Published on April 2nd, 2019 | by Sunit Nandi

How to Find Work at the Cutting Edge of Technology

With technology developing at such a rapid pace, those of us who are most excited about the digital revolution and the practical uses of emerging technology are always going to want to be working at the vanguard. As technological processes become more advanced, you’ll want to be shaping them for future generations to enjoy. But there are only so many roles in the most advanced companies – and you’ll need to show your merit as an employee if you’re to earn a place working at the cutting edge. This article looks at how you’ll be able to achieve just that.

Find Companies

Often, the most cutting-edge of companies will not post their jobs on traditional job listings pages. That’s because they require advanced levels of skills and industry-specific talent that’s often easier to source either from within other companies or from specific job sites that cater towards, shall we say, ‘executive-level’ jobs in technology. As such, you’re unlikely to come across the most exciting roles on your usual job site – you’re going to have to approach companies directly instead. To find them:

Keep an eye on the news in tech sections of newspapers or magazines and write to the companies who you discover to be creating breakthrough tech.
Think about some of the most advanced areas of technology in each discipline – Formula 1 racing is the sandbox for streetcar research and development, for instance.
Do your research online as to where some of your favorite technology was developed and refined – it will often have been in unknown, niche companies.
Approach the biggest companies – the likes of IBM, Google or Apple in the computing world – to get onto their payroll and rise up the ranks.

This is the first stage in finding the tech job that’ll satisfy your yearnings to become a worker right at the cutting edge of the world of technology. Once you find the jobs, you’ll be able to decide upon your strategy to enter them in an exciting role.

Your Application or Proposal

In the minds of hiring executives at the biggest companies, you’ll really have to stand out to get noticed and hired. As such, you’ll not be presenting enough information by simply submitting a traditional resume alongside a covering letter detailing your interest in the group, company or project that you’re applying to join. You need to impress them from the get-go, and there are a number of ways to do this, singling yourself out from the crowd as a particularly solid candidate:

Make your resume interactive, personal or different. With many applications submitted online in the modern world, why not make yours an interactive webpage?
Assemble a portfolio of experience on the web for employers to tap into should they want to know more about you – and make it impressive.
Write a knock-out cover letter with the right level of enthusiasm and knowledge evident in your words.
Call in or drop by the company offices to make yourself known, and to give a good account of yourself, if possible, to some of the staff and bosses that you might come to meet.

First impressions are everything inside and outside of business – so you should make sure yours when applying for the most competitive and interesting roles in the world – and always out to impress and capture the attention of hiring professionals.

Get Qualified

Naturally, jobs in the most exciting areas of technology aren’t open to everyone. You’ll need some kind of pedigree in your chosen discipline, and some record of your achievements to date, and the academic milestones that you’ve reached. Oftentimes, the job listings that most excite you will require impressive qualifications for you to be considered for the role – and sometimes you won’t have achieved these yet. For instance, some roles in biochemistry will require that you’ve studied a relevant Ph.D., and other roles will require a minimum of masters-level qualifications in at least one discipline.

If you’re looking to get into the computing side of technology, you’re going to experience some of the highest levels of competition. Attain your online computer engineering masters program from the comfort of your laptop to get that all-important extra qualification in order to get ahead in the hiring race, becoming a more attractive potential employee in the process. You might also consider:

Taking shorter courses, some for free, through educational platforms online
Using YouTube tutorials to boost your skills in coding, design or modeling
Taking night classes around your current job to get certified in areas of work
Ask for extra training on the job to sharpen your skills
Apply yourself in personal projects to build an impressive portfolio of experience

With all these steps you’ll be making yourself stand out, impressing hiring professionals who will appreciate your dedication to learning, experience and knowledge acquisition.

Network

Finally, another well-trodden path into the higher echelons of the top companies in technology is to network your way into influential circles. This will take a quite different set of skills entirely – requiring top social skills in order for you to make the contacts who’ll remember you the next time a vacancy comes up in their company. As with all business networking, you should combine a friendly and professional demeanor with an ability to talk at length about the technicalities of different industries and initiatives in the world of technology.

Networking can take place in the following areas:

With clients who you’re working alongside in your current position
At industry conferences where some of the most impressive individuals will be in attendance
In workshops, away days and tutorials concerning technology
On LinkedIn or other forums of talented individuals
At local entrepreneur and business summits

With your new horde of contacts, you’ll be better placed to earn a new job simply by being in the minds – and on the contact lists – of some of the more influential people in the tech industry. Use networking to your advantage to find the jobs that are otherwise sometimes off-limits to those trawling through job sites.

With the advice provided above, you’ll be more likely to find jobs in the areas of technology that more inspire you – and you’ll be more likely to be offered the jobs you apply for, too.

Tags: cutting-edge, find work, how to, technology

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.