The Monday Byte

Welcome to the Monday Byte where I send you 5 things each week so you can improve your English and land a remote dev job.

📖 Word/Phrase - flag

I will ask him to flag for the frontend team.

Do you know what flag means in this context? Think of it like “point it out” or “mention.” This came up in an email during my job hunt this week.

So I flagged it for myself because I knew it'd be good to share with you here.

Hey John, I think that bug is still happening on the /sign-out page. Can you flag it for the QA team?

Try using this in a conversation this week!

💬 Pronunciation - Successful Non-Native English Programmer

Christoph is well-known in the JavaScript ecosystem for his work on Jest and Yarn. But one thing most people don't know? He's not a native English speaker!

I didn't realize this until he told me over email a couple months ago.

Sure, he has a minor minor accent but you barely notice it. You forget it's there when you hear him talk. At least I don't notice it.

I bring him up because he is someone who has had a major impact on the industry and hasn't let English get in the way. I hope he inspires you like he does me.

Want me to critique your English? Reply to this and let me know!

🗣️ Real World Conversation - My LinkedIn Sucks

Okay maybe I'm being harsh but I know there's a lot I could improve on my own LinkedIn profile.

So I took a step back and looked at it with a fresh set of eyes - as if I were reviewing someone else's profile.

Here's a list of feedback I gave myself:

• Use the cover photo for a specific purpose

• Find a catchy headline like “Full Stack Engineer For Hire”

• Optimize for a specific type of job i.e. Full Stack Engineer

• Use the first link to link to a cover letter or blog post on your site

• Tailor your previous titles to your current search

• Add Skills relevant to what you're looking for

• Ask old bosses and colleagues for recommendations

• Make sure your Interests align with your current search

🔗 Content - Vercel's Engineering Interviewing Guide

You've heard of Vercel, no doubt. I mean the CEO is a non-native English programmer just like you.

Today I got an email from a recruiter saying they'd like to move forward with my application — hooray! And guess what? Their interviewing guide is public!

I wanted to share it with you because I think it's a great example of what to expect when you start interviewing at top-tier American companies.

I have my first interview with them next week so I'll be reviewing this beforehand.

💪🏼 Exercise - Measure your English in 50-mins

My friend Goncy shared this in his Discord a couple weeks back.

It's a free English test (50-mins) aimed at native Spanish speakers who want to see what level they're at.

I haven't seen the questions so can't tell you what to expect. But, afterwards, it will give you something to display on your LinkedIn! Win-win.

Bonus: Want me to take this test and see how I do? If yes, reply to this email and let me know.

Enjoy the week, we’ll talk again soon.
- Joe