Have you been dreaming about landing a job at a top tech firm? Impressing the employers is one way to assure your position in a company and Hackathons are great places where prospective employers gather to pick the best talent. Hackathons are coding competition or contests that involve finding innovative solution for a given topic. They Go beyond the traditional interview process and helps spot great talent while creating solutions.
You can directly impress the HR or even the top honchos of the company when you participate in such events. There are different ways to win and get noticed during such events. Always be open minded, approach it with confidence and you’re sure to land your dream job sooner than you think.
Enroll yourself in Hackathons
If you don’t know what a Hackathon actually is, you don’t belong in these firms. Hackathons are large collaborative events where programmers, designers and managers come together to work on collective software projects. Simply by enrolling yourself, you increase your chances of grabbing attention of some top companies. When choosing these contests, make sure you pick the one that suits your domain, especially if landing a job is your ultimate goal. Competing and making a mark when all eyes are you, increases your chances of getting picked.
Know Your Domain
When you enroll yourself for these contests, spend time to research and know the core domain of the event. It doesn’t happen every time but in many cases, they announce the focus area earlier which gives you more time to prepare. If you find that the Hackathon subject doesn’t match your skill set, it’s best to move on to another that’s in line with your strengths. Visit the contest website to gather more information; you can even use their Facebook page, Linkedin pages to get a better idea about what to expect.
Team Up with Right People
Most Hackathons encourage team work because the employers want to assess how you work as a team. Your team will have different people in it, interface designers, graphic artists, programmers, coders and others. You could either bring your own team if you have friends in relevant fields. If not, talk to people and see with whom you sync the best. A good team always increases your chances of winning and when you win, the probability of you landing that coveted position greatly increases.
Showcase Your Leadership Qualities
Never mind your age or the type of job role that you are looking to land. Leading from the front will always stand you in a good stead, even if you’re looking for your first job. Communicate with your team, rally your resources, and come up with ideas that help your team get ahead. A good leader should assess the strength as well as the weakness of their teammates. You should be able to grasp it quickly and move them in the right direction. It will also help your team stay focused and complete the project efficiently.
Assess the Judges
The contest’s judges have an integral role to play in your victory and if you have the time, it’s a good idea to notice his or her activity. You can align your project presentation to meet their perspective and impress them. There’s also the option to strike a conversation with the judges to understand what they are looking for from the contestants and align your project accordingly to satisfy them. It may not happen every time but it’s definitely worth a shot. When conversing with a judge, always make sure you don’t sound too keen to land a job and that you’re passionate about the domain.
Victory is Not Everything
A really important point that every Hackathon participant should know! Victory is not everything in such contests. These tech firms are not conducting the event to invite hundreds of students and professionals to simply pick the one or two winning teams out of the lot. Rather, they are there to monitor and find people with real passion for their jobs. Making software programs or products that impress everyone can’t be achieved simply with programming or designing skills. It needs an out of the box thinker and anyone who displays such traits has a great chance of winning. Invest yourself completely into the contest and the best is bound to happen!
Network and Build Contacts
If finding your dream job at a Hackathon is your ultimate goal, be prepared and start building your contacts like never before. There’s no better place to meet so many professionals at once under one roof. It’s a great opportunity to network with domain experts and will help you through your career. Connect with them on social networks like Twitter or LinkedIn to enhance your circle of influence.
It’s also a great place to learn what the company expect from candidates and the kind of opportunities available. A strong contact network built through a Hackathon will not only better your job prospects presently but in future too.
The Final Word
There’s no one way to win a Hackathon and land a job because almost every one of them are huge with hundreds of people on the floor. Besides, it’s not about winning the contest that lands you the job. You can even submit a great invention or an idea of yours in the event to get noticed by top tech firms. Approach the challenges with confidence, apply your creative side to it and you are sure to emerge with more than just a job offer in hand!
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