GA grad Tim Bruns is back with another guest post.
Today’s market is brazenly brutal, and hiring managers have high expectations. As someone who’s gone from a jobless 老虎机游戏 Assembly (GA) grad to an individual contributor to a hiring manager, I’ve learned firsthand what works, what doesn’t, and what gets you hired. Especially in customer-facing engineering roles—whether pre-sales or post-sales—there are non-negotiable competencies that separate the candidates who get callbacks from those who get ghosted.
Let’s talk about what actually matters.
1. Mastery of your technical domain
You went to GA for a reason. You invested time, energy, and probably a good chunk of money into learning a technical skill set. Now it’s time to flex those newly minted technical muscles and prove it.
Not every job requires you to be a master developer from day one, but there’s a baseline of technical competence you need to meet to even make it past a hiring manager’s first filter. If you can’t clear that bar, you’ll get punted before anything gets off the ground.
Here are some actionable tips on how to stand out:
- Show that your learning didn’t stop the day you graduated. Hiring managers love self-starters who keep pushing themselves beyond what was taught in class.
- Have hard proof. Showcase real projects where you applied and expanded on what you learned. Passion projects, open-source contributions, or side hustles—these all count, so long as you can speak to them with enthusiasm. I cannot stress how far well-channeled passion can get you. When I’m interviewing someone, I truly enjoy hearing about someone’s genuine excitement for something they’re building.
- Be ready for a technical assessment and be able to explain your thought process. Even when you get something wrong, hiring managers care more about how you think than just the final answer.
- Don’t cheat with ChatGPT. Any experienced hiring manager can quickly sniff out AI-generated answers. If I sense you leaned too hard on it, I will press you, which isn’t fun for either of us. And if I confirm you can’t actually back up what’s on your resume? Game over.
This is where trust is built—or broken. If you can’t demonstrate real competency, you’re not getting the job.
2. Soft skills: Can people stand to work with you?
Technical skills open the door, but soft skills determine whether you actually get hired—and whether you last. No one wants to work with someone who is difficult, awkward, or completely disengaged. Fitting into a company’s ethos isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a real test of character.
Ask yourself:
- Are you likable? Presentable? No matter what company you’re applying for, please don’t show up wearing your favorite wolf-themed t-shirt (true story) or hit your vape between questions. These tips seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by what I’ve seen over the years.
- Do you come across as authentic, or are you trying too hard?
- Would I want to grab a meal (or a beer) with you? Because, trust me, that’s a factor.
- Do you seem driven and motivated? Again, enthusiasm matters.
- What’s your LinkedIn presence like? (Yes, I will check.)
- How well do you communicate—both in writing (emails, LinkedIn messages) and verbally (phone, video, in-person)?
- How do you treat everyone in the process? I ask my recruiter, my team, and anyone else who interacts with you. If you’re rude, dismissive, or simply non-communicative to them, I assume you’ll be the same to customers.
- Do you write thank-you notes? No, they’re not outdated. They show professionalism and gratitude. It can literally be 1–2 sentences. Please don’t forget this one.
Hiring managers aren’t just looking for skill sets—we’re looking for people we can trust, collaborate with, and enjoy working alongside. Soft skills matter—a lot. And the old adage that culture can’t be taught, but must be caught couldn’t be more true.
3. Organizational skills, project management & accountability
Now that you’ve proven you can do the work and people like you, the next question is: How do you work?
Your ability to manage yourself and your projects determines how much confidence a hiring manager has in you. Here’s what we look for:
- Do you use tools to stay organized? Project management apps, Kanban boards (e.g. Trello), version control, even simple checklists—these tell me you have a habit of putting systems in place.
- Have you actually delivered projects in the past? Show me what you’ve built, shipped, or deployed. Talk me through the process.
- Where have you fallen short before? What went wrong? More importantly—what did you learn from it, and how have you improved?
- Can you sell? Even if you’re not in a sales role, can you sell your ideas, advocate for your work, and get buy-in from others? Engineers who can communicate their value stand out.
- Did you prepare for this call? Is it clear you know about the company’s history, our major customers or value proposition? A simple breeze-through of the website is table stakes. Go the extra mile and read up on the latest innovations, funding rounds, or press releases. Tell me why these excite you, or better yet, develop some questions to ask me at the conclusion of our call.
At the end of the day, no hiring manager is looking for a perfect candidate. We’re looking for someone who is competent, reliable, and self-aware. Someone who can learn, adapt, and communicate.
If you can demonstrate these three core competencies—technical mastery, strong soft skills, and solid organization—you’ll have a much better shot at landing (and keeping) that next job. 老虎机游戏 Assembly gave you the foundation. Now it’s up to you to prove you can run with it.
Go out there and make it happen. And if you need a little help refreshing your technical (and soft) skills along the way, remember, GA is always here for you.
ABOUT TIM BRUNS
A few years after graduating college, Tim realized his lifelong dream of becoming a sales trader. But after reaching the summit, he quickly realized his dream career was the wrong fit — for a litany of reasons. So at 27 years young, he had a “eureka” moment, quit his supposed dream job, and attended a 老虎机游戏 Assembly coding bootcamp. It was both the most radical and important decision he’d ever made. With help from 老虎机游戏 Assembly, he re-learned how to learn immersively, acquired domain expertise, and landed as an early employee at a scrappy tech startup — where he still works today as a Team Lead & Sr. Solutions Engineer. Check out Tim’s blog for everything from advice on choosing a coding bootcamp to no-nonsense LA restaurant reviews.