How to know which hard skills I need to get my Job

Hey everyone,

I'm creating some topics to clarify some points that can help everyone in this quest for their first job in the field.

Whether you're transitioning your career or entering the job market for the first time, the important thing is to understand that you need a strategy for it. Shooting in every direction and hoping to hit something without aiming won't work. You need focus and strategy, and below, I'll teach you the first one.

How to define the hard skills I need to apply for?

1. Identify the opportunities you're interested in, such as a programming intern.
2. Search for available positions in that role, using Google, LinkedIn, or other job search platforms.
3. Classify these positions by hard skills, create a spreadsheet, and note how many times each skill is mentioned. This will help you identify the most requested skills.
4. Compare your hard skills with the most requested ones, and list the ones you need to acquire.
5. With the list of defined hard skills, separate them into long-term and short-term, with short-term ones being those you can learn the basics within, for example, three months.
6. 
   

Now let's tackle your self-sabotaging thoughts:

Why do I need this? I just want an opportunity.

We won't externalize the responsibility, putting it in the hands of the recruiter. You need to catch the attention of the HR department with your profile, making sure there's a match with the job. Think of it like Tinder—common interests lead to matches. So, at this point, the effort is yours. Consider that you're choosing a car to buy, and one ad has no details. On the other hand, the other has all the details matching what you're looking for. Which one would you click on? We are indeed a shelf of candidates, with skills that either match or don't match the job.

But I don't have money.

If you think that lack of money is a reason not to study in the IT field, you're mistaken. There are many free opportunities to learn, including content on YouTube, free bootcamps, and more. You can develop yourself using your internet connection.

But I don't have time.

In this aspect, it's essential to emphasize the long-term and short-term perspective. Determine how much time you have available per day. Even if it's just during your bus ride, you can listen to a podcast. For short-term skills, create a study schedule to add these skills to your profile as quickly as possible. As for long-term skills, you should allocate a short amount of time each day, but be consistent. Every day you learn a bit more. For example, if you only have 30 minutes a day, dedicate that time entirely to studying English. Long-term skills work this way; the brain takes time to internalize knowledge, and you need to establish a good knowledge base to build on. So the sooner you start, the sooner you'll have a level that helps you in a job application process.

We're not saying here that in a short time of study, you'll have a senior-level of knowledge. But at the very least, you'll have basic knowledge and be able to create a project for your portfolio and answer questions about the technology in an interview.

The more your profile aligns, the more points you have for a match, exponentially increasing your chances of being found.

So, be present on platforms. It's not enough to create a profile; you need to access it regularly.

Now, let's get to work!

See you later,

Juli