In today’s post I’ll be giving you a very comprehensive guide on how to land your very first tech job in Nigeria without any kind of experience whatsoever. Tech jobs in Nigeria are one of the highest paid jobs in Nigeria, salaries for these rows go as high of 250,000 – 450,000 for a beginner, it’s definitely worth the hassle.
Tech jobs tend to vary, there are UI/UX jobs, digital marketing jobs, Software engineering jobs, Growth and business analysis etc. How quickly you’ll land your dream job in tech depends largely on the demand for your role.
Programming/Software engineering jobs have the highest demand given that so many tech startups are in need of programmers to help in the development of their various products. You can land a job as a business analyst or designer but it may take some time, it usually advisable to have at least a basic understanding of programming and programming concepts so as to make your CV a lot more attractive to tech recruiters.
For this post, I’ll assume you have some knowledge of programming and you’re looking to get your first role at a tech startup, well you’re in luck because the tips I’ll share with you in this post will aid you in landing your first ever role in tech.
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How to land your first tech job as a newbie in Nigeria
Below are some tips to help you land your first tech job in Nigeria as a complete beginner
- Location matters
- Brush up on your skills
- Prepare a great CV
- Apply mostly to start ups
- Research each company carefully
- Come prepared for each interview
- Optimize your LinkedIn profile
- Network with industry professionals
I’ll try to explain each tip properly so as to help you gain a better understanding.
Location matters
When you’re trying to land your first tech job as a Nigerian, where you live matters a lot. It’s no secret to most people that 80% of the Tech startups in Nigeria are in Lagos, specifically Yaba. It has come to be known as the Silicon Valley of Nigeria with most people referring to it as “Yaba con” Valley, Mark Zuckerberg visited this Yaba in 2016 when he came to Nigeria. Yaba has a lot of big names such as Kuda Bank, Andela etc, there are tons of tech startups launched here every year which makes it ideal for an individual looking to land their very first job with little to no experience.
My advice to you would be to relocate to Lagos specifically Yaba and start applying for jobs here, the chances that you will find a tech job here are much higher than if you’re searching in Kogi state.
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Brush up on your skills.
There are thousands of tech job in Nigeria, Lots of tech startups are launched every day and all of them need technical talent. Finding a tech job is very easy, the main thing that will determine whether or not you’ll land a job is how good you are at coding.
It advised that you brush up on your skills and prepare adequately for your coding interview. Most companies require prospective developers to take and pass a coding test, the best resource to prepare for the coding test would be algoexpert.
Once you’re good at programming and you have a solid grasp of programming concepts as well as a solid portfolio of projects you’ve uploaded to github, landing a coding job shouldn’t be that difficult.
Prepare a great CV
Like any other job, you’ll still need to prepare a CV when you’re trying to get a job as a programmer in Nigeria with no experience. It’s also advisable to build a portfolio website from scratch using html, css and Javascript, the aim of this site is just so you can display the various projects that you’ve worked on so employers can get a feel of your skill level.
Be sure to attach a link to your github repository in the CV, most company CTO’s would love to see your coding style.
Here is a video explaining step by step how to write a good CV to land a tech job especially when you don’t have any experience :
Apply to startups
You stand a better chance of landing a tech job with no experience if you mostly apply to tech startups that have just launched, the reason for this is that these companies are incentivized by the Nigerian government to employ people with little to no experience. The Nigerian startup bill that was recently passed by the national assembly basically offers tax incentives to tech companies who employ people with little to no experience.
You can build your experience at a tech startup before moving on to a larger company.
Research each company carefully
It is advised that you research each company carefully and get to know the Tech stacks used at each company. It is also advisable to learn about the company’s product and what problems they’re trying to solve.
Try to find out who the CTO of the company is and possibly reach out to him or her via email. Try and connect with employees currently working at the tech company on platforms such as LinkedIn, this will definitely improve your chances of getting hired.
Come prepared for each interview
Like I stated above, most tech companies will require prospective employees to take a coding test, to help the company assess the programmers ability. It is also advisable to have some personal projects as well as source code for these projects available for inspection.
The best website for you to practice/prepare for your coding interview is algoexpert. Below is a complete video review of the platform and various reasons why you should pay for it
Optimize your profile on LinkedIn
LinkedIn still remains the best place to find a job, you have to optimize your LinkedIn profile so it’s visible to tech recruiters looking to hire.
Like I said, companies are desperately searching for programmers to hire, the only way to be found is if your LinkedIn account is properly optimized.
Here is a step by step tutorial on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile:
Network with industry professionals
When you’re trying to find a job as a programmer in Nigeria with no experience, try as much as you can to network with programmers already working in the industry.
Twitter is the best place to find and link up with tech professionals, and also reach out to programmers on LinkedIn who are already working at companies that you would love to work for. Try to message tech recruiters and HR experts working in the tech industry on LinkedIn.
Try to attend tech events and seminars, interact with other attendees to get a feel of how the whole industry works.
Conclusion
During your search for a job in tech try as much as possible to be patient, things may not happen as fast as you want them to but that doesn’t mean they won’t happen. Try to be consistent in your applications, work everyday to be better at programming, keep practicing on algoexpert and leetcode until you become better at technical coding interviews.
Try to build one or two solid projects before applying, put the source code on Twitter. Try to write technical articles on medium and hacker noon. Become very active on tech Twitter and share what you’re working and learning consistently.
If you have any questions on how to land your first tech job, please drop a comment below.