3 Predictions for 2024 early career job tech market
Where are we headed in 2024 and how will we get there
Bring on the new year! It’s 2024. 🎊 Hiring in tech has just gotten started and it’s an exciting time ahead. Layoffs will (hopefully) pause for a few months at least. New jobs are popping up all over the LinkedIn feed. Things are looking up.
Here are my predictions for the 2024 tech job market (specifically for early career)
Hiring via referrals will become the new norm
Hiring in tech will start out strong with a spike in Q1+ Q2 of 2024
Communication skills will continue to be in higher demand
Referrals will outperform other ways of getting interviews
As most tech jobs went remote in 2020, the rules of the job search went out the window. Sending an app and sitting back is no longer working in the post 2020-job search market. The rules of the game have changed. Going along with the theme from 2023, different forms of networking will grow in popularity on Linkedin and other networks.
When a company wants to hire someone they are committing to SPEND money in order to hire someone. So it’s expensive to bring on even just one new hire. Companies try to bring hiring costs down by encouraging employees to bring in referrals - people they can recommend are a natural fit for open roles. Employees turn to Linkedin to advertise open roles, for free, for the company. This gives job seekers an opportunity to engage with them to network.
People make posts like these EVERYDAY on Linkedin:
What you can find on Linkedin is a TON of posts from everyday people, announcing new roles that are open at their companies. That means, they are actively LOOKING for referrals for the open roles they are advertising.
Referrals not only cut hiring costs but time to hire, since the recruiter spends less time sorting through resumes and more time speaking to candidates. The faster a hire is made, the less money is spent on hiring.
One more thing - employees who refer people who get hired, these employees get a referral bonus. So company employees get paid to bring their friends into their company.
As more companies get flooded with resumes, they will rely more and more on referrals to fill the hiring pipeline. Use this to your advantage by seeking out referrals.
What does this mean for early career people with not a lot of work experience in tech?
Network first, apply later
Create visibility for yourself through posting on Linkedin
Connect with companies you are passionate about, even if they are not hiring for your level - you never know!
Using Linkedin to network will outperform other methods of job searching
The tech market is HIRING a LOT in Q1+ Q2 of 2024
It’s turning out to be a very active time for hiring, no matter the roles or level of work you’re looking for. Companies are HIRING left and right. Yes, there are layoffs, but they are not influencing hiring by thousands of companies. New roles are posted ALL THE TIME now (see above).
With new budgets, companies are ramping up hiring in Jan - March so that they are well-positioned to hit growth targets in 2024. Companies that don’t hire don’t grow as fast, so those who want to grow, must hire.
This means new roles popping up every day on Linkedin and other job boards. A popular place to look for new roles is right on the Linkedin feed, so start following as many people as you can in the companies you want to work for - they are probably hiring or soon will be!
What does this mean for early career people with not a lot of work experience in tech?
Don’t be afraid to ask if there are open positions for mid-level roles - if there’s not, the company may be open to creating them
Sometimes companies post a role for Sr but are actually open to multiple levels, don’t let the job posting level stop you from networking to find out more
Look for companies hiring for HR and TA (Talent Acquisition) - this is a sign they are ramping up to hire other roles, start to follow those companies and network with people there
Engage with people’s posts who post about open roles or helping job seekers, they are your potential advocates
Get really good at communicating your value
Don’t worry - AI will not be coming for your job just yet! As the career change space grows, employees will look for communication skills as the main differentiator between early career candidates.
If you’re newer to tech, what you have at your disposal are your skills from previous careers and your new technical knowledge. At first, no career changer is hired bc of their technical knowledge, but for their ability to learn quickly while communicating during the process.
Communication is more than about speaking words. It’s about how you work with others, in a team, how you set expectations and meet them. Hiring Managers look for people they can trust - that means people who can communicate their worth during the interviews. That’s why confidence is important for interviewing, because having strong conversation skills is a sign of strong communication skills in general. The interview is also where you show your personality, and who you are as a person.
Communication skills are worth so much more than any technical skills, as more and more people will be able to easily learn the technical parts. How you stand out in the job search is by being yourself, sharing with others and using communication skills right from the start, in your networking.
What does this mean for early career people with not a lot of work experience in tech?
Use Communication skills (how you speak and hold conversations) as a differentiator when networking and interviewing
Confidence takes time to grow, so as you grow your confidence, you will also grow your communication skills
Learn more about the state of the job market on Feb 9
State of the Job Market for SWE, hosted by Erik Andersen
Fri, Feb 9 at 10am PST
Register
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