It’s a Wrap and a Win
How do I talk in a tech interview? How do I get my resume flagged by a certain company? How do I grow my network post-graduation? Questions abound when it comes to the job hunt and interview process. Navigating the whole thing can be tricky, which is why we spend substantial time in Mod 4 preparing our students for it—on top of having a justice league of career services specialists readily accessible.
Another thing that can be beneficial is having a mentor.
Insert the Slalom Career Guide Mentorship program (Slalom is a global consulting firm and hiring partner of Turing). It’s an eight-week program (first piloted in Summer 2021) that pairs interested Turing graduates and select students in Mod 4 with Slalom team members from both engineering and product teams. Some of the participating Slalom mentors are Turing grads themselves, like Salesforce Architect Nick Nist. “There are so many things that go into the job hunt, especially as a career changer. Every industry has a slightly different process so having someone who’s done it and can help guide you is a big win.” That’s what Nick had to say about the value of receiving additional support from a mentor when transitioning into the tech industry.
The results are in. It’s working.
The Winter 2021 program just drew to a close. Out of an active group of 11 mentees, seven have accepted offers with some seriously amazing companies and all seven were hired—and even started—prior to the program’s official end date. This 63% employment rate (surpassing the 50% rate of the pilot program) comprises full time positions at Thoughtworks, Datadog, McKinsey & Company, Twilio, and Tackle.
Interested in attending a school dedicated to helping you land your dream job?
Schedule a call with our admissions counselor here or email admissions@turing.edu
And another thing: it’s purely voluntary. Time is the most valuable, limited resource that anyone has and yet so many of our community members make the time to give back through mentorship. Slalom mentors participate in the program and provide mentees with 1:1 support (averaging 1-3 hours per week) simply because they care and want to share what they've learned. For Nick, it comes naturally. “Being a mentor is twofold. I'm a former educator so I love watching people grow and get better. And it builds my confidence, reminding me how far I've come on my own journey when I can help others.”
The confidence building is mutual.
A former mentee of Nick’s commented, “Nick helped me gain the confidence I needed to land my current job. Interview practice, debriefing, networking advice, and strategizing the job hunt…all those things helped me tremendously.”
The next run of our mentorship program with Slalom is slated for Summer 2022.