On the 20th of November, I had the chance to attend Office Hack, a one-day event comprised of office tours, leadership panels, and networking mixers that changed my future career direction. This great event was geared towards breaking into the tech industry. How did I find out about this event? LinkedIn.

While randomly scrolling down my feed one day, I stumbled upon an update from Ariel Lopez that one of my connections had liked. It announced a partnership between her social enterprise 2020Shift and Uncubed to give 100 millennials the chance to attend Office Hack. Shortly after, I invited her to connect and reached out to find out more about the selection process. After gathering all the necessary info, I decided to give it a try and applied. A few days later, I received an email letting me know I was chosen for this opportunity.

I had the chance to visit the office of top companies and startups such as Dev Bootcamp, AppNexus, and General Assembly. I met recruiters, industry leaders, and other young professionals. Thanks to Uncubed and 2020Shift for allowing me to be a part of this amazing career event. I was able to explore my interests in tech and digital marketing and become more knowledgeable about the industry.

Here is a recap from each top tech company at the event about how to break into the tech industry:

1. AppNexus

   One of the most important things that I learned from this panel is that you don’t need to come from a specific background to be in tech. People often get intimidated by it, but anyone can learn how to be successful in this field. In fact, most people in tech usually didn’t plan to be in this industry. 

2. General Assembly

Here are my biggest takeaways from this panel:

On continuing education: “No matter where you are in life, take it upon yourself to continue your education beyond what’s presented in front of you.”

On finding your passion: “Put yourself in different situations to really find the true source of your happiness.”

On networking: “When you develop good relationships with people, they become your mentors and advocates.”

3. Mashable

   After a guided tour of the office, I realized that I could see myself working at Mashable because of my perception of the culture of the company. The employees were very welcoming, and they got along pretty well; Mashable promotes a culture of open communication in a collaborative environment.

4. Stack Overflow

   When asked about the interview process, here is the interesting perspective of a tech recruiter from the company:

   “Our interview process goals are to find someone who is targeted, experienced, in-depth and passionate. We also look for people who gets things done.”

5. Dev Bootcamp

   According to a recruiter at this panel, breaking into the tech industry is like, “relies a lot on relationship building.”

6. Yelp

According to a Diversity Recruiter at Yelp, “During interviews, be yourself. Don’t give cookie-cutter answers because they don’t allow us to see your personality.”

One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned from this experience is to stay connected with the present and actively look for ways to keep growing. Too many people tend to create a LinkedIn profile just for the sake of saying they have one. If you’re serious about your career, make sure you learn how to effectively use all the resources LinkedIn offers.

Have you found opportunities through LinkedIn or other social media sites?