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How to Land a Tech Job in L.A. (or Anywhere)

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Santa Monica has emerged as a start-up hub in L.A., with many new companies seeking tech talent.

As the economy makes a slow recovery (California’s unemployment rate remained at 10.9% this month), many job seekers still face steep competition, but can be encouraged by an increase in demand for workers with tech expertise.

Shane Bernstein, Managing Director of Q, a digital and tech talent firm based in Los Angeles, has been in recruitment for eight years, and sees countless resumes. “Obviously, getting hired has lot has to do with companies you’ve worked at in the past -- the general thinking is: If you are are sponsored by the masses, you must be good,” he said.

“Secondarily, companies look for some ‘stable anchors.’ Stable anchors on your resume are any time you have spent two or more years at a company -- that shows stability. If you don’t stay for two years, you don’t really see the full life cycle of the company.”

He highlighted that front-end development, QA automation, and big data are especially hot fields right now.

His tips for navigating the current tech job market are below (some of these we’ve heard before, but never hurts to have a refresher course):

Top 5 Must-Dos

  • Learn new technology any time you can (especially at your current job). “When you are working on-site somewhere, sit down with the person doing cloud computing. Any time you have a chance to learn the latest, newest technology, while you are already at a job -- take that opportunity. The more instances you do, the better. If there’s a new technology, try to get involved in it -- so when you’re up for a new job, you already have the most cutting edge tech on your resume.”
  • Networking. “In L.A., networking is very important. If you just send your resume through a website, your chances are not as good. The best way to find jobs is through people you know or through a recruitment firm. Your last resort should be applying on your own.”
  • Hone problem-solving skills. “People want to know how you work through problems. And know that you can do it well.”
  • Research the company thoroughly. “Do they have new products? New tech they are using? Go through their website. If a hiring manager asks you if you are aware of their new initiatives, your answer should be ‘yes’ and you should have questions and ideas ready. People want to know that you’re vested.”
  • Be truthful. “Honesty will set you free.”

Top 3 Dont’s

  • Lengthy resumes. “No large paragraphs on resumes, please. The new resume is a marketing document. It should read like a story, but not look like a book.”
  • Don’t date yourself. “Anything prior to the year 2000 -- we advise taking that off your resume. There is such a thing as age discrimination and you put a time stamp on yourself by listing things before 2000. Especially as fast as technology turns over.”
  • Don’t talk negatively. “Say nothing negative about past jobs or past bosses. It’s a very small tech community and word travels fast.”

In tech, is it better to be a generalist (good at many different skills) or a specialist (a superstar at one particular platform)? “It depends on the role,” Bernstein said.

“Most jobs that require technical skill sets need specialists. Those jobs include: developers, QA managers, and anything to do with Ruby or Python.”

“Jobs that require functional skill sets need generalists. Those jobs include: product managers, social media positions, and project managers.”

He emphasized that competition for well-paying tech jobs is still fierce, but also underscored that Los Angeles is a growing community for tech employment. “I think L.A. has got this huge potential. From a volume perspective, we still have the largest talent pool in the country. The economy hit California just as hard as anywhere else. But start-ups are coming back now. Santa Monica has really blown up here as the hub,” he said.

Something people don’t know about the L.A. tech scene?

“The demand is very high, the supply is very low. People are pushing their projects forward, so they have to bring on more resources.”

With new start-ups taking off, several are looking for tech talent now. Many have listed current open positions on AngelList.