Welcome to 2023. If you had a break over Christmas, we hope you had a wonderful and relaxing time and are now ready to take on the new year!
In this first Access Thoughtworks of 2023, we’ve brought together some insights and guidance to help you realize your career ambitions from Thoughtworks recruiters around the world. Wherever you are in your career journey, and whether you’re set on a new role or just waiting to see what comes up, we think you’ll find something you can start using straight away.
Happy new year — here’s to an incredible 2023.
It’s important to avoid common traps when you’re asked to introduce yourself in an interview. It’s very easy to spend too much time on unimportant information or to overshare what you were achieving many years ago — what matters is to focus on how you want to be remembered now. Another top tip is to articulate your personal values and create a guiding structure: one way of doing this is by offering a reflective answer that encompasses past and present experiences.
It’s important to avoid common traps when you’re asked to introduce yourself in an interview. It’s very easy to spend too much time on unimportant information or to overshare what you were achieving many years ago — what matters is to focus on how you want to be remembered now. Another top tip is to articulate your personal values and create a guiding structure: one way of doing this is by offering a reflective answer that encompasses past and present experiences.
"One top tip we’d give to those starting their job search in 2023 is to ensure your Linkedin profile is up to date! Think of Linkedin as your digital elevator pitch: in most cases, it will be the first impression you make on a recruiter or a potential employer.
Not only is it important to showcase your key skills, it also gives you an opportunity to feature topics you are passionate about, such as social change.
Following these simple steps can help the team at Thoughtworks get a better understanding of you — both professionally and personally."
Harry Gott, Recruiter, UK & Shally Lam, Recruiter, UK
"My advice is to work on your personal branding and always to share the courses or personal development you have worked on. It’s a trait that shows a genuine interest in continuous learning and development. At Thoughtworks, we provide an environment where people can grow so seeing someone that shares our values and will take an advantage of our culture is really important."
Sebastian Sosa, Senior Recruiter, Ecuador
Ensure your profile on LinkedIn is up to date and carefully consider the keywords you use to describe your skills, background and interests. This helps recruiters quickly see if your profile is aligned with a role. By using the right keywords, you’re also ensuring that you’re more visible to recruiters. Choosing the right keywords isn’t straightforward and there are no real rules. However, I’d suggest you look closely at the open positions or profiles of existing employees at the company you’re applying to and check what words they’re using.
Ensure your profile on LinkedIn is up to date and carefully consider the keywords you use to describe your skills, background and interests. This helps recruiters quickly see if your profile is aligned with a role. By using the right keywords, you’re also ensuring that you’re more visible to recruiters. Choosing the right keywords isn’t straightforward and there are no real rules. However, I’d suggest you look closely at the open positions or profiles of existing employees at the company you’re applying to and check what words they’re using.
"Do your research! Whether you’re a new graduate or an experienced professional, this helps show your genuine interest in the role, company, work and culture. Not only will this help your application stand out, it’ll also help guide the conversation when we meet. At Thoughtworks it’s always a two-way conversation — not only do we want to ensure we’re attracting the best talent, we also want to ensure we’re the right organization for your next career move."
Jade Hughes, Recruiter, Australia & Yi Ting Wong, Senior Recruiter, Australia
"The new year is the ideal time to start thinking about meaningful changes. And if you find yourself in the looking for a new job opportunity, you should consider Thoughtworks – a place for anyone passionate about technology, engineering experience, and software development. If you are a lifelong learner, a growth advocate and willing to join a vibrant and diverse community of professional technologists, we are happy to meet you! All you have to do is to keep an open eye on our career page and be ready to show us how passionate you are about your work!"
Alexandra Cercel, Lead Recruiter, Romania
"Never underestimate the power of connecting: a personalized message or email with a potential employer can be incredibly effective! Take the initiative to read up on the company you’re applying to, connect with its recruiters on social media, and then send them a message to introduce yourself by sharing your interest in the company and the role."
Qishan Kho, Recruiter, Singapore
Before applying to any job, read the job description! You should only apply if it’s relevant to your portfolio. No trial and error here! This will help you to get the right job in less time and ultimately saves you lots of effort and energy.
Before applying to any job, read the job description! You should only apply if it’s relevant to your portfolio. No trial and error here! This will help you to get the right job in less time and ultimately saves you lots of effort and energy.
"Job searching is a process. It starts with focusing on what roles interest you and what your skills and strengths are. As a recruiter, you see many resumés that simply don’t match up with the job you’re hiring for, not because they’re bad resumés, but because the candidate hasn’t really considered how they’re skills align with the job — they’ve applied simply in the hope they’ll get through the first stage.
You need to adopt an approach where you fully and carefully review the requirements of the job and apply an honest filter to decide: first, think about what current skills and strengths make you a good candidate, and second, ask whether the job is going to give you an opportunity to grow your skills. Both questions will make a huge difference in your job search. And remember, there is never a 100% match!
The next important thing is to articulate this to your recruiter through an introductory mail or cover letter. In it, you need to demonstrate your value proposition through stories that showcase the impact of your skills and knowledge."
Maria Nancy, Co-Head of Recruiting, India
"Looking for a job is about knowing yourself too. When searching, don’t just check the job description; look deeper and further afield for information about the company. Explore their social network, read employee reviews and their official website. This level of detail will help you determine whether the company would is the best fit for you. Ask yourself questions like: “Will I have space to develop my skills there?”, “Do they have a culture that cares about the same things I do?”, “What is their relation with employees?”, “What am I looking for at this point in my career? Can the company fulfill it?”
Yes, you can apply for many positions, but not all of them will be the best opportunity for you. Don’t forget that looking for a job is a process and you should always be very happy with the final results — don’t compromise!"
Gabriela Alves, Recruiting Program Manager, Brazil
Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Thoughtworks.
