My Top Financial Advice for GHC24 and Tech Conferences This Fall

• What is the hype about Grace Hopper anyway?

• How did you get into GHC?

• What should I pack?

• How do I get a job at GHC?

• My GHC22 experience

• Practicing your pitches

• Relevant Links

The motive for this page is to give a comprehensive rundown of my experiences of GHC and how YOU can maximize your chances of landing interviews (and merch) at the GHC :)

What is the hype about Grace Hopper anyway?

• Ultimate recruiting event for women in tech looking for jobs

• Philadelphia is a fun city to visit

• This event tests your limit of networking and being creative if you want to get out of the conference with one job offer at least

It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know

How did you get into GHC?

• Applied for NCWIT x Bloomberg Grant in 2022 and won it. Here are my essays if you click the page:

  • https://mpara.super.site/grace-hopper-conference-faqs/ghc-essays

• Only go to GHC if you can get a grant through an organization or your CS department. It is not worth paying $1,500 and you are better off going off to virtual summits or other career fairs for free

Hacking free tickets: You can also try to host a workshop or volunteer at the event to get complimentary registration

What should I pack?

• Backpack and luggage

• Have a folder of resumes and business cards

• 2-3 dresses that are colorful and patterns. That is how you stand out of the crowd

• Shoes → flats, sneakers, I love APL sneakers and they are cheap at Marshalls :)

• Tshirts and pants for after-hours

How do I get a job at GHC?

• Get your resume reviewed by multiple people

• Apply to job postings beforehand

Read the entirety of this section: https://careersprep.io/networking/

My GHC22 experience

• Had 6 interviews before GHC, did 2 interviews at GHC → Wells Fargo and Bank of America

  • Onsite were all behavioral for 25 minutes and they wanted my paper resume

  • Sent emails for thank yous and connected with interviewers on Linkedin after

  • Prior ones were phone calls or coding questions

  • I flew out to PNC for their super day 2 weeks after GHC

• Gave my professors a month's notice I would be out for the week and had to reschedule exams and assignment deadlines got pushed until after the event

• Collected a lot of merch and would be happy to do a haul later :)

Practicing your pitches

• Think of it as going to the Costco Free Sample folks when you are shopping there. You address them and tell them hello. Be polite then get your free food sample

• Networking and pitching is like your trip to Costco - being friendly to the employees and getting something in exchange

Top Financial Tips for Conferences

• All things financial and coffee

  • https://www.youtube.com/@TheIcedCoffeeHour

• Invest in cashback credit cards like Apple, Chase, or Amazon Prime

  • https://learn.applecard.apple

  • https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Visa/dp/BT00LN946S

  • https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/travel-and-miles/

  • https://creditcards.chase.com/airline-credit-cards

• Cheaps flights

  • https://www.studentuniverse.com/

  • https://www.chase.com/travel/

  • https://travel.usnews.com/features/how-to-find-cheap-flights/

• Get a grant or volunteer with their events

  • https://www.lastmile-ed.org/

  • https://ghc.anitab.org/volunteer/

  • Get engaged on Linkedin - there are still grants open

• Buy cute outfits at Zara or Marshalls - I NEVER wear black or white. I embrace my Polish traditional roots in full always

  • https://www.zara.com/us/

  • https://www.marshalls.com/us/store/index.jsp

  • https://www.nordstromrack.com/

• Fun fact about where I am from

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_Mountains

Relevant Links

• Google Kristina Hu : how to write a rockstar resume and should see the Substack article :)

• https://anitab.org/jobboard/

• Chat with your school’s CS department for Grant Funding

• Look into NCWIT, RTC, and other organizations for GHC Conference Grant Applications

• School career services

• Linkedin and #GHC hashtags

• Submit resume to AnitaBorg resume database BEFORE the conference