The Simple Playbook to Landing Your First Tech Job
Getting your first job is harder than it should be. Here is the exact playbook that works, from finding the right roles to standing out in a crowded field.
Getting your first job is harder than it should be. You do not have experience, so how do you compete? Sending 500 identical applications on LinkedIn Easy Apply is a massive waste of time. This guide walks you through the exact playbook that works—from finding the right roles to standing out in a crowded field.
If you want to know how to get hired as entry level, you need to master five steps: finding hidden roles, tailoring your application, building in public, networking strategically, and preparing for the interview.
Where to actually find entry level jobs
Stop relying entirely on the main LinkedIn feed. When a junior developer role gets 1,000 applicants in two hours, your odds approach zero. You have to look where the crowd isn't looking to find real entry level positions.
- Company career pages: Many tech companies post their early-career roles on their own sites weeks before paying for a LinkedIn listing.
- AngelList & startup boards: Startup job boards are where early-stage founders look for adaptable, hungry talent rather than 10 years of experience.
- HiredUp Jobs: Use our jobs page to see roles we fetch across startup boards, including VC-backed ecosystems like a16z and Y Combinator.
- Networking: The most underrated channel. Most unadvertised positions are filled through internal referrals before they ever hit a public job board.
Tailoring your application to stand out
Sending a generic application is the fastest way to get rejected. You must customize your resume for each specific role. Generic lists of skills get ignored.
- Write personalized outreach emails that prove you actually researched the company and understand their product.
- Match job description keywords naturally to ensure you pass initial screening.
- Proofread obsessively. A single typo on a software engineering application signals poor attention to detail.
- Read why your CS resume gets ignored in 3 seconds to fix the bullet-point and formatting mistakes that cost new grads interviews.
Tailoring takes time, which is why almost nobody does it manually. Before you optimize for keywords, understand how ATS systems actually rank candidates. Then use HiredUp's resume tailoring tool to align your real experience with each posting without sounding generic.
Build in public while job hunting
When you lack formal experience, building in public is your ultimate differentiation strategy. Recruiters want to see real skills, not just claims on a piece of paper.
Why this works:
- Portfolio builder: Sharing your projects on GitHub and documenting your learning journey creates a verifiable track record.
- Networking tool: Tweeting about what you are building gets you noticed by founders and hiring managers organically.
- Credibility signal: It proves you can ship code, hit deadlines, and learn independently without hand-holding.
The real approach is simple. Pick one small project. Build it openly. Keep your GitHub code clean and well-documented. Post progress updates and lessons learned on Twitter/X once or twice a week. Announce major milestones on LinkedIn. Writing a personal blog about the technical hurdles you overcame is optional, but it sets you apart from 99% of candidates.
A generic resume gets lost. A resume backed by a GitHub profile and a Twitter presence showing active development gets interviews. One recent grad secured three interview offers simply by sharing her process of building a small developer tool on Twitter.
Network strategically
Networking is not about begging for a job. It is about building genuine relationships that lead to internal referrals.
- Request informational interviews. Reach out to engineers or product managers at companies you actually want to work for.
- Attend local meetups, conferences, and technical webinars. In-person networking is still highly effective.
- Engage authentically on Twitter and LinkedIn. Leave thoughtful comments on engineering blogs. Do not just post your own links.
- Mention your building in public projects during these conversations. It gives you something technical to discuss.
- Always follow up after a conversation with a quick thank-you message to keep the connection warm.
Prepare for interviews
Getting the interview is half the battle. Passing it requires a different skillset.
Practice common technical and behavioral questions until your answers flow naturally. Research the company deeply. Know their product, their tech stack, and their recent news. Have two or three structured stories ready about times you solved difficult problems or learned a new technology quickly. If your resume still is not converting into interview calls, fix your resume fundamentals before you keep practicing.
Mention your building in public projects naturally during the conversation to show genuine initiative. Finally, ask thoughtful questions. Do not ask about a typical day. Ask what the biggest technical challenge the engineering team is facing this quarter.
Start building today
Securing your first job is a process. Find the right roles, tailor your applications, build in public, network strategically, and prepare for interviews.
Start with one small project this week. Document it. Share it. You will be shocked at what happens.
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