01Pick a target before you apply anywhere
The most common mistake is sending the same resume to every opening. Recruiters skim fast, and a candidate who "fits everything" reads like someone who fits nothing. Choose one or two directions and build every material around them.
Role
Backend, frontend, full stack, mobile, data engineering, data science and ML, DevOps and SRE, security, QA and automation, product management, UX, solutions engineering. Each is its own market.
Company type
Early-stage startup (breadth and ownership), growth-stage (structure and speed), Big Tech (pay, process, brand), and non-tech companies with tech teams such as banks, healthcare and retail (often less competitive).
Location and model
Fully remote roles get far more applicants. Hybrid and on-site roles in tech hubs (Bay Area, Seattle, New York, Austin, Boston and others) are usually easier to land.
Level
Be honest about it. Levels differ by company, so compare scope rather than titles. A strong junior beats a mid-level candidate who can't pass the bar.
Exercise: find 15 job posts you would genuinely want and highlight the requirements that repeat. That list is your resume keyword list, and the gaps are your study plan.
02A resume that gets past the filter
- Length: one page for students, new grads and most people with under roughly 8 years of experience. Two pages is fine for senior candidates.
- Structure: a headline with your target role (for example "Backend Engineer | Go, Kubernetes, AWS"), an optional 2-line summary, experience, projects, education, skills.
- Results, not duties: "Cut API p95 latency 40% by adding a Redis cache" beats "Responsible for backend services". Use the action, the how, and the measurable result.
- Applicant tracking systems (ATS): a simple single-column PDF, standard section headings, no tables, icons, photos or skill bars. Mirror the exact wording from the job post where it is true for you.
- What to leave off in the US: photo, date of birth, marital status, full street address. City and state, phone, email, LinkedIn and GitHub are enough.
- Education: new grads put it near the top with GPA if it is strong. Experienced candidates move it to the bottom.
Note: tailor the headline, summary and skills order for each application. Two minutes of tailoring noticeably raises your response rate.
03LinkedIn: where recruiters look for you
US recruiters source candidates directly, often before a role is even posted. A strong profile works for you while you sleep.
- Headline: role and stack, not "Seeking opportunities". For example: "Full Stack Engineer · React, Node.js, PostgreSQL".
- Open to Work: you can set it so only recruiters see it.
- Location and job preferences: set the cities and remote preference you actually want, because recruiter searches filter on them.
- About: 3-4 lines: what you build, what you're good at, what you're looking for.
- Network: classmates, former coworkers, bootcamp cohorts, meetup contacts. A wide network is the raw material for referrals.
- Activity: a short post about something you built or learned attracts more inbound messages than any profile tweak.
04A portfolio that proves you can do the work
Without professional experience you have to show you can ship. Two high-quality projects beat ten course exercises.
- A project that solves a real problem and has users, even a handful.
- A clear README: what it is, how to run it, a screenshot, and which technical decisions you made and why.
- Clean code, tests, CI, and a live deployment with a link that works.
- For product and design roles: case studies that show your thinking process, not just the final screens.
- Open-source contributions, even small ones, show you can work in someone else's codebase.
05Where to search
| Channel | Why it's useful | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn Jobs | The largest volume of tech postings | Set alerts by role and location, and apply in the first few days a post is live |
| Company career pages | Direct applications, sometimes roles not posted elsewhere | Keep a list of 30-50 target companies and check them weekly |
| Indeed and Dice | Broad coverage, including non-tech companies with tech teams | Good for enterprise, government contractors and IT roles |
| Wellfound and Work at a Startup | Startup roles, often with pay ranges and direct founder contact | Write a short, specific note to the founder or hiring manager |
| Built In | City-focused tech job boards | Useful if you want a specific metro area |
| Hacker News "Who is hiring" | Monthly thread of roles posted by engineers and founders | Reply or email exactly as the post asks |
| Communities and meetups | Jobs through people, often with a referral | Slack and Discord communities in your stack, local meetups, alumni groups |
| Recruiters | Access to roles that aren't advertised and help with prep | Work with one or two good ones, and ask where your resume is being sent |
Pay transparency: several states, including California, Colorado, New York and Washington, require salary ranges in job posts. Use them to research your market before you talk numbers.
06Referrals: the strongest channel
Popular postings attract hundreds or thousands of applicants. A referral usually gets your resume in front of a person, and many companies pay employees a bonus for successful referrals, so most people are happy to help.
- For each company on your list, search LinkedIn for first- and second-degree connections who work there.
- Send a short, specific message with the job link and your resume ready.
- Don't ask for "anything open". Ask for a referral to one specific role, which is much easier to say yes to.
- Thank them and let them know what happened. It builds the relationship for next time.
Sample message: "Hi Sam, I saw you're on the platform team at X. There's a Backend Engineer opening there (link) that's a strong fit for me: 3 years of Go and AWS, and I built a similar event pipeline at Y. Would you be open to referring me? Resume attached. Thanks either way!"
07What the hiring process looks like
Tip: a full process typically takes 3-8 weeks, longer at big companies. Run several in parallel so offers land around the same time and you can compare them.
08Interview prep
Coding interviews
- Practice medium-difficulty problems regularly, organized by pattern (two pointers, sliding window, BFS and DFS, heaps, dynamic programming) rather than at random.
- Think out loud. Before you code, restate the problem, ask clarifying questions, and propose an approach with its time and space complexity.
- Test your code with an example and an edge case before saying you're done.
- Know everything on your resume in depth. You will be asked about it.
System design (mid-level and above)
- Clarify requirements and scale first, then sketch the high-level design, then go deep on one or two components.
- Be ready to discuss databases, caching, queues, partitioning, consistency and failure modes, and to explain trade-offs.
Behavioral interviews
- Answer with STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Keep the focus on what you did.
- Prepare stories about: a hard technical problem, a mistake you learned from, a disagreement with a teammate, a time you went beyond scope, and a time you led without authority.
- Research the company: product, customers, competitors, recent news, and its stated values if it publishes them.
Questions to ask them
- What does success look like in this role after 90 days?
- What's the team's biggest challenge right now?
- How are on-call, code review and planning handled?
About AI tools: policies differ by company. Some allow AI assistants in certain interviews and many forbid them. Ask the recruiter, and never use one in secret.
09The offer and negotiation
US tech offers are compared on total compensation (TC), not just base salary. Understand every component before you respond.
| Component | What to check |
|---|---|
| Base salary | Annual. Check the posted range, Levels.fyi and conversations with people at that level |
| Equity (RSUs or options) | Grant value, vesting schedule (often 4 years, sometimes with a 1-year cliff), refreshers, and for startups the strike price and exercise window |
| Sign-on bonus | Often the most flexible lever. Check whether you must repay it if you leave early |
| Annual bonus | Target percentage and what it depends on |
| Level and title | The level sets your pay band and future raises, so it can be worth more than a one-time bump |
| Benefits | Health insurance premiums and deductibles, 401(k) match, PTO, parental leave, remote policy, learning budget, relocation |
- When asked for expectations early, give a researched range or say you'd like to learn more about the role first. In some states employers may not ask about your salary history.
- Don't accept on the call. Ask for the offer in writing and take a day or two to review it.
- Negotiating is normal. Anchor your ask in data: a competing offer, the level's market band, or specific value you bring.
- If base won't move, ask about sign-on, equity, level, or an early compensation review.
10Entry level and career changers
The first job is the hardest. "2+ years required" is often a preference rather than a hard rule, so apply when you meet most of the requirements.
- Entry points: QA and test automation, IT and technical support, implementation and solutions roles, data analyst and BI roles, internal tools teams at non-tech companies.
- New-grad and early-career programs: many large companies hire new grads on a yearly cycle, often recruiting in the fall for the following summer. Watch their university and early-career pages.
- Internships and apprenticeships: internships are the main path into new-grad offers, and some companies run paid apprenticeships for people without a CS degree.
- Internal moves: joining in an adjacent role and transferring after a year is a common, effective route.
- Domain experience: career changers bring knowledge from finance, healthcare, education or logistics. Target companies that build products for that industry.
About bootcamps: before you enroll, talk to real graduates and ask how many found jobs in the field and how long it took. Published placement numbers don't always tell the whole story.
11Work authorization
Recruiters will ask early whether you're authorized to work in the US and whether you'll need sponsorship now or in the future. Answer honestly and up front.
- International students commonly work on OPT after graduation, and STEM graduates may qualify for an extension. Check the rules with your school's international office.
- Sponsorship (for example H-1B) is offered by some employers and not others. Filter for companies with a history of sponsoring, and confirm with the recruiter before investing in a long process.
- Immigration rules change. This section is general information, not legal advice; for your situation, talk to an immigration attorney.
1230-day plan
Weekly metric: applications, referrals, conversations. If 30 applications produce no responses, the problem is your resume or your targeting, not volume.
13Checklist
14FAQ
How do I get a tech job with no experience?
Target entry points such as QA and test automation, IT and technical support, implementation and solutions roles, data analyst roles and new-grad or apprenticeship programs. Build two polished projects with a live link, use referrals, and apply when you meet most (not all) of the listed requirements.
How long should a tech resume be?
One page for students, new grads and most people with under about 8 years of experience; two pages is acceptable for senior candidates. Use a single column, no tables or graphics, and lead each bullet with a measurable result.
How long does the tech hiring process take in the US?
Typically three to eight weeks from first recruiter call to offer: recruiter screen, one or two technical screens or a take-home, a final loop of several interviews, then team matching, references and the offer. Large companies often take longer.
Do referrals really matter?
Yes. A referral usually gets your resume reviewed by a person instead of sitting in a large applicant pool. Ask for a referral to a specific job, and send the link and your resume so it is easy to say yes.
What can I negotiate in a US tech job offer?
Base salary, sign-on bonus, equity (RSUs or options), annual bonus target, level or title, start date and sometimes remote flexibility or relocation. Compare total compensation, not just base, and use public data such as Levels.fyi and pay ranges in job posts.
Where should I look for tech jobs in the US?
LinkedIn Jobs, company career pages, Indeed, Wellfound for startups, Built In for city-specific roles, Dice, Hacker News "Who is hiring" threads, Y Combinator's Work at a Startup, niche communities and recruiters.