🚀 Landing the Full-Time Offer

Jobless
October 17, 2024

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If you’ve just wrapped up an internship and want to secure a return offer, this part is crucial.

Maintain Relationships with Your Team: Stay in touch with your manager and colleagues after your internship. Regular check-ins show that you're still interested and invested. You can email them with updates about your projects or new skills you’ve acquired. Relationships matter in hiring decisions.
Exceed Expectations During Your Internship: While it's too late to go back and change your performance, make sure you leave with glowing recommendations. Beyond delivering on projects, demonstrate initiative by asking for additional responsibilities and giving regular updates on your progress. If you can quantify your impact, even better.
Be Explicit About Your Interest: If you want to be considered for a full-time role, say so. Express your interest early and clearly to your manager or HR. They may have internal processes that you’ll need to follow, and knowing your interest could prioritize you.

When you’re targeting a full-time position straight out of school or a coding bootcamp, making your application stand out is critical.

Target Companies You’ve Interned With: If you’ve interned at a company before, that should be your first point of focus. You already understand their culture and tech stack, and your contributions are known. If they have full-time openings, apply directly and make it clear that your past experience with them gives you an edge.
Tailor Each Application: Applying to full-time tech roles isn’t a numbers game. Rather than sending out hundreds of generic resumes, customize each one. Emphasize how your skills align with the company's current challenges or projects. Mention their latest products or developments in your cover letter, showing you’re engaged and knowledgeable.
Reach Out Directly: Cold emailing can still work wonders for full-time offers. Look for team leaders or hiring managers on LinkedIn and send personalized, targeted emails. Include a brief pitch explaining why you’re a great fit, backed by specific achievements. Follow up if you don’t hear back!

Technical interviews for full-time roles often ramp up in difficulty compared to internships.

Deep Dive into System Design: Many full-time roles will require you to showcase your knowledge of system design. Start preparing by breaking down common systems you use daily (think Netflix or Twitter) and learning how they scale. You should be ready to discuss trade-offs in databases, data consistency, and how to manage scale.
Behavioral Interviews Matter: Your technical skills are key, but so is your ability to communicate. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses when asked about past projects or team dynamics. Focus on instances where you showed leadership, resolved conflicts, or adapted to challenges.
Mock Interviews: Practice with friends or platforms like Pramp or Interviewing.io to simulate the pressure of a real interview. You want to be confident in explaining your thought process while coding, and mock interviews are an excellent way to build that muscle.

Build relationships and maintain contact with colleagues from internships.
Customize each application and follow up directly with hiring managers.
Be thorough in interview prep—both technical and behavioral.
Don’t rush to accept an offer—evaluate growth potential, company culture, and stability.
Always negotiate your offers!