Landing a Tech Job Today Starts with These Strategies | Throw Away Your "Baggage" and Go Forward

#47

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✨ Newsletter Spotlight ✨

• Embracing Challenges and Loving Your Fate

• What I Would Do to Land a Job in Tech Today

• Tools I’m Trying: Information Hygiene for a Focused Mind

• Cambridge on Screen: The Beauty Behind Joy

Aldous Huxley on approaching life with lightness, even in the face of difficulty:

"It's dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you're feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them. I was so preposterously serious in those days, such a humorless little prig.

Lightly, lightly...

Throw away your baggage and go forward. There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet, trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair. That’s why you must walk so lightly."

Reflections 👩‍💻

Loving Your Fate

I came across a newsletter recently that explored Nietzsche’s amor fati—the idea of embracing and loving your fate, no matter how challenging. Joseph Campbell beautifully summarized it:

“Whatever your fate is, you say, ‘This is what I need.’ It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity. If you bring love to that moment—not discouragement—you will find the strength is there.”

This deeply resonated with me. Life’s most difficult moments often feel unbearable in the moment, yet they have a way of shaping who we become. It’s a reminder to see challenges not as roadblocks but as stepping stones.

Another of Nietzsche’s ideas I find practical is his concept of the Übermensch—the ideal person who creates their own values and meaning, even amidst chaos. To me, this is about taking ownership of your story, refusing to be a passive player in life. When things feel out of control, ask yourself: What values or strengths can I create from this?

This week, I’m challenging myself to look at setbacks not with frustration but curiosity. What if every moment—good or bad—is exactly what I need to grow?

What’s one challenge you’re facing now, and how could you reframe it as an opportunity?

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Work 🧠

What I Would Do to Land a Job in Tech Today

I’ve been talking to a lot of postgraduate students lately, and the same question keeps coming up: What’s next? How do you land your dream job in a market where thousands of equally qualified people are competing for the same role?

Many stick to the traditional approach—applying online, tweaking LinkedIn profiles, and attending networking events. But that’s NOT ENOUGH.

Here’s what a traditional applicant might do VS how I’d approach it differently to stand out.

The Traditional Applicant’s Approach

• Apply Online: Submit applications on LinkedIn, job boards, or company sites.

• Polish a Resume: Use a standard template highlighting education and experience.

• Send Generic Cold Emails: Reach out to hiring managers with uninspired messages.

• Network Passively: Attend large events hoping to meet someone influential.

• Rely on Luck: Hope persistence will make them stand out.

While these steps might work for some, they rarely create standout moments in today’s competitive job market.

What I Would Do Instead