How to Get a Job in Tech – 7 Steps & What You Should Know 2024

If you’ve found yourself looking for a job in the tech industry, you’ve no doubt already discovered just how hard that can be.

The tech industry is notoriously competitive, and the big companies have remarkably high standards for their employees even at the entry level. It’s easy to become disheartened. What are you to do when you hit this kind of wall? 

Thankfully, there are several ways to improve your chances, and that’s exactly what we’re going to look at today. We’re going to start at the beginning and work our way through the interview process in 7 simple steps. They’re no overnight fix, and you’ll have to put in the work, but it’ll be worth it when you land your dream tech job. 

But first, let’s take a look at the tech industry itself. 

What Qualifies as a “Tech Job?” 

There’s often some confusion as to what qualifies as a tech job. When we talk about these roles, people often envision coders and server managers immersed in the esoteric world of computer technology. However, the truth is that the tech industry is incredibly diverse.

For the sake of simplicity, we can divide tech jobs into three categories: role-based, product-based, and company based.

Role-based tech jobs are the most straightforward and are not limited to working for a tech company. These are the technicians and coders we traditionally associate with the industry. In these roles, you can expect to work closely with technology and possess a specialized skillset to do so. Role-based tech jobs include software engineers, web developers, and data scientists. 

Product-based tech jobs are not necessarily technical in themselves. Rather, working in his role will see you supporting technicians within the greater tech ecosystem. You could call it “tech-adjacent.” However, these positions will require a high level of technical understanding and knowledge. Product-based tech jobs include product designs, product managers, and UI designers. 

Company-based tech jobs mean you work for a major tech company, a business that specializes in producing new technology. These roles often are a lot less technical than you’d expect from the tech industry, but support it all the same. Arguably, anyone in sales, marketing, or finance of a major tech company such as Google or Microsoft could consider themself in a tech role.

There’s something for everyone in the tech industry. 

How Many Jobs are Available in Technology? 

According to Zippia, there are at least 585,000 tech companies in the US alone, and these companies were projected to add 178,000 new tech jobs by the end of 2024 with an industry growth of 6.7%. And these numbers are expected to rise.

This growth is expected to continue into 2023 at 6%, according to Forrester. Should this rate continue, we will see more and more new tech jobs every year. As a result, the number of jobs for some roles are expected to grow as much as 22% by 2030. 

And when we consider the rate at which technology is advancing between AI and other digital solutions that were accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, we can expect these trends to continue into the foreseeable future. 

Is Technology a Good Career Path?

With this information in mind, we can safely say that technology is a great career path. As technology advances, so will the demand for tech for jobs. The industry requires an entire ecosystem of roles to maintain, innovate and evangelize. Although your career probably won’t look the same in 20 years as it does today, tech professionals will always be in demand.

With this ever-increasing demand, compare tech to the jobs that are in decline in other fields. For example, data analysts and scientists are growing in demand while data entry clerks are consistently declining.

However, this brings us to the real question: is technology a good career path for you?

To answer that, you’ll need to answer some questions about yourself. Are you curious? Are you continuously learning and love a fast-paced, big-reward environment? If you said yes, then the short answer is – yes, a career in technology is for you.

The tech industry is constantly changing. Change is really its only constant. Many people who were working as software developers in the early 00s are now working on cloud technology and other tech solutions not even dreamed of 20 years ago. It is only fair to expect this of the future as well with the rise of new technologies such as Blockchain predicted to grow over the next decade.

That means you have to be comfortable with change and willing to develop your skills to meet the new tech demands as they come. 

A tech career is one full of discovery, development, and, most of all, hard work. 

However, if you’re averse to the stress of keeping a frequently changing skillset, the tech field may not be for you. Stress is one of the biggest drawbacks to tech jobs, and if you don’t thrive in that sort of environment, we cannot recommend it for you. 

What do Technology Jobs Pay? 

The average tech salary in 2021 was $104,566. Of the fastest-growing tech positions, we see a salary range of $77,179 to $151,983.

However, salary ranges depend on your role. Here’s what you can expect:

• Sales Tech – According to Glassdoor, technical sales range from $65K to $196K with an average of $111,944 a year.
  
• Support Tech – According to Salary.com, support IT technicians can expect an average salary range of $50,463 to $62,889.
  
• Remote Tech – According to ZipRecruiter, a remote IT support technician can see an average salary of $59,962 per year. 

For those looking to earn on the higher end of these ranges, you’ll need an education that will get you there. Quantic’s MBA alumni on average see a 23% salary increase within 6 months of graduation, earning more on average than their peers in the same roles across industries. 

How Hard is it to Get a Job in Tech? 

It’s no secret that is difficult to get into the tech industry. Even entry-level positions are incredibly competitive as many others strive to break into the industry themselves. However, there is a good reason for this. The tech industry offers incredible opportunities for upward mobility. As such, there’s little wonder how many even consider how to get a tech job in Silicon Valley when homeless as a solution. 

With so much competition, it’s easy to wonder how long does it really take to get a job in tech. However, there are steps you can take to improve your chances.

For example, Quantic’s MBA program others a variety of skills and assets to its graduates that allow them to get into their dream job faster. These include developing soft skills and a professional network that will serve them throughout their professional lives. That’s why many of our graduates go on to work in big tech companies such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. 

How to Get a Job in Tech – 7 steps 

You’re not alone if you’ve found yourself asking how to get a job in tech. Reddit users often discuss the topic of getting into with no experience to how to get past the experience. After you read these 7 steps, feel free to join the conversation to find out what else has worked for others. 

But for now, we’re going to take to look at 7 concrete steps you can take to get a job in tech.

First, we will consider what kind of tech job you’re looking for. From there we will take a look at what you’ll need to get into that job from your hard and soft skills to your qualifications to how to approach building a resume.

Step 1 – Decide What Kind of Tech Job You Want

Before you can truly begin your job hunt, it’s important to know what type of role you’re looking for first. As we’ve discussed, the tech industry is more than technicians and server rooms. Sure, that’s part of it, but it takes all kinds to make the industry run. So, decide what you’re looking for in the tech industry first whether that be as a technician, tech salesperson, support tech, or remote tech. 

If you’re looking for a pure tech job, a technician position, you’ll need to brush up on your hard skills and specialize in a given field such as coding or computer science. It’s a highly technical position that demands expertise. Expect to help maintain complex systems or work with various software and hardware on a daily basis. 

If that isn’t for you, then consider a tech sales position. You will still need a solid understanding of technology, but you won’t be working directly with it. Tech sales primarily focus on selling software or hardware solutions. As such, focus on building sales experience while supplementing it with some form of tech background through either independent study or coursework. 

Support tech jobs are another indirect tech job. Rather than working with technology, you’re helping others with setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting hardware problems. As such, these positions require a solid amount of technical knowledge as well as communication skills. Expect 

Remote tech jobs offer all the benefits of working in the tech industry with the benefits of remote work. This is a good option for self-starters that like to choose their own schedules. However, you’ll still need all of the same skills, if not more, to be considered. 

Step 2 – Get Experience 

So, you’ve chosen the kind of tech job you want. Now that you have a goal, it’s time to work towards it. Like any other industry, you’ll need to build experience to find your dream role. That brings us to the question, “How to get tech experience?” 

This is probably the biggest hurdle for anyone looking to start a career. Many positions are looking for someone with at least a year of experience. But how do you get experience if you need experience? 

Well, the first and most natural solution for those still pursuing a degree is to find a tech internship. An internship will get your foot in the door with a tech company, and give you experience for when you leave school. For competitive tech internships, be sure to list personal passion projects and what you’ve achieved in your relevant coursework to make a good impression.

On that note, personal projects are also excellent for anyone regardless if they’re pursuing a degree. Not only do they demonstrate your skills, but they also show your dedication to the field.

Beyond personal projects and internships are entry-level positions. Though many call for some degree of experience, pursuing internships and personal projects for your portfolio will likely be enough to help you land that first job. It’s only a matter of perseverance. 

Step 3 – Get Qualified 

Experience is the work you’ve completed that helped you grow as a professional. Qualification, however, is the formal training and education you’ve undergone to prepare you for your profession. Remember this distinction.

It takes both qualifications and experience to go far in any field, and that includes the tech industry. 

Pursuing an MBA not only improves your tech job prospects but prepares you for reaching senior positions sooner in your career. That’s because an MBA provides you with the skills that the top tech companies are looking for – communication and a holistic understanding of the work they do. That’s not even to mention the networking opportunities with similar-minded professionals that come with pursuing an MBA.

Quantic’s MBA program is an accelerated 15-month program designed for the early career professional. As such, It combines interactive technology and collaborative group study around the world in a flexible format. This all comes supplemented with an online library, paid research databases, and resume consultations.

And the benefits of Quantic’s program continue after graduation. When you pursue your MBA with Quantic, you join a network of exceptional alumni and corporate employers to expand your career options post-graduation and build lifelong personal connections.

As such, Quantic’s MBA program is perfect for those looking to break into the tech industry. 54 of Quantic’s 2021 graduates found themselves working in the top 50 tech companies. 

Step 4 – Work on Your Soft Skills

Equally important to your hard skills are your soft skills. These are the personality qualities that allow you to blend into a company’s culture and show recruiters your long-term potential. Developing your communication skills, information processing, and problem-solving will allow you to outshine the other applicants with similar hard skills to you. 

This is yet another way an MBA can help you land a job in tech. Furthering your education will always provide you with hard skills, but pursuing the right coursework will allow you to develop the ever-vital soft skills that tech recruiters are looking for – particularly in leadership and teamwork. 

Step 5 – Network

We’ve all heard it before: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. It’s a common saying, but that’s because it’s true. Having a network of like-minded professionals can provide you with references and opportunities to meet other professionals within your given field. Plus, the people in your network provide you with someone you can go to with questions and help you stay updated on the latest trends.

You can build you were network by seeking out others in your field through industry-specific networking groups. By doing so, you’ll be able to learn more about your profession through others interested in it. 

The Quantic Network is another excellent option to improve your network. Pursuing an MBA with Quantic puts you in contact with corporate employers and lifelong connections with peers in your field. So, consider an education that will connect you with the brightest minds around the world. 

Step 6 – Practice Your Interview Skills

The recruitment process for tech companies can be extensive. This is especially true for top companies such as Google and Microsoft whose interview process consists of several rounds of interviews. As such, you have to be ready for whatever the interviewer has for you.

You’ll likely encounter both behavioral and technical questions to measure your soft and hard skills. To prepare, consider and research the most common tech interview questions. Compile how you would answer these questions with technical information and your experience. 

Step 7 – Customize Your Resume & Apply

Finally, it’s time to apply. You have the skills. You have the qualifications. You know who’s who.

However, there’s one last thing to do. Research the job you’re applying for, the company, and study the job posting. Take all of these into consideration as you prepare your resume. You may be tempted to make the same resume and send it to everyone with an inbox. However, you’re far more likely to get a position if you show the recruiters exactly how you match the job description.

Identify the keywords in the job description, and, where possible, work that language into your resume. The closer you match their exact expectations, the more likely you’re to get an interview. 

Conclusion 

As you can see, there are several steps you can take to get into the tech industry. It’s no small feat, but it’s possible with determination and the right tools at your disposal. You just need to follow these steps and focus on tailoring your skills, qualifications, and network to improve your chances of getting your dream job. 

It’s hard to go at it alone. Thankfully, you don’t have to.

An online MBA from Quantic can help you every step of the way from having no experience to being a seasoned professional. Apply today.