Attend one (or more) of our five NET/WORK tech jobs fairs in the mid-Atlantic

Tech talent hiring is competitive. That makes the process stressful.

We at Technical.ly want to play an increasing role in helping. With daily editorial and a calendar of events (and a growing jobs platform), we want you to be able to avert the hectic job rush and simply keep informed about great companies you might want to support.

That is, we care about the entirety of our tech communities, both you passive and active job seekers. With that in mind, for the first time, we’re producing our NET/WORK tech jobs fair series in all five communities we publish with the aim of encouraging you to consider them all home.

Add these NET/WORK dates below to your calendar and click to purchase your ticket: either get the full tour or even just join us for happy hour to mingle with growing companies. Tickets are $10 or $5 if you just want to attend the happy hour.

• Philadelphia: Feb. 7, 3-8 p.m. [Get tickets]
• Baltimore: Feb. 23, 5-8 p.m [Get tickets]
• D.C.: March 29, 5-8 p.m. [Get tickets]
• Delaware: March 30, 5-8 p.m. [Get tickets]
• Brooklyn: April 5, 6-9 p.m. [Get tickets]

Looking at the hiring companies we know best (those that will be at NET/WORK, use our jobs board and, now, are clients of our Talent matchmaking product), the mid-Atlantic is a clear powerhouse.

To help there, we’re tying together the storytelling we do everyday in these communities about growing companies and the best people around. You don’t need to be actively searching for work to want to hear these stories, but you might want to follow companies that you could call home in the future. That’s the basis of employment branding and our speciality, longterm relationships in communities.

“We are very sensitive as to how we are putting our message out there because we only want to attract really smart people,” said Shannon Reynolds, an EVP at Engine Room, the security-focused dev firm headquartered in Center City Philadelphia. “It’s partnerships with Technical.ly — associating our brand with Technical.ly — that puts us in another category.”

Almost a third of their nearly 20-person team came from the Technical.ly jobs board, Reynolds said. The experience is sped up during NET/WORK. (Drop a note to business@technical.ly to see if Technical.ly might be able to help out in  2017.)

As a job seeker, NET/WORK is your chance to skip the boring recruiting sessions that reek of a “drab college job fair.” All five will feature professional development workshops, resume reviews, on-site coworking and also — always an attendee favorite — free headshots. No suit and tie required, just an open mind, copies of your CV and the desire to grow your career into a legacy you can be proud of. You may even want to be ready for an on the spot interview like digital marketer Michael Kaloudis.

“I had at least one in-person interview with the founder of a company and his top two leaders,” he said of his last NET/WORK visit. Not too shabby.

Some of the fields companies are hiring for:

• Web / Software Development
• Database / Project Management
• Marketing / PR
• Business Development / Sales
• Operations / Human Resources
• Digital Creative
• Data Analyst
• Engineering
• UI / UX
• Others in sales and product or process management.

Plus, companies bring out the big guns for NET/WORK. Swag-wielding hiring reps look to link up with smart folks to talk about whom they were hiring for and why. Full-time, part-time, temporary and freelance work will be available.

“Our business is growing fast, and it’s tough to find smart motivated candidates,” said Greenlane Search Marketing’s Sean Malseed. “NET/WORK is like the Konami Code of recruiting.”

Attend if you are:

• Looking for full-time work with company that fits your skills and personality.
• Seeking opportunities in technical careers, including front-end design, back-end development (PHP and Django), object-oriented programming (including Python, Java and other mobile and database development), software and other engineering disciplines, UX, UI, product and project management.
• A recent graduate looking for an apprenticeship.
• Interested in freelance gigs.
• Currently employed but want to feel out future opportunities.
• Looking to network.

Follow #network17 for updates on social media and — pro tip! — make sure you currently get our daily newsletter with news about local tech scenes that could give you a leg up on the competition for opportunities if you catch it.