Video summary

if you'be been trying to get a tech job for over a year

Main summary

Key takeaways

Summary

The speaker answers multiple questions from people who are struggling to get tech jobs or internships. The core message is that job-hunting success depends on three major phases:

  1. A strong profile (resume/LinkedIn)

    • Candidates often have weak or generic resumes (including too many “personal projects” that don’t feel substantial).
    • The biggest unlock is building real projects with real-world impact, ideally by coding projects for other people/organizations (even for free at first) so it counts as stronger experience.
    • If you’re experienced but still not getting interviews, it may be a resume quality issue, not interview performance—so consider having a recruiter review your resume (instead of a software engineer), since they’ve seen many resumes.

  2. “Talking like an engineer” (behavioral/communication stories)

    • Behavioral answers aren’t just casual sharing; they test for risk and fit (e.g., weaknesses, motivation, why they should hire you).
    • Don’t wing interview stories—prepare them in advance and practice delivering them.
    • If you keep getting rejected, your story answers likely aren’t landing the way they need to.

  3. Technical coding for the final round

    • If you can pass earlier screens, final coding should be easier—but many people fail because they haven’t coded in months.
    • Practice “traditional coding” (the type used in interviews), not just relying on tools/LLMs.
    • Consistent coding practice (the speaker references doing many LeetCode problems) helps build syntax and fundamentals like loops and hash maps.

Additional Advice Across Responses

  • For academics switching to industry: focus on resume/LinkedIn optimization, recruiter review, networking, and building projects/experience; finishing a PhD can help depending on goals, but industry is typically better for higher income.
  • For people without a network: pursue networking and outreach heavily, then follow up with projects and real experience.
  • For international hiring goals: they can’t give direct guidance, but suggests mass outreach and searching for roles (including international contract/freelance opportunities).
  • For students aiming for internships/PhD research: don’t rely only on research—build projects and strengthen the resume so internships become realistic.

The video ends with a promotion of a free “roadmap” resource for getting tech job offers, especially for people who fail technical interviews or don’t get interviews at all.

Speakers (from the subtitles)

  • Main speaker / coach (the person giving the advice throughout)
  • Unidentified message senders / respondents (multiple people ask questions; named only in a few cases):
    • Ratul (Carnegie Mellon incoming sophomore)
    • Raymond (appears as the name addressed in one message)
    • FZ (username/signature on a message from Egypt)
    • Ratul is also explicitly named; others are not fully identified

Original video