About 2 months ago, I started a new position as a software engineer. I've always seen posts of people on LinkedIn who shared that they got a job on LinkedIn, hoping that one day, I will be doing so too. My prayer was answered, and I got my first Tech Job on LinkedIn.

Welcome to my first blog post, and thank you for taking your time to read about my story and tips on how I landed a Job on LinkedIn.

I decided to write this for two reasons.

1. To serve as a resource for those seeking my advice on what I did during my Job Search.
2. To serve as an encouragement for others who are yet to get a job.

Background

My name is Lawal Afeez, I am Nigerian by nationality, and from a town in Oyo state. I got into programming over 6 years ago, after playing around with several programming languages, I decided to stick with Python as it was relatively easier. My first Python resource was a YouTube playlist by Newboston. After learning Python for a while, I decided to go into Backend Development as I had previous knowledge of HTML and CSS. One of my first resource on Django was the Udemy course by Justin Mitchel of coding for entrepreneurs, where I learned how to design a URL shortener.

It was not an easy one as back then, there was a lot of concepts I was not familiar with that he introduced in the course, I stopped watching it, did some research and came across Django girls blog, where I learned building a Blog with Django and ever since then, no looking back.

I wrote the above just to make you understand that I am just like you, Self-taught, with limited access to resources and no connection in the tech industry. I am here to tell you today not to give up, your dream is achievable.

To the Tips.

1. Let people know you for who you are i.e A software developer.

Some of the first couple of Jobs I ever applied for, was sent to me by people who know me to be a Developer on WhatsApp. Once they see any flier/job opening for a developer on any platform, they screenshot/copy and sent to me even though many of the job postings are not for my stack, I was able to get a couple of Interview through that. And don’t forget to appreciate them.

One of the surest way to achieve that is by sharing contents relating to your niche.

2. Have project/projects you developed by yourself.

I am not talking about a project you developed while following a YouTube tutorial or a udemy course. A project that solves a problem people are facing, then deploy it for people to use. By this, you have a project you come up with on your own, during an interview you can use the project to stir the direction of the interview to your advantage.

Example: If I was asked to introduce myself during an interview, here is what my response looks like;

Good day, My name is Lawal Afeez, a graduate from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, where I studied Transport Management, I am a Django developer with over 3 years of experience working with Django, My recent Django project is a Web Application for staging a referral contest for WhatsApp based businesses which currently, has referred over 900 contacts to several WhatsApp based small scale businesses.

With the above, I have given the interviewer option on where to question me during the course of the interview, which is to my advantage. Since the application is what I developed on my own, I will be able to relate and flow with the interviewer well.

Now, compare the above response to this;

My name is Lawal Afeez, a graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology with Second class Upper, I am a Django Developer.

I hope you get the gist. It is not necessary it is a very robust project, just do something that will set you apart from the others, we all are learning from youtube and udemy, the e-commerce website you added on your portfolio, some else has the same.

3. Work on your LinkedIn Profile

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is well-structured. I did not pay for anyone to optimize my LinkedIn profile, I did it myself, and I am getting result. One tip I will give on this is to look for an expert in your niche, look at how the person structured his/her profile, then do the same.

But if you don’t have the leisure, you can hire the service of an expert. A well-structured LinkedIn profile is going to make you visible in searches by recruiters or prospective employers in your niche.

4. Write and Share contents related to your niche

One of the ways to make people aware of you is by what you share on your wall. Write about the project you are working on, the bug you fixed, how you fixed it, write about them all. I get, most of us are not good writers just like me, engage with post related to your niche, drop meaningful comments and don’t forget to make meaningful connections too. Before getting my current job, I was earlier interviewed for a position at Venture Garden Group, I was reached out to by a Senior Software engineer from the said company who offered me a Job, It was by posting about what I do that he got to know me, and what I do.

5. Start interviewing as soon as possible.

Interviews are learning experiences. You can find out what you want and don't want in a company just by how an interview goes. Also, the more experience you have interviewing, the less nervous you get.

I started applying for jobs before I felt 100% ready, because we will never feel 100% ready. Apply even if you don't meet all the requirements, and get ready for your interview. If you're nervous about being under-qualified, don't be. Leave that to your interviewers to decide. If you made it to the interview, then they are definitely interested in you.

Take notes of what they ask, and prepare questions for the interviewer as well. This is your opportunity to learn what companies are looking for, and how you can prepare yourself to provide that to them.

Also, keep in mind that the interview goes both ways; they're evaluating you, but you should be evaluating them as well. It's a two-way street, and knowing this should help you feel more confident and less stressed during the interview itself.

6. Don’t underestimate anyone and Treat everybody with respect.

No matter what, try to treat everyone with respect as people are watching you.

You can do this.

I think that pretty much whatever you want to do in life can be accomplished. The level of difficulty might vary depending on your starting point. But the more you put yourself out there and talk to people, the more insight and connections you gain, which will help you in your journey.

Thanks for reading this, and best of luck.