Job Search Expectations

Finding a job requires a sustained and focused effort over time. In our experience, it takes anywhere from 2-6 months to find a job. Longer if you have specific location, industry and salary expectations, and shorter if you have a high quality job search effort. Below are our guidelines for improving that effort:

Every week you should

1. Make 10 good connections with prospective employers within your field via email exchange, phone call, zoom meeting, LinkedIn message, face to face meeting, a networking event, mock interview, etc.
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2. Complete 10 code challenges, 2-3 code challenges per day, or 10+ hours per week.
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3. Submit 10 quality applications. Must be within your field of study, open for less than 6 weeks, and followed up with an email or LinkedIn outreach.‍

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‍What's a good connection:

A good connection means that you have received a reply from

• An internal recruiter at a prospective company
• An employee at a prospective company (any engineering, data science, or product position)
• A Lambda School alum who is employed at a prospective employer
• A follow up conversation following a networking event with someone who works at a prospective employer
• A warm contact who is also connected to people who work at prospective employers to ask for an introduction
• A personalized LinkedIn outreach to anyone who is employed at the prospective employer.

If you haven’t yet received a reply, follow up! Send another message or two, or try another method of contact. Templates & Cold Outreach Tips.

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What isn't a good connection:

• Submitting an application with no follow up message (just clicking “Easy Apply”on LinkedIn, without additional outreach or customization)
• Making contact with an external recruiter (staffing agencies)
• Marking contact withLambda Alumni who are not employed at a prospective employer
• Generic LinkedIn connection requests