How to BREAK into Tech as a Career Shifter or Fresh Grad

It’s not uncommon for fresh grads or career shifters to be short on technical skills in the IT industry. Perhaps some would say that it’s the norm. Because of this, you might perceive yourself as someone who’s not fit for certain jobs in the market. Especially in the tech industry where the mastery of hard skills is sought-out in job candidates, it’s easy to feel that your lack of technical skills gets you an immediate rejection letter from your recruiter.

However, that’s not the case. There are many factors that come into play in the decision process of the company in hiring you.

To help you out, here are 4 things you should do to prepare for that tech role you’re eyeing!

#1: Study the job description.

Before you hit “apply now” to jobs, you first need to review the job listing.

In studying the job description, you should be able to get the gist of what the job entails. This ensures that you don’t waste your time applying for a company that doesn’t fit your lifestyle and experience.

In case you decide to apply for the job, reading the job description and applying keywords to your resumé can also make your application much more appealing. However, make sure you aren’t directly copying y every single word you see. You need to still be truthful with what you write.

If you have any questions about the job listing, you can also save them for your job interview. From there, you could get a better understanding of what the company and job hold for you!

#2: Do the pre-work.

Once you’ve studied the job description and you realized that there are some skills that you don’t have, don’t immediately click on another job offer. Don’t give up. Pursue this job, especially if you really want it, by researching terms that may seem unfamiliar to you.

For example, you saw in the job description that the role requires you to be knowledgeable on X programming language, which you haven’t used before. What you can do is a quick search on the Internet and browse through different resources on how this language is used. You could also search for different ways and free platforms where you could learn this tool. Can you learn it through self-studying? Do you have to apply for a course online?

READ: Use These FREE Resources to Improve Your Tech Skills

Learning these could help you prove to your interviewer that you know the necessary steps in order for you to succeed in this job. Instead of completely giving up that you don’t have the necessary skills required, try to continue the application process. After all, if there’s a will, there’s a way!

If you lack the technical stack required for your job, you could also try looking up companies that offer boot camps such as Zuitt! Zuitt helps shape the next generation of IT & Software professionals by equipping them with the necessary skills to succeed in the industry! If you’re interested, you could view their website here.

#3: Be honest.

So, you booked the interview. Congratulations!

Remember to research any unfamiliar terms or skills you read in the job description as well as the ways how you can learn them. However, doing this pre-work doesn’t equate to you having substantial working knowledge of these skills. Thus, in your interview, the best way to present yourself is to be truthful to your personality and your experience.

Sure, you lack the skills the company requires of their hires, but are those the only things you could offer? You surely have other skills and strengths that are worth talking about in your interview. These skills don’t have to come from working experience — they could also come from your day-to-day activities!

Find a way for you to tell your recruiter that you can bring something valuable to the table. Just because you lack some technical skills in your job, doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t be a good hire.

Pro tip: make sure to also follow up on these skills with an example of how you’ve used them in real life. One of the keys to a good answer in interviews is to provide evidence of what you’re saying.

#4: Show your recruiter that you’re willing to learn.

In connection with the previous tip, you could show your recruiter how passionate you are to learn about skills that can help you execute the job better. It would look so much better to your recruiter if you were honest about your experience and you continued with that honesty on your willingness to learn.

The best way to show your passion is to communicate it, so speak.

Overall, the main point is to shoot your shot. Don’t decide for yourself whether or not you’re fit for the role — that’s someone else’s job.

Companies do not only hire solely for their hires’ experience. They also look at candidates’ POTENTIAL. These companies could also provide you with resources and mentorship to help you learn the skills you lack!

If this article helped you, follow Kalibrr on social media to read more career tips and advice!

Kalibrr is a recruitment technology company that aims to transform how candidates find jobs and how companies hire talent. Placing the candidate experience at the center of everything it does, we continue to attract the best talent from all over, with more than 5.5 million professionals and counting. Kalibrr ultimately connects these talents to companies in search of their next generation of leaders.

The only end-to-end recruitment solutions provider in Southeast Asia, Kalibrr is headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with offices in San Francisco, California, and Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in 2012, it has served over 18,000 clients and is backed by some of the world’s most powerful start-up incubators and venture capitalists. These include Y Combinator, Omidyar Network, Patamar Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and Kickstart Ventures.

For more tips on acing job interviews, follow Kalibrr on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tiktok.