How to Get a Job After AWS Certification
Getting an AWS certification is a good way for you to build a career in the IT world especially if you are someone who has a bit of a background in IT and who is interested in advancing his career while trumping all of the other competitors in a competitive job market.
But, here’s the thing, land a job after getting an AWS certification isn’t as easy as simply waiting for people to come over to you. You have to make sure that you are noticeable enough for potential employers to want to hire you, and that is why we are here to talk about how to get a job after the AWS certification.
- Start with the basics
Before anything else, you have to know which AWS certification is right for you because this is how you will determine the career path you will be taking. Of course, it is best to start with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner because you have to know and learn the foundations of basic cloud computing before you actually get to understand the more advanced levels of AWS certifications.
Those who are AWS Certified Cloud practitioners will be able to land entry-level jobs with different companies who are looking for newbies willing enough to take such jobs for the experience. We will get to that point later.
- Get some hands-on experience
After acquiring an AWS certification, the next thing you need to do is to get some hands-on experience. A lot of the things you will be learning when you are reviewing for the exam (especially for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner) is highly theoretical and grounded on the basic fundamentals of cloud computing. There is little to no hands-on experience that will allow you to fully grasp what it is like working as an IT expert in the field of AWS.
In that regard, it is best for you to try to get some hands-on experience. While it is ideal for you to get some experience in an actual job, most of you probably can’t land an AWS job right now because you simply don’t know how to. As such, learning the practical side of AWS can be a good way for you to get some hands-on experience that will be vital to your credentials later on.
You can use Amazon’s free private sandbox or you can go and use sandboxes from other companies so you can actually have a bit of an experience when it comes to implementing the things you learned on the theoretical side of things.
- Focus on your other skills as well
A lot of HR managers notice that the biggest problem when it comes to those who are applying for jobs right after passing their AWS certification exams is that they highlight too much on their AWS certifications.
True enough, an AWS certification will allow you to become qualified for a position in a certain company but it is more of a prerequisite in the eyes of most HR managers. In short, an AWS certification will be enough to open the doors for you but they probably won’t be enough to allow you to enter the room through those doors. There must some other aspects in your credentials that will convince HR managers to let you in after they opened the door for you.
What we are talking about here are your other skills. Write a great resume while highlighting your other skills outside of AWS as well because HR personnel and managers love employees who are more well-rounded and who are not focused too much on their AWS certifications.
Know the skills that will make you stand out because, let’s face it, you are not the only one out there with an AWS certification but you can be the only one with an AWS certification and a specific set of skills that are uniquely yours.
- Work on independent projects
Again, the AWS certification you have may open the doors for you but you can’t really enter the room unless you are invited in. And, of course, no one will be out there looking for you to try to invite you in because you have to stand out well enough that potential employers would actually want to employ you after you sold yourself really well.
But the problem is that it can be pretty difficult for you to earn some field and on-the-job experience without actually working for a company. In short, you won’t be able to stand out in the job market if you don’t have any experience that will make employers give you a shot over the other people who also have AWS certifications.
This is where independent projects can come in. While you are waiting for that call from the HR personnel of the companies you applied for, you can further build your resume by working on independent projects using the skill set you acquired when you prepared for your AWS certification exam.
Go and start a profile on any online platform that allows freelancers to take on independent jobs from different clients all over the world. Doing so will help you earn experience so that you will be able to put something on your resume the next time you apply for a job.
- Prove that you actually know something
If you happen to actually get that call for a job interview with one of the companies you applied for, the best thing you can do during the interview process is to show that you actually know something in relation to the job and the roles you are applying for.
An AWS certification is but a mere scrap of paper that proves that you are certified but it doesn’t really prove that you know what you are talking about or what you are doing if you are actually placed on the job.
That is why the best thing you need to do is to build a good impression by actually showing that you actually know something. Your theoretical knowledge (coupled with the practical knowledge you gained through experience while practicing and working freelance) will help in leaving a lasting impact that the HR personnel will surely remember when he or she is about to deliberate on who best fits the job.
