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Embarking on the journey towards your dream career while still in University can be both exciting and daunting. As a second-year IT student, Juha eagerly set out to find his first job in the tech industry, envisioning a summer filled with coding and hands-on experience. Little did he know that his quest would turn into a rollercoaster of emotions, as he confronted the harsh realities of the job market's expectations and the disparity between academic knowledge and industry demands.
In this blog post, Juha will share his personal experience in searching for an IT job during University and shed light on the challenges faced by many aspiring young professionals. From encountering seemingly insurmountable experience requirements to navigating the complexities of crafting a compelling application, this is a story of perseverance and how a stroke of luck ultimately led him to his first IT job. Join us as we recount the difficulties he faced along his journey and offer insights into the difficulties faced by University students seeking their foothold in the competitive job market.
“My story begins as a second-year Automation and Systems Technology student in January. I began looking for a summer job where I could utilise my programming education. Pretty quickly, while browsing through job ads, it became clear that many positions required years of experience in technical tasks and extensive knowledge of various programming languages and cloud services. I had some experience with a few programming languages thanks to my own projects and university programming courses, but it felt like my skills and experience in the field didn't match what was required for the majority of IT jobs.
However, I did find a few junior-level job postings without strict skill requirements, so I got interested and decided to apply. I still had to create cover letters and a resume for the applications. As it had been a while since I last wrote a resume, I spent a lot of time searching for good resume templates, thinking about what to include in them, and way too much time writing.
I sent applications to some interesting job opportunities, but waiting and reading responses like "unfortunately, your profile didn't match our selection" felt draining. I spent weeks browsing through job ads, applying to dozens of places, and completing various programming pre-tasks, but I just couldn’t stick the landing. However, after over a month of trying, luck was on my side when I applied with an open application to a software company, proceeded to an interview, and finally got the position.
As I reflect on my own journey and the challenges of finding my first IT job while in University, I can't help but feel grateful for the valuable lessons learned along the way. However, I also recognize that the path I walked could have been smoother and more efficient. My relatively difficult experience looking for my first opportunity, got me interested in making the process easier and less stressful for the future generation of job seekers.”
Hanki.app's revolutionary approach to recruitment is precisely what university students and aspiring IT professionals need in today's competitive job market. With its all-in-one job application tool, Hanki.app streamlines the job search process, empowering candidates to stand out from the crowd effortlessly. By creating a tailored and attention-grabbing CV, you instantly open yourself up to a world of interviews and opportunities, bringing potential employers to you.
Juha’s personal story, along with the stories of countless other aspiring IT professionals, is what drove us to create Hanki.app, and motivates us to streamline IT recruitment for both parties. Gone are the days of struggling to meet unrealistic experience requirements or feeling disheartened by generic rejection emails. Hanki.app equips you with the tools and confidence needed to pursue your dream IT job, leveraging your academic knowledge and passion for technology to the fullest. We enable our users to market themselves in the most unique way possible, by using our recruitment data and personal experiences to ensure your application meets the requirements of top recruiters globally.
Start your journey today by clicking here, and unlock a world of possibilities that will propel you towards your dream IT job. Remember, success lies just a few clicks away. Happy job hunting!