According to the CIRR, around 71% of coding bootcamp graduates land jobs within 180 days of graduating. While some programs have higher placement rates than the average, it’s important not to rely on the odds being in your favor.
Start the process of optimizing your resume, networking with people in the industry, and applying to roles before graduating. Then, consider submitting applications at top tech companies using the strategies below.
Start the Process During School
There’s no guarantee that you’ll receive a job right after graduating. But if you make use of your time while in school, you can increase the odds that you will.
Step 1: Network
Before you start imagining shaking hands and having stiff conversations with old folks, know that networking today is wildly different (and far more exciting). Networking can be as simple as:
- Finding alumni of your bootcamp program on LinkedIn and sending them a message to ask about their experience after graduating
- Finding hiring managers at dream companies on LinkedIn and engaging with their posts
- Attending virtual events, like coding conferences and trainings, and asking meaningful questions. (Make sure to follow up with the instructor or presenter after to connect with them.)
- Chatting with fellow classmates
Research has found that around 85% of jobs are found through networking. So, the more people in your network, the better.
Step 2: Attend Job Fairs
Due to the virtual nature of many programs, online bootcamps often provide virtual career services. This includes virtual job fairs, networking events, and more.
When you can, be sure to attend the job fair. You’ll meet a variety of employers — all of which are open to hiring bootcamp grads — and can get your foot in the door early. This could lead to lining up a post-grad job before you even graduate.
Step 3: Apply Before Graduating
Begin your search early. The average hiring process takes around three to six weeks, and even longer for new positions, inexperienced hiring managers, and for larger companies. While you might graduate in June, start your search in March or April. This will ensure that you’re ahead of the curve and leave plenty of time to accommodate the hiring process.
When applying, pay attention to the effectiveness of your strategy. If you find that submitting applications on sites like Indeed, Monster, and ZipRecruiter isn’t yielding results, consider taking a different approach. One Hack Reactor graduate said he only started seeing results in his job application process when he began emailing hiring managers directly with his application.
Step 4: Take on Freelance Work or Internships to Build Up Your Resume
If you’re concerned about getting lost in the mix of applications because you’re a bootcamp student, consider taking on freelance work to gain additional experience. While most employers view bootcamp degrees favorably, a small percentage believe bootcamp grads aren’t as prepared or likely to be high performers as candidates with a computer science degree, according to an Indeed study.
One hiring manager shared a bit of advice for bootcamp grads to counteract this — make sure to highlight other experience besides your degree if you want to stand out in the flood of applications. This can be in the form of freelance work, internships, or contributing to other projects.
Step 5: Contribute to Open Source Projects
If you have a hard time landing an internship or booking a client for freelance work, consider contributing to an open source project. Open source projects give you an opportunity to put your skills to the test and gain hands-on experience. You can also contribute to them for free, on your own time, giving you flexibility that freelance work and internships might not offer.
There are a variety of open source projects you can contribute to, such as:
Tech Companies That Hire Bootcamp Grads
To kick off your application process, here’s a few tech companies that hire bootcamp grads:
Adobe
Named as one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, Adobe is the place to be. They actively hire from bootcamps such as Fullstack Academy and General Assembly, but are open to others.
Cisco
In 2022, Cisco was named one of the World’s Best Workplaces — for the twelfth year in a row. They hire data analysts, software engineers, and security research engineers from bootcamps like Hack Reactor.
Meta (Formerly Known as Facebook)
As the first social network to surpass one billion registered users, Meta is an incredibly fast-growing company to work for. With over 14,000 employee reviews, they’ve earned a rating of 4.0 out of 5.0 stars — which is high for such a massive company.
As the world’s largest search engine, Google is always on the hunt for new talent to join their team. They hire from bootcamps such as Coding Dojo, Flatiron School Fullstack Academy, and more.
Slack
Over the years, Slack has earned a variety of awards — Best Company Culture, Best Compensation, and Best Company for Women to name a few. So, it’s no surprise that they receive rave reviews of 4.4 out of 5.0 stars from employees. They hire mostly from Hackbright Academy but are open to other bootcamp graduates.
Final Thoughts
To land a job after coding bootcamp, it’s important to start the process early — or kick it into high gear now if you’re reading this just weeks before graduation. Network with people in the industry, gain some hands-on experience you can add to your resume, and be strategic about how and where you apply.
