It may be cliché to say that techies need to get out from behind the monitor and walk out into the light, but seriously, you need to get some sun. If you haven’t already found it, you likely want a job that allows for your future growth, utilizes your potential to its fullest, fosters a culture that will be the best possible incubator for you, and is therefore one you’ll love to go to everyday. You cannot hope to find a great job like that by simply looking on craigslist and dice, and sending your resume to companies without a proper introduction or “in.”
If you want to find a better job and expand your career, you need to network, network, network. Join an industry Meet-up in your area, attend a conference or get linked with a professional association relevant to your chosen area of expertise.
Tech communities are a place for talent and recruiters to meet and discuss opportunities in the market. These meet-ups and conferences provide an environment for the two parties to learn about and from each other, and discuss available and upcoming opportunities. Going beyond a skype interview or coffee meeting, meet-ups provide an opportunity to interact on a deeper level, and in more dimensions (with employers, peers, and recruiters). Peers can turn into recruiters, and vice-versa, in this type of environment, leading to a win-win for everyone.
Relationship building is an essential part of the job search process and tech candidates should embrace it. Get out there and find a meet-up, tune up your LinkedIn profile, and work with a reputable recruiter (they already have the connections you are trying to build and are your introduction to companies you want to work with.) Even if you don’t find your dream job from it, you’ll meet some like-minded folks and maybe even have some fun!
Phoenix Staff hosts meet-ups in Phoenix, Austin, and Las Vegas to offer a place for techies to meet, network, and learn from each other. In Phoenix, on the 3rd Thursday of every month, we off PubTech. In Austin we have our .NET Meetup the 1st Wednesday of the month, as well as SoLa Tech, a hosted breakfast on the 3rd Thursday of every month. And for the Vegas crowd we offer BarCode the 2nd Tuesday of every month. If you are interested in joining any of these groups, please email erin@phoenixstaff.com to be included in our next invitation.