You’re going to get rejected… a lot.
To give you an idea, with 7 years of experience, it took me 8 months and 49 interviews with real people to finally get 1 full-time offer. I’m no superhero at interviews, but take it for what it’s worth.
Folks just entering the industry via boot camps, online education, or even master's programs are entering an even more competitive market. The influx of tech workers seeking entry-level roles has been massive in recent years and only continues to grow, so be prepared for a difficult grind.
Something people don’t talk about enough is how mentally taxing the interview process can be. Not only is it emotionally draining, time-intensive, and full of disappointment, but if you spend enough time searching and getting rejected, you start to wonder: "Am I even good at this?" "Should I quit and just do something else?"
A few things that help are:
Remind yourself that interviews are not an objective process.
Most are full of bias and full of problems. Thus, their results are not a reflection of you or what you are capable of. Further, your value as a human is more than your vocation.
Make a mental note of your feelings.
I’d suggest making a note to yourself when you start to feel imposter syndrome so you can come back to that moment and identify what triggered the feeling. Once you can consistently identify it, you can start to self-reflect to discover its source.
Discovering the source of that feeling can help you better understand yourself. And when that feeling comes around again, you can feel a greater sense of control through that understanding.
Accept that you don’t have full control.
What I mean is, you might do a full loop at an awesome company, ace your interview, and then get rejected. You beat yourself up over all the things you could have done better, but the truth is: That company already decided on another internal candidate, and you never actually had a shot at the job.
Sometimes it’s just pure luck. Don’t beat yourself up about every little thing.
Much love from a fellow tech worker,
– Luke
P.S. You can do this.