Careers in IT: How to Get Your First Job
This course is a practical guide for students moving from school to their first job in Information Technology. It covers the job hunt process from beginning to end.
What you'll learn
This course is a practical guide for students moving from school to their first job in Information Technology. It covers the importance of school (hint: not just grades!) and how to develop the skills that employers are looking for today.
The course walks students through the job hunting process from beginning to end:
- building soft skills and technical experience
- writing a resume and cover letter
- looking for jobs
- interviewing, and accepting a job offer
Table of contents
- Amp up Your Employability 2m
- Building Soft Skills 1m
- Communication 5m
- Collaboration and Teamwork 4m
- Leadership 4m
- Networking 7m
- Building Technical Experience 1m
- Open Source Projects 3m
- Internships 3m
- Freelance Gigs 3m
- User Groups 2m
- Senior Projects 2m
- Blogging 2m
- Mentoring 4m
- Summarizing Employability 2m
- Introduction to Job Interviewing 3m
- The Job Interview Is Most Important 4m
- Before the Interview: Research 10m
- Before the Interview: Pre-screening Questions 4m
- Before the Interview: Technical Questions 5m
- Before the Interview: Behavioral Questions 4m
- Before the Interview: Group Questions 5m
- Before the Interview: Practice, Practice, Practice 6m
- Before the Interview: Check the Details, Including Dress Code 6m
- During the Interview: Show Time! 1m
- During the Interview: Likeability 4m
- During the Interview: Enthusiasm 2m
- During the Interview: Confidence 4m
- During the Interview: Communication 2m
- During the Interview: Body Language 4m
- During the Interview: Technical Skills 3m
- During the Interview: Wrapping Up 2m
- After the Interview: Thank You and Follow-up 8m
- Summarizing the Interview Process 2m
Course FAQ
In this course, you will learn helpful tips and tricks to help you through the process of finding an IT job. This course covers the job hunting process from beginning to end. Specifics include: the importance of school, key skills to develop, soft skills and technical experience, resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and much more.
This course is designed for recent college graduates or current college students who are planning for their IT career.
Some common entry-level IT jobs include: business analyst, quality assurance analyst, PC technician, technical writer, web/software developer, and computer systems administrator.
Yes, this course covers resume writing tips as well as tips on writing an effective cover letter.
Hard skills are teachable and measurable abilities, such as writing, reading, math, or using computer programs. Soft skills are the traits that make you a god employee, such as etiquette, communication, listening, and organization.
About the author
Amber has been a software developer and technical trainer since the early 2000s. In recent years, she has focused on teaching AI, machine learning, AWS and Power Apps, teaching students around the world. She also works to bridge the gap between developers, designers and businesspeople with her expertise in visual communication, user experience and business/professional skills. She holds certifications in machine learning, AWS, a variety of Microsoft technologies, and is a former Microsoft Cer... more