Here is a collection more of random advice!
- APPLY EARLY AND APPLY EVERYWHERE
- When emailing recruiters, always try to reply to an email they sent you instead of composing a new message to them. This increases the chances of you getting a reply back.
- Ask people for advice. Most people are willing to help you, but you have to ask for it.
- Keep an open mind - there are a lot of examples of people who ended up really loving a company they did not even know existed.
- Try to ask for what you want, it never hurts to ask. For example, if you have an interview scheduled on a Wednesday in a city and you want to move it to a Friday so you can spend the weekend in that city, try asking your recruiter!
- Fall and spring internships are possible! Sometimes doing a fall internship is a great break from school and a great way to get new, varied experience. Ask your recruiter!
- Companies are mean to freshmen. There are freshmen only programs.
- You might hear the term “Big N” and “FAANG” tossed around. This refers to the top tech companies. FAANG == Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google and Big N is a more overarching term loosely defined to be any tech company with a widely-know high hiring bar. Do not forget, there are so many great companies to work at beyond these!
- Seek out opportunities!
- If you go to college you are lucky!
- There are a lot of professors that can use your help if you are interested and can sell yourself.
- Go to your school’s CS club events... especially if you're a Pitt student
Congrats, you have finished reading the Zero to Offer guides! Good luck with your search. If you have feedback or questions, please let us know here!