Webinar
Navigating the Tech Job Search in 2024 + 2025
Written By Liz Eggleston
Edited By Jess Feldman
Last updated on September 19, 2024
Written By Liz Eggleston
Edited By Jess Feldman
Course Report strives to create the most trust-worthy content about coding bootcamps. Read more about Course Report’s Editorial Policy and How We Make Money.
Course Report strives to create the most trust-worthy content about coding bootcamps. Read more about Course Report’s Editorial Policy and How We Make Money.
2024 has been a rollercoaster of a year in tech hiring! We sat down with four career experts from Springboard, Flatiron School, General Assembly, and Tech Elevator to find out which industries are hiring bootcamp graduates today and how to stand out in a competitive job market. Listen in the conversation or read the transcript as we dig into effective methods for using generative AI in your job search, how to network in-person and online, and the best ways to keep up your momentum.
They’re answering popular questions, like:
Ashley Ramos is the Senior Manager of Career Services at Springboard.
Mollie Khine is the Vice President of Learning & Community at Flatiron School.
Lea Berry is the Senior Manager of Outcomes at General Assembly.
Vinny Sanfillipo is the Senior Director of Career Development at Tech Elevator.
At a high level, what are you seeing in today’s job market? How is 2024 different for bootcamp graduates than 2014?
Vinny/Tech Elevator: Bootcamps entered the scene in 2014, so it's important to understand the context that we've only been around for about 10 years. A jobseeker in 2014 would be figuring out how to get in front of hiring partners and understand that their experience is comparable or even better to a traditional college grad. Fast forward to 2020 when everything went remote and an explosion of activity happened for bootcamps! Especially because companies needed to hire software engineers fast — remote tools like Zoom and collaborative workspaces like Slack really took off because people started working online.
Around 2020, there was a fast batch of hiring. Then, federal interest rates went up and hiring costs became more strenuous for companies than it had been before. We're seeing that employers are hiring more slowly and methodically than ever because of those borrowing costs being greater than they were in the past. The market has cooled but it's not done! Software engineers aren't going anywhere — companies still have needs for them — but it's not as white hot as it has been at different times in this past decade.
Today’s job seekers have to be very passionate about what they do and very intentional about the companies that they're applying to. For anybody who's in their job search and freaking out, I just want to say it's going to be okay! We're in an election year and this happens every four years in the United States. Companies want to see what's going to happen next before they make any big decisions. Plus, the surge of AI gives us a really confusing volatile job market that we're in right now.
| 💡Course Report Tip: The hiring process is slower and more intentional this year due to higher interest rates and 2024 being an election year. Be passionate and intentional in your job search. |
How is AI impacting the tech job market right now?
Lea/General Assembly: At every level, there are more questions than answers related to AI. However, when you look at the current job market and you look at the impact of AI, there's a lot more potential than there is consequence! In the wider landscape you might think a job will be taken away by AI but that is an overestimation of what AI can currently do. One of the most important things is to embrace the idea of AI and the potential of what it can do to help you, rather than what it means just for a specific role. There's a lot of myths out there around AI taking roles from humans.
I think of AI as an intern tool. It’s an intern for you, but it’s not who you are and your potential as a tech professional. There's so much more that we as humans do that cannot be done or replicated by AI. AI adds a ton of value in terms of the tools that you'll use. Being a tech professional in any discipline means AI will be incorporated into your daily role.
There is also so much value in adding AI to your job search — whether that's as an incredible tool for researching and understanding the tech landscape for you as a career transitioner or for taking out some of the erroneous or repetitive tasks that in the past. Now with AI, you can automate, simplify your process, and focus your time and energy on the things that are the most important for you to be doing.
Think creatively about how to use AI for your job search! Ask ChatGPT what types of tech companies need your background and see what it generates. AI is so great for starting the job search and for getting ideas and generating possibilities for you as a job seeker.
| 💡Course Report Tip: Think of AI tools like an intern — they’re there to support your tech job search, not to replace you! |
Where are your General Assembly, Flatiron School, Springboard, and Tech Elevator alumni finding jobs right now?
Mollie/Flatiron School: Since the pandemic we've been closely tracking where our students are landing in terms of remote, in-person, or hybrid roles and for a long time it landed in thirds. Now, we see more companies hiring for in-person roles. Companies want people back in-person and they want to hire locals. We’re also noticing that in times of uncertainty people turn to data. We're seeing more data and cyber security roles relative to some of those traditional junior-level software engineering roles.
Ashley/Springboard: We’re noticing that employers of our bootcamp graduates are coming from what are considered “stable” industries, such as healthcare, education, and government.
Vinny/Tech Elevator: We’ve also seen a huge shift to in-person work. It’s great for a junior to be in the office because they will be able to ask their engineering manager who's right there what they think about your code. We’re also seeing a large spike in both manufacturing and government hiring for our typical junior software engineering positions. Manufacturing has seen a lot of investment, especially around greentech. We have a big tech hub in Columbus, Ohio because Intel is building a plant here. We’re also seeing a lot of government jobs posted around all of these initiatives for software developers.
Lea/General Assembly: In the last thirty days, tech and software companies are still the number one industries that are hiring our graduates. These companies are a bit more niche than your typical big tech, FAANG companies. Other industries hiring General Assembly graduates include:
Remember the very basic important things to focus on when there is a downturn in the market as these places are always looking for talent — they will need tech talent to keep their operations going!
| 💡Course Report Tip: Companies are hiring for more in-person than remote roles in 2024. More stable industries, such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, and government may be hiring more bootcamp graduates than large tech and software companies. Companies are also interested in hiring more folks for data and cybersecurity roles. |
What should someone focus on after graduating from a coding bootcamp in 2024?
Ashley/Springboard: After you complete any program where you've gained new skills, you have to understand that the field is ever-changing. Hopefully, you identified when you entered the technology space that you have a love of learning because it's never going to end. Continuous project work and work experience are going to be fruitful in your success in getting that job more quickly. To find projects to work on, I recommend places like Forage, Amina , and Develop for Good. When you're making a career pivot, there are tons of spaces out there to get additional project work that will keep your skills sharp while also gaining more experience on your resume!
Don't be scared of identifying ulterior passive income or employment, including identifying contract opportunities through staffing and employment agencies, building your own business to accept 1099 contract work, and apprenticeship programs.
I don’t consider AI a game changer, it's just the reality of the future. Just as any modern tech phenomenon comes into play, you have to choose to incorporate it early so that way you stay up-to-date. It's about adapting to changes in technology that either keeps you moving forward or holding you back!
Are there any networking trends in 2024?
Lea/General Assembly: As much as I've seen things pop up that are new and novel, I also see a lot of classic things still working. I've been at General Assembly for five years and when I first began there was a very specific way in which you could go through the process of updating your resume, making sure you hit keywords and a certain match score, then submitting and messaging someone as a networking strategy. Now, recruiters and hiring managers are inundated with this type of outreach, so what used to be a very effective personalized approach has become something that can feel daunting to do because you may not get a response. There is now a need for not only having a very personalized approach with your resume and application, but also building up a relationship with someone before you even apply for the job. This requires a more tailored approach, focusing instead on where your interests are, what your background is, and what your skill-building around. Focus and then build your network around that.
One thing I spend a lot more time doing with students is networking strategy. When we talk trends, we talk proactive outreach. We also have the blessing of in-person networking now being more plentiful! Now we have the ability to take advantage of in-person events and conferences which are abundant.
For many career changers, impostor syndrome is rampant. Work with someone (your coach, counselor, or a loved one) who can help you connect to others, champion, shepherd, and boast your skills and experience.
One wonderful thing about General Assembly is that you go through the course with other people. You build camaraderie as well as networking connections with others who have varying levels of experience. I’ve had folks come back wanting to hire other folks in the program or people from their specific cohort. Remember: Networking happens everywhere. Definitely take advantage of all the in-person networking opportunities that are now much more readily available!
Mollie, you’ve said before that it’s important to meet 100 people through networking – why is that?
Mollie/Flatiron School: One of the gaps that I regularly see with bootcamp grads is that while they may have a good grasp on the technical components, they struggle with placing those skills within context for different companies. How do you speak about your work in a way that a hiring manager can relate to? How do you connect your background to the work that you're doing today? That takes practice to do it well! A networking strategy may look different for everyone and we want to lean into our strengths around how to stay authentic to yourself and put yourself out there.
The reason I like this “Meet 100 People Challenge” is because it provides structure in the ambiguous ups and downs of a job search and the grind of needing to network. Having a list shows you that you do know people. Some are first degree connections, and some are second degree connections you’d like to meet. Crossing off items on a list and knowing that you are making forward progress towards your goal helps with momentum in a job search.
It gives you invaluable insight on what a tech role or a company actually looks like from the inside. What does this person’s day look like? How is their product or technology team set up? How do they work with other stakeholders? How do they divide and conquer? What do their interactions with their manager look like? Hearing different people talk about their day-to-day can help connect the dots from what you've learned and worked on in the classroom or built for yourself to knowing how to speak about this work in the context of an interview or in a new role.
People love to support a project, so tell your friends that you set a goal to meet a hundred people by the end of the year and ask if they know anyone who could spare 15 minutes to talk to you about their job in the tech sphere. People can support that because it's a clear ask and they can easily get on board.
Some people think 100 is too many, but the structure tends to resonate with people. Adding the layer of context for different businesses and industries will only improve how you show up in an interview, and your opportunity to get interviews in the first place because of the people you meet along the way!
Is remote hiring still a trend for junior engineers?
Ashley/Springboard: If your true goal is breaking into the tech industry then you want to follow the path that is going to get you there the fastest. Right now the fastest path for junior developers is with in-person and hybrid jobs. It doesn't mean that there aren't remote opportunities out there, but at Springboard we're advocating for this approach because we know that the market is already competitive.
If remote is something that you are after, you may have to adjust your expectations on your timeline to getting that job. For folks with more experience to leverage, then looking for a remote job is still within your cards. At Springboard, we are typically working with folks who are already unemployed and are looking to increase their financial situation, so they have a really fast timeline. We're focused on what's going to get you there fastest!
What is the best way to get your resume read by a hiring manager right now?
Vinny/Tech Elevator: The first goal of any strategy for any resume is to beat the applicant tracking system to ensure that you’re not automatically filtered out. If you are getting rejected in the first 5-10 minutes, it's likely you got rejected by the applicant tracking system and no one's seen your resume.
When you go to make a resume you want it to be clean, crisp, concise:
This will help your resume beat the applicant tracking system and look like it's a junior software engineer resume.
The next part to get it to the top of the stack:
Set up a LinkedIn job alert so you see when new roles are posted in your area based on your criteria so you can ensure you're one of the first to apply there.
Don't apply on LinkedIn directly if you can apply on the company site. The LinkedIn portal goes to LinkedIn Recruiter, which is a separate pool of resumés and they will always look at the business's website first in their own applicant tracking system. That's also two different ATS’s that you have to beat! If you apply through LinkedIn or Indeed it might filter through their ATS which usually isn't a great experience when one ATS has to talk to another ATS. Don't do that if you can apply directly on the site.
Find out who the hiring manager is, follow them on LinkedIn, locate networking opportunities, and then meet them in-person. Don’t ask for a job — tell them why you’re interested in the work they’re doing. Treat them like human beings! The worst they can say is that it was nice meeting you. Chances are, they’ll remember having a positive encounter with you and look at your application.
Don’t spend a lot of time re-editing your resume for every single job. Customize your resume a little bit to highlight different experiences but don’t spend hours on it. If you're not getting automatically rejected, the resume is not the problem — it's probably either your volume or you're not networking with enough people.
What is the best way to find roles that don't require a 4-year college degree?
Vinny/Tech Elevator: There's been a noticeable shift into skills-based hiring which is helpful to bootcamp grads because that used to be a big gatekeeper and it still is in certain industries. Certain things that have contracts with the government, especially in certain states, may still require a four-year degree. Similarly, if it's a consulting agency or something that has a government contract that associates it with, it's another one that might bounce because of that hiring stipulation. A company may also put a 4-year degree requirement on a job posting as a psychological barrier to prevent thousands of resumés coming in. I tell students to apply anyway and let the recruiter figure it out. Worst case scenario you get a rejection. You're likely not going to hear anything, but if you do and have a great conversation then it's to your benefit. Overall most hiring managers that I've talked to and most people in the talent space have shifted away from the four-year degree being a requirement. Even if you’re not the right fit for a certain assignment, if a company or consulting agency likes you they might find another reason or project for you to work on!
Generally, the industries that don’t require four-year degrees are banks, insurance companies, retail, and manufacturing.
Mollie/Flatiron School: Flatiron School recently joined the Tear the Paper Ceiling Campaign, which is focused on hiring and we've also seen that you can use your non-degree as an asset! It is becoming a diversity characteristic that companies are looking for and actively seeking non-degree holders. In the past it used to be something that was an extra hurdle to jump to prove your skills, but now it now puts you in a narrow candidate pool which is actually an asset in some cases!
How do job seekers determine if a company is advertising fake or ghost job postings?
Mollie/Flatiron School: At Flatiron School, we’ve been tracking scam offers for a while. Every time we come across one we report it as we try to do our part to combat this trend. Unfortunately, they're not rare. It's important to do your research. If you get a random invitation for an interview completely out of the blue, that's a red flag. Any sort of red flags you might normally get around your inbox it's important to think about in the context of your job search, too.
One word of caution: you should never pay money to a company in any part of the interview process. We've seen a common one where a candidate is asked to pay for the cost of their laptop and it will be reimbursed after a training period — that is never appropriate. If you have any red flags at all, make sure you're Googling the person that you're supposed to be interviewing with, and you understand the company and you've done your research. The offer stage is the appropriate time to dig in and understand the benefits and the onboarding requirements in more depth with a legitimate HR representative from the company. Look out for yourselves!
Can career changers over 40 years old find a job in tech after bootcamp graduation?
Ashley/Springboard: I'm a firm believer that ageism can be a real bias in the job market. The reality is that a recruiter's task is to identify the best candidates for the job requisition that they have. So, make sure you're leveraging those years of experience to your advantage. If you are looking for a new job in the tech space and trying switch industries, that's one of the hardest job searches. If you're okay with working in the same industry that you were in, leverage that!
You're probably tired of hearing about networking, but that's what works best in these situations. Consider:
You're absolutely still employable, you just have to refine your strategy to get to your goal, which is going to take a holistic viewpoint of putting together all these pieces of recommendations that we put out there. Leaning on your industry experience and your area of expertise and leveraging your network will be the strongest way in making this new job a reality for you, regardless of your age!
Are there any communities beyond the bootcamp that graduates can join to get support from others?
Lea/General Assembly: ADP List list can be used at any point in your job search! It’s a great place to get mentorship and good for folks who prefer 1:1 connection. You can select based on the area that you're interested in, your time zone, availability, etc. If you find yourself a bit shy but wanting to get support or wanting to get some guidance, advice, or perspective, it's great for any part of your job search. They've been such a great resource for so many of our graduates over the years!
For software engineering:
For UX design:
For data:
Mollie/Flatiron School: Flatiron partnered with The Bletchley Institute to launch a Discord community that has a lot of bootcamp graduates and alumni in there! Whether you're in a job search or trying to build your professional credibility, we run weekly contests that offer some structure.
Vinny/Tech Elevator: Meetup is an accessible app that allows you to search your area for anything you’re interested in! See if there’s another software developer in your community that you can meet for coffee, or a whole group of folks! They're usually free or inexpensive. Eventbrite is another resource of events in your area that might align with your interests. Usually if it’s super techy, they're really friendly to juniors and want you to be there! If there's a tech conference in your area you can reach out to the organizers and volunteer to work at the desk booth — suddenly you’re meeting a thousand people in one day who are smiling and shaking your hand doing the sign-in sheet! You never know who you might meet but you’ve got to get yourself out there to do it!
What trends are you seeing in interviewing for tech roles?
Vinny/Tech Elevator: Folks want to make sure that your job materials match who you are in person. When you're going into an interview there will almost always be some sort of interview with a real person, which ensures that you understand that this is a real opportunity and they understand that you are a real person. These used to be mostly phone calls, but lately they’ve trended toward Zoom remote interviews. If it’s a local job, you might meet them for coffee.
There will almost always be some sort of code challenge. Whiteboarding is making a comeback because you have to do it live — you can't give ChatGPT code on a whiteboarding exercise, you have to do it in front of somebody else. You may get sent a code challenge. If you have a code challenge, they might bring you on for a tech interview to review your code challenge. Before this was to make sure that you were the one doing it and that you understood the code you wrote, but now it's also ensuring you don't rely on generative AI.
I'm also seeing the panel interview coming back in a big way. You may get to an interview with three or four different stakeholders. This is largely becoming popular again because of the volume of applicants and it saves a lot of time for the company to do these more efficiently.
Those are the four most common steps I see right now, but there's a new first step that's making waves everywhere: the recorded interview where you record 3-5 different interview questions. An AI watches the video and then submits the top 10 results to the recruiter, so the recruiter doesn't have to go through a thousand resumés to pick one.
Which AI tools may be helpful in a tech job search?
Lea/General Assembly: ChatGPT continues to be the most popular. They may also use additional tools like Clad to do more things like analyzing text. As a research tool, you’ll want to know how to set up your research, where you want to go, what you want to look for, what companies you're targeting, those competitors, to really build out a robust strategy with generative AI. When you're positioning yourself, your brand is a really big deal. I spend a lot of time working with folks specifically on:
Using an AI tool can help craft that message and optimize your LinkedIn profile. There's lots of really great quick prompts like, “Write an About Me for my LinkedIn profile.” That said, please never insert any personal identifiable information into ChatGPT! This is a tool that is used for research so keep things general. You do not know where that information is going, so please protect your privacy!
When you are on your LinkedIn profile, you can ask for help writing out bullets for your resume, as long as you are not putting in very specific information about you. You can include role titles and companies and ask how gen AI would rewrite these bullets to best match that role.
When you are creating your networking strategy or starting to build out your story, your brand, or trying to get different ideas, genAI can be a really helpful research tool and a great automation tool and extension onto a lot of websites. You could use it to scrape someone's email because you're not getting a response on LinkedIn or drafting an introduction email to a hiring manager. Generative AI tools are helpful with getting you started, but you still have to put your personal touch on everything.
What’s your advice for staying motivated during a job search?
Ashley/Springboard: My number one thing that I tell students about is the importance of taking care of yourself. The job search process is grueling and there's a lot that you have to do. What I find is a lot of job seekers just get overwhelmed.
I recommend using a bucket method to categorize the different aspects of the job search: applications, networking, project and skill development, and self-care. For each bucket there is something that falls under them. For job applications, it would include: source jobs, make resume edits, submit cover letters, and follow up. This method can help you lessen the feeling of overwhelm, which is what decreases your motivation.
I want to advocate for the importance of therapy during the job search. There are some types of support that need an unbiased individual to help you work through and when our mindset and motivation is constantly challenged, it can be a really slippery slope of ending up into some really constant negativity. What can happen a lot in the job search is this black-and-white thinking. “You said I should do X and then Y should happen,” but when it doesn't happen right away, it challenges us in our motivation and mindset. The support of a trained professional who can give you the tools to get ahead of that sort of mindset and stop yourself in those moments is going to be really key to your success!
What can we expect to see in the tech job market in 2025?
Mollie/Flatiron School: We’re beginning to hear from our hiring partners on headcount expectations for 2025. I do think that leaning into AI fluency will give you a leg up in the 2025 hiring market. I don't expect that we'll see the candidate market change all that much between now and early 2025 but I do think that a lot of the actionable tips we talked about today are going to be even more important going into the early next year!
Vinny/Tech Elevator: No matter how things turn out in the next four months, I think we have some positive changes coming our way. I think companies are starting to freak out less about the different market conditions that are going on right now. I am seeing companies start to finalize their headcount for next year and it's looking a lot more promising. It doesn't necessarily mean that the job market's going to be any easier than it is now, so focus on the things that you can control in your job search rather than the things that you can't. You can't change how many companies are hiring at any given time, but you can change how many applications you put out there in the universe. You can't change if a recruiter is going to call you back, but you can change how many emails and introductions and networking you do.
| 💡Course Report Tip: Companies are beginning to finalize their 2025 headcounts, and they are looking more promising than this year. AI fluency will continue to give you a leg up in a competitive tech job market in 2025! |
Learn how combining technical skill-building, human support, and project-based learning can set your career in motion at Springboard! (Plus, you can take $1,500 off your Springboard tuition with promo code: CR1500SB!)
Learn more about General Assembly graduates and the companies they are working at!
Attend an upcoming event to learn more about Flatiron School and get introduced to the community!
Find out how you can get started learning at Tech Elevator!
Liz Eggleston is co-founder of Course Report, the most complete resource for students choosing a coding bootcamp. Liz has dedicated her career to empowering passionate career changers to break into tech, providing valuable insights and guidance in the rapidly evolving field of tech education. At Course Report, Liz has built a trusted platform that helps thousands of students navigate the complex landscape of coding bootcamps.
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