Introduction

I spent 2020 completing my degree and looking for my first real job. This pandemic made that far more difficult as my first choice graduate scheme went silent during the first lockdown. I withdrew my application in October, following which they finally responded by sending me a generic rejection email. This was incredibly frustrating as it meant I had to start my search from scratch. However, I pushed forward and ended up receiving a much better offer from my dream company in February.





But the reason I am writing this is to acknowledge that my initial job search wasn't productive. I had unconvincing cover letters, limited interview practice and minimal experience. While I was fortunate to receive four offers during my job search, I applied to over 100 different roles before reaching this point. Many companies sent instant rejections or didn't respond to me at all.


Some stats on my job search
  • I made 103 job applications in total.
  • Only 31 companies considered my application past the initial stage.
  • I was interviewed 17 times overall (excluding coding and prerecorded video interviews).
  • I reached the final interview stage 6 times.
  • I received 4 offers.

It took me a while to refine my process, which I did by finding helpful resources online. I've benefitted immensely from those who were generous enough to share what they know. So I'd like to do the same and pay it forward.

However, I'm not an expert. I'm not qualified to tell anyone how they should acquire their first or even dream job. Instead, I'd like to show you every resource I used as they were made by those able to help, with a few general tips included too. These resources cover how to find jobs, apply to them, and improve interview technique.

To those of you reading this, I hope you find it helpful. If you want to discuss this more, feel free to reach out :)



The Application

As I mentioned earlier, it took me a while to improve the applications I made. The process won't be the same for everybody but making a good first impression helps. Many companies screen their applicants using an automated system (ATS), so it can help to make sure your CV is machine-readable too. I've listed three tips below, with some resources to help research roles and improve CVs and cover letters. 


General Application Tips
  • Know the company and role: who they are, what you will do, company values, recent news, etc.
  • Tailor your cover letter (and your CV where needed) to the role.
  • Reflect and adapt: if you're instantly rejected or ghosted, something might need to change. Try to get feedback from people you trust.

Application Resources
University Career Portal
Most universities provide career advice through their career portals (KCL linked).
Blind
An anonymous, US-based version of LinkedIn with a focus on being open and sharing detailed experiences.
MIT
MIT's guide to writing a good resumé.
Imperial
Imperial's guide to writing a good CV.
FreeCodeCamp
A guide on improving your cover letter - Software Engineering
Grammarly
A free spelling and grammar checker. Useful to avoid the most basic mistakes in an application.


The Interviews

Getting to this stage is an achievement itself. Depending on the role you applied for, there can be a whole range of interviews and assessments. How many you do depends on the nature of the role. I received my Apple offer after eight interviews but for my internship, I was only interviewed three times. These interviews can be carried out individually or at an onsite / assessment centre.

The resources below focus on three different types of interview. These are behavioural and competency-based interviews, live coding and whiteboarding interviews, and system design interviews. Many of these resources are relevant for take-home tests and coding challenges. All of them are free or have a free trial. 


General Interview Tips
  • Improving your technique will help more than memorising solutions and answers.
  • Practise as much as possible; even interviewing at companies you're not that interested in can be good practice for you.
  • Most interviewers are on your side. It can be easier to treat it as a conversation.
  • It's (usually) your choice of language. A slow but correct, 2 line Python solution is probably better than a complex and incorrect 50 line C++ solution.

Interview Resources
LeetCode & HackerRank
Both provide many example coding problems often found in coding interviews. I'd favour LeetCode as its challenges are usually well explained.
Cracking the Coding Interview & GitHub Repo
The 6th edition of the book is incredibly useful and can be found in most university libraries and at a reasonable price on Amazon. I'd recommend going through it, but if you don't have time I've linked a GitHub repo containing crowdsourced answers to the book's example challenges in many languages.
Interview Cake
Explores common algorithms for specific data structures often found in coding interviews. Provides example code.
Pramp & interviewing.io
Two websites providing mock interviews with experienced engineers. Disclaimer: I didn't need to use these, but they would have been my next steps had I still struggled with coding interviews.
Rafal's Assorted Notes
A comprehensive guide on common algorithms including sorting, graphs and backtracking algorithms.
Tech Interview Handbook
A handbook covering data structures, algorithms and tips for coding. Also includes advice on applications, general interviews and even offer negotiation.
Byte by Byte
A detailed course on technical interviews. I used the free recommended resources and blog entries for guidance.
Geeks for Geeks
Contains coding guides, practice information and general advice (linked).
educative
An immense collection of coding and interview guides, along with dedicated learning paths. I used the free sources and articles.
YouTube
I primarily used YouTube to learn how to approach system design interviews. I used three channels in particular: Coding Made Simple, Tech Dummies and AlgoExpert's channel.
Coding Interview
Made by the educative team, this website provides in-depth guides for interviewing at specific companies and their previous interview questions (including FAANG and Big N).
The Balance Careers
Covers many different career topics including the STAR answer technique (linked).
Target Jobs
As mentioned before, this website provides lots of general advice, including an assessment centre guide (linked).


Mental Health

If you're neurodiverse, like me, or merely curious, I've added this section specifically for you. I could go on and on about the stigma around mental health or its importance in modern society. Instead, I'd like to be direct.

Having companies go back on their word, being suddenly ghosted by them, and the numerous application processes took a toll on my mental health — stress, anxiety and depression. These consequences are increasingly common. So if you're searching for a job and feel like this, the resources below may help.

You are more important than any job out there :)


Mental Health Resources
Babylon
An online and accessible health service. If you switch to their "GP on hand" service, they provide 24/7 appointments for free.
Headstrong Counselling
An affordable and high-quality counselling service in London.
Mind
Provides support and general advice about specific topics (A-Z guide linked).
NHS
The brief NHS guide to accessing mental health services.
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Search for BACP accredited counsellors and therapists.
Counselling Directory
Search for a counsellor or therapist.
University Support
If you're unsure about the above options, most universities offer a form of counselling and support (KCL linked).


Contact Me

Want to know more about me or have any resources that I may have missed?
Reach out to me on LinkedIn or send me an email.


LinkedIn
Email