Improve Your Chances In Your Engineering Job Search Using the Scientific Method with Brian Pulliam

I'm joined today by Brian Pulliam. I've personally engaged Brian as a career coach. In this discussion we'll talk a bit about coaching, and about how you can set yourself up to become a much better candidate in your job search as an engineering leader.

Introduction to Career Coaching:

• What is a career coach and how they differ from a manager or mentor.
• Brian Pulliam shares his journey from tech to becoming an athletics coach.
  • "I was in tech for about 26 years...being an athletics coach with my wife...I sought out my own career coach."

The Value of Career Coaching:

• How a career coach can provide objective, unfiltered feedback.
• The benefits of having an advocate without conflicts of interest.
  • "As a career coach, you know, I'm self-employed...no conflict of interest, maybe with your own boss."

Strategies for Career Growth:

• The importance of optimizing your career path like you would optimize code.
• Using career coaching to navigate sticky situations and grow professionally.
  • "We optimize for memory, right? We optimize for CPU...coaches can help you learn how to optimize."

Interview Tactics and Mindset:

• The value of authenticity in interviews and presenting your true self.
• Why technical proficiency isn't the only factor in landing a job.
• How asking the right questions can set you apart from other candidates.
  • "The person who starts writing code right away...is almost certainly not perceived as a senior developer."

Preparing for Market Fluctuations:

• Understanding the cyclical nature of the tech job market.
• How to prepare for job changes even when you’re happily employed.
• The analogy of tech hiring seasons and being ready for winter.
  • "Tech has hiring seasons...the challenge with the hiring seasons in tech...they are of indeterminate length."

Building a Resilient Career:

• Insights into maintaining career readiness and job security.
• The importance of continual learning and adapting to market demands.
  • "Test your ability to get a new job when you don't need a new job...the power you have when you go into an interview and you are happily employed."

Real-life Examples and Lessons:

• Brian’s personal experiences with layoffs and career transitions.
• Practical advice on leveraging your network and resources.
  • "My very first job out of school...I got laid off very unexpectedly...26 years between layoffs."

Preparing for Interview Questions:

• How to handle unexpected questions by paraphrasing.
• Preparing for common interview questions derived from company values.
  • "You should convert every single one of those core values into a question that starts with tell me about a time when you demonstrated X."

🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Unblocked

Your developers know how to write code. What they’re missing is the context to know what code to write. Unblocked gives engineering teams the answers they need to get their jobs done – without having to wait on or interrupt their teammates. Get started for free at getunblocked.com.

📮 Ask a Question

If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.

📮 Join the Discord

If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!

🧡 Leave a Review

If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.