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

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

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

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

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

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

The Elements Of A Job Application Kelvin Gobo @slightlynerd

Cover Letter ● First impression ● Keep it simple

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

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 ✅

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

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%

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

Interview ● Tell your story ● Highlight your skills

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

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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

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

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

Thank you for listening! 😇 Kelvin Gobo @slightlynerd