6 Things That Can Help You Land Your First Job

College students and new graduates often ask me similar questions “how do I make my resume stand out so I can land an interview and get my first job?”.

I had been a long-time hiring manager for software development positions with the latest at Amazon. I would like to share some thoughts that might be helpful to the graduating class 2020 as well as other students who are impacted by this pandemic. If you are seasoned engineers but looking for a change, some of these might still be applicable.

1. Accumulate Early

There are certainly ways to make your resume more eye-catching. That is the easy part. The hard part is the content. And that content comes from effort and experience one has accumulated over years leading to the resume writing. That is why your college years need to be a lot more than getting good scores in the coursework. You need to use those years to accumulate skills, cultivate your resume content and interview stories, and build your portfolio.

How do you do it? Here’re a few things to keep in mind and take actions on.

• Set a goal. Work backward from your goal. Have a check list of skills you want to and need to build. Form a plan on how to acquire them.
• If you are in software development, code every day, participate in hackathons, coding camps, etc. Maintain a community mindset, participate in volunteer activities. Of course, try to get internship opportunities as early as…