Job Searching Ep. 1 | my first week of being unemployed, refreshing my resume, applying to jobs

Summary

In this video, the creator shares insights into the process of refreshing a resume, offering tips on tailoring bullet points, incorporating relevant job terms, and keeping everything clear and concise. The creator also discusses career paths in tech, particularly through QA roles, and mentions resources like Careerist’s boot camp. Amidst reflections on career choices, there’s a light-hearted moment with the creator’s family, including a birthday celebration and a candid discussion about the challenges of being a full-time content creator versus pursuing a tech career.

Takeaways

• 😀 Use job postings to identify key skills and terminology to incorporate into your resume, such as AB testing, stakeholder management, and technical skills like Python, SQL, and Tableau.
• 😀 Each bullet point on your resume should highlight a unique skill or achievement, even if the roles are similar. Differentiate them by focusing on leadership, technical skills, and project management.
• 😀 Keep your resume clear and concise. If you're verbose, draft your ideas first and then refine them using tools like ChatGPT to ensure brevity and clarity.
• 😀 Manual QA roles can be an effective entry point into tech. It provides transferable skills like understanding the software development life cycle and test planning, which can later help you transition to software engineering.
• 😀 If you're looking to break into tech without a relevant degree, consider enrolling in a boot camp like Careerist, which offers short courses (e.g., 15 weeks for manual QA) to build necessary skills.
• 😀 Content creation can be a source of income, but it's not necessarily a long-term career goal. The individual prefers to work in tech, especially data science, even though content creation is a current income stream.
• 😀 If content creation becomes financially successful (e.g., 3 million subscribers), the individual would still prefer to invest any earnings into creating their own tech startup rather than pursuing content creation full-time.
• 😀 It's important to balance passion with practicality. Despite the appeal of content creation, the individual’s primary interest lies in technology, particularly data science.
• 😀 The individual enjoys cooking and eating homemade meals, such as rice with seasoned egg, avocado, and seaweed, highlighting a simple but flavorful lifestyle.
• 😀 Family plays an important role in the individual’s life, as shown in the celebration of a birthday, with shared moments like cake cutting and singing, which adds a personal touch to their daily experiences.
• 😀 While the individual might joke about quitting their job if they reached 3 million subscribers, they emphasize that their career goal remains in the tech industry, with content creation serving as a current side project.

Q & A

What are some key tips for writing effective resume bullet points?

To write effective resume bullet points, use relevant job terms from postings, ensure each bullet point highlights a unique skill or experience, and keep the language clear and concise.

How can job seekers incorporate job-specific terminology into their resumes?

Job seekers should carefully review job postings and incorporate relevant terms like specific technical skills or job responsibilities (e.g., AB testing, stakeholder management, Python, SQL) into their resume bullet points.

Why is it important for each resume bullet point to be unique?

Each bullet point should highlight a different aspect of your skills, experience, or leadership to give a complete picture of your capabilities. This makes each point stand out and ensures no redundancy.

What should you do if you tend to be wordy when writing your resume?

If you're prone to being verbose, try drafting all your ideas in a document and then use tools like ChatGPT to refine and shorten them into clear and concise bullet points.

How can manual QA roles help someone break into tech?

Manual QA (Quality Assurance) roles teach critical skills like software testing, understanding the software development lifecycle, and test planning, which are valuable for transitioning into other tech roles like software engineering.

What is the benefit of working in manual QA before moving to a tech role like software engineering?

Working in manual QA allows you to build foundational knowledge in software testing and gain hands-on experience in software development processes, making it easier to transition to more technical roles like software engineering.

Is becoming a full-time content creator something the speaker is actively pursuing?

No, the speaker sees content creation as more of a hobby, though it provides a source of income for now. They are more passionate about returning to a full-time data scientist role or possibly running a tech startup in the future.

What are some of the personal benefits of a career in tech that are mentioned?

Some benefits of a tech career include a competitive salary, opportunities for remote work, and the potential to grow in an innovative and fast-paced environment.

How does the speaker balance work and personal life?

The speaker balances work with personal moments like cooking, spending time with family, and enjoying simple pleasures, such as relaxing at home or working from a coffee shop when the weather is nice.

What did the speaker cook for lunch, and why was it special?

The speaker made a simple yet flavorful dish: leftover white rice with seasoned egg, avocado, and seaweed. The egg was marinated in soy sauce and mirin, giving it a rich, umami flavor.