer push you around • scheduling works two ways • give clear timelines • if a company doesn’t respect your time during the interview process, they won’t respect your time as an employee
18. trust your gut (but ask for second opinions!)
19. get those stacks
20. do your homework if you come prepared, they will think you are a better negotiator use online resources to find out what the average salary is for the position you want - read the comments! if people think you are a good negotiator they will give you want you want! ↘ - use glassdoor/salary.com to look up specific companies
21. use your network • ask around for what your peers are making • ada cohort[0] average salary was ~$75k • use your resources: • code school job placement help • university career center • women’s programming groups • american association of university women
22. be ok with awkwardness • practice • practice • practice • practice • practice feeling uncomfortable letting the silence just hang there talking about money saying no saying what you want
23. prepare canned responses “wow that seems high!” “we can’t match that” “why should you get more?” “i think you’ll see with my experience & skills….” ➡ “it’s about the whole package” ➡ “i’ve done x, y, z” ➡ no trash talk
24. always ask for something • even if they give you an awesome offer • bc it is not their max • bc your starting salary affects you for life • bc men are getting paid more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ • they expect it • it’s good practice!
25. negotiate on other stuff • things you can negotiate on: • PTO/flexible schedule • work from home • equity/stock/cliff/vesting • FT vs. contract
26. make a playlist, get amped equal parts badass, self-esteem, & ~good vibes~ Big Mama Thang Lil’ Kim Just Fine Mary J Blige I Wanna Be Your Lover Prince
27. take your time • think about it • no rush! • ask for it > women don’t ask • start building networks now
28. NOW GO GET THAT CASH
29. thanks for coming! • find me on twitter: @lizmrush • check out my blog: • lizmrush.com • “on interviewing”