Will employers hire me if I list a boot camp on my resume?

Attending a boot camp is a large investment – emotionally and financially. It can be difficult to determine whether or not it will “work for you.” The biggest question mark is often surrounding the outcome. Will a company hire me if I just go to a boot camp? What do employers think?

The good news is that attitudes are shifting. As the boot camp industry begins to shrink and the demand for software developers continues to rise, employers are changing up their recruiting routine. According to Cyberstates™ – the definitive guide to national, state, and metropolitan area tech sector and tech workforce analytics – the tech industry has ranked 6th in job creation over the past 5 years with over 2.8 million job postings in 2017.

Attending developer MeetUp events and talking to boot camp job placement managers are now in the line-up of recruiting tactics. According to HackerRank’s 2018 Tech Recruiting Report, over 75% of tech recruiters and hiring managers have hired candidates who did not have a traditional checklist of “Junior Developer” qualifications.

If your network is your net-worth, attending a boot camp that emphasizes staying in touch with alumni is key. Use the application process to ask questions about networking opportunities. For example, how often are alumni meet-ups hosted? Are graduates typically employed locally or across the country? If you want to stay near family, it may be best to go to a school that has a great local reputation.

Besides job placement help, a boot camp should also prioritize your education and prepare you to run the gauntlet of skills-based hiring processes. In lieu of the plain black and white lines on your resume, companies have integrated various tests and coding projects to assess candidates. This process may take a little longer, but can be the golden opportunity for a graduate looking to work at Google, for example.

Finding a position after completing your education is a difficult task. However, arming yourself with an impressive portfolio and confidence can go a long way. Skill Distillery alum David Avila recalls, “my first job interview, all I had to speak to was my portfolio. So that’s where I got to dive into my experiences with it, talk about hurdles with projects, and they ALWAYS ask you which of your projects was your favorite. So I’m glad I had one.”

There are many paths to employment in a new field and boot camps are continually becoming the way to blaze a trail.