Don’t Worry, Class Of 2023. There Are Plenty Of Good Tech Jobs Out There For You.

As the class of 2023 heads towards graduation, many students interested in tech are rethinking what their dream job looks like.

It’s still possible to get hired by major tech firms, but competition remains fierce, and the widespread layoffs across the industry will understandably give some job candidates pause. The upside to this situation for the early tech talent in the class of 2023? Tech jobs outside of Big Tech are plentiful, and present an exciting opportunity to be part of big digital transformations taking place across every part of our economy.

The demand for entry-level software and computer engineering roles continues to climb, including in sectors like government, financial services, and healthcare . At Fidelity, for example, new tech hires account for 18% of their workforce expansion. The class of 2023 is already showing an increased appetite for tech roles outside of tech. For students with tech majors applying to internships this year, we have seen a drop of 8.1 percentage points in applications to tech employers, and an increase in applications for all other industries.

In addition, job postings that require tech skills other than software engineering — in roles related to innovations around robotics, semiconductors, clean energy and artificial intelligence, for instance — rose last year by 24% . The construction, government and manufacturing sectors in particular have a strong and growing need for early talent who possess tech skills outside software or computing.

It’s a great time to be a soon-to-be graduate with tech skills because there is such a large number — and variety — of opportunities. Here are some tips on finding that first tech job outside of traditional “tech” :

1. Identify industries that interest you and talk to employees. Use Linkedin, Twitter, and other social platforms to follow thought leaders and professionals in those spaces. Reach out to alumni and young employees at companies of interest via Handshake to get a sense of “a day in the life.” Ask them about major trends, topics, and issues they think about and start forming your own point of view around them. Ask them if there are other trends you should be learning about and if there are others in the space you should connect with.
2. Expand your search parameters. Don’t rule out any industry right off the bat because it seems too old-school. Century-old automakers like General Motors GM are now platform innovators who have emerged as leaders in zero emission and autonomous vehicle technologies. Retailers, like Home Depot, have enormous needs for tech talent to build mobile apps that have become essential to their community of professional contractors and skilled workers. And global hotel companies, like Hilton, need software engineers to develop innovations like unlocking your hotel room with a digital key.
3. Consider public service. Federal, state and local government agencies also have talent needs around data storage, data analysis, cybersecurity and application and project management. Our nation suffers from a deep distrust of institutions ranging from city hall to Congress, which might make government and public service ripe to be the Next Big Thing in the world of work. Generation Z has said loud and clear they are interested in making an impact on the world. It might take a new talent infusion into the public service sector from Generation Z to fix some of what’s broken.
4. Update your resume and online profiles (and integrate industry language). Recruiters are moving quickly to fill their available roles, and you need to make it clear that you’re ready to launch your professional career. Make sure you’re learning the industry language and reflecting that in how you communicate your past experiences. Many skills are transferable across industries, but learning the jargon and how to communicate in any industry is crucial. Draw the connection and show the transferability. Not only does it make you a more credible job candidate, it shows you did your homework.
5. Crush the interview by prepping now. If you do your research, learn the trends and understand the role and the company you're looking at, it's not hard to connect the dots for an employer. Identify the job’s three main tasks or objectives — that is, the skills you need to succeed in a role — and be prepared to answer behavioral interview questions related to those skills. Make a list of several examples that show off those skills and be ready to talk about them. Using the STAR method is an easy way to organize your thoughts:

• S = situation (what was the situation)
• T = task (what did you have to do)
• A = action (what you actually did)
• R = result (what was the result)
• Make sure to spend more time on A and R, which is what hiring managers are most interested in learning about. Focusing too much on S and T is a common mistake.

Big Tech’s cutbacks shouldn’t squash your dreams of putting your tech skills to work. For members of the class of 2023 willing to be creative and consider sectors a little off the usual path, there are plenty of dream jobs out there for the taking.

By Christine Y. Cruzvergara, Contributor