How to Sell Yourself and Believe in the Product - Career Transition to Software Engineering

Discover how to effectively sell yourself and believe in your own potential in this insightful 50-minute talk by Shaundai Person, a senior software engineer at Netflix. Learn about Shaundai's journey from a successful sales career to software engineering, and gain valuable insights on leveraging your unique experiences to stand out in the tech industry. Explore strategies for creating a personal brand, winning over decision-makers, and showcasing your value beyond coding skills. Understand the importance of humanizing yourself during the job search process and cultivating self-belief. Gain practical advice on career transitions, continuous learning, and making impactful connections in the tech world.

How Shaundai chose to study entrepreneurship
"I had never been in a position where I loved the thing that I was doing"
Selling software made Shaundai fascinated with software engineering
How Shaundai eventually taught herself to code on Codecademy
How Shaundai organized her studying... and went overtime
"I could make money AND be happy with that I'm doing"
"In this case, I'm selling myself!"
There are always more decision-makers involved in hiring, and here's what to do about them
Shaundai's strategy to win over her company's engineering team
You're always in a more powerful position when people think that something was their idea
Never start conversations with what YOU need
Shaundai started submitting projects to the engineering team's personal development form... and getting challenges
Put yourself in the shoes of the customer
Managers can't go through every single line of code of everybody who's applied. Here's how to tackle that!
Your coding skills are a commodity! Provide value instead.
What's a commodity?
If you're a career changer, you're a superset of a developer!
How Shaundai eventually got to switch teams
Shaundai started interviewing with Netflix less than a year into her new career, and it all started with a podcast
"In order to stand out, I need to show that I'm a human"
How to be human
How to get outside of the goal while still keeping the goal in sight
Sometimes we pick the more tangible thing, but ultimately you don't know what can help you in the long run
How to cultivate self-belief?