GUESTS SPEAKERS:
Favour Onuoha : https://twitter.com/heyOnuoha?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Blessing Emah : https://twitter.com/Theblessingemah?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
FAVOUR: Hi everyone, I work as a Devrel at Swing Finance. I've been coding for 10years plus. I've been working professionally for over 6years plus. I have worked as a technical writer, community builder, community manager and a Devrel.
BLESSING: Hi everyone, happy to be here. I'm a Blockchain ecosystem builder. I have worked as a product and community manager. I am not defined by these skill sets but all of them are utilized in my current role as a developer advocate. I help companies break into the African space and reach their audience easier. I have been in the Blockchain space for over 6years now. I am the go-to community girl for breaking into the African Web3 ecosystem.
Q: HOW HAS THE LANDSCAPE FOR LANDING A JOB AS A DEVREL EVOLVED?
The roles are more defined now than before. This is because people are speaking up more and it is now acknowledged as a proper job. It is easier now than before if you have the right skills.
Q: WHAT ARE THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER SKILLS IN A DEVREL?
FAVOUR:
Devrel is better thought of as a department consisting several roles which includes but are not limited to: Community Management , Developer Advocacy, Technical Writing, Technical Support Engineer, Technical Documentation Writing, Technical Solutions Architect. This department is found in companies that build tools/products consumed by developers. A Devrel to facilitates the relationship between the company, developers that use the tool/product and the product team. They create a feedback loop between the community and the company by collating information from developers, communicate to the product team and make iterations.
Here are some Sought after Skills of a Devrel:
Documentation Writing. As a devrel, writing documentations is very important to help the developers understand the tools/products of the company. Learn Style guides, improve your writing skills and enhance the experience of developers using your tools.
Technical Writing. Know how to write tutorials.
Product Skills - To understand the product and represent the company better, know how to build as a Frontend/Backend developer.
Content Skills - Learn how to create contents in form of articles, blogs, video contents and so on.
Q: SOFT SKILLS: HOW TECHNICAL SHOULD ONE BE TO BECOME A DEVREL
FAVOUR:
These 2 fields are non-technical and you can start with it.
Community Management
Community Builders: Involves organizing events, bringing the community together.
BLESSING
Core Devrel roles require that you are technical before you can handle them. Be able to build and understand the product.
Q: HOW CAN ONE SHOWCASE THEIR COMPETENCE WITH POTENTIAL RECRUITERS AND STAND OUT IN JOB APPLICATION?
BLESSING:
Use their product, find out what you can do to improve on it. Map out plans to do that.
Be very prepared when jumping on a call. Show your competence, how you can play a vital role in helping them expand. Let them see your relevance and the value you will bring to the table.
Volunteer in communities. Act in the capacity of a developer advocate. Write about the experience and share it online. Document everything you did and your growth metrics.
Look out for the most popular skills a devrel should have, check where you are and know what you need to work on to get there. Do things that will give you the skills and make you Devrel worthy.
FAVOUR
Evidence Based Development / Evidence Driven Development: Build in public. Look for Open Source Projects, take up roles in it. Listen to talks from other Devrel experts in the field, learn how they plan their documentation workflow, read, and reactivate the community. Also, attend events and be a representative of that company/product.
Be good at selling yourself and what you do. While building your perceived value, ensure your actual value measures up by constantly learning and implementing. Don't just focus on being an influencer, build your skills and be an authority.
Q: CHALLENGES PEOPLE FACE WHILE LANDING A JOB
BLESSING
Lack of proof of work
Imposter Syndrome
The best solution to this is to talk about what you do using your social media platforms. Your work and consistency will speak for you. Talk to mentors/ those ahead of you. Find out how they do things, ask for feedback, and be constantly learning and improving.
RESOURCES / COMMUNITIES RECOMMENDED TO JOIN FOR GROWTH
Dxmentorship - https://discord.com/invite/dUQyb2mk4s
Devrel Community Africa - https://devrelcommunityafrica.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-12xmpb6jn-YAkjlxZqYNdu1GSMWQz_DA#/shared-invite/email
DEVRELS TO CONNECT WITH
Vitto Rivabella : https://twitter.com/VittoStack
Francesco : https://twitter.com/FrancescoCiull4
Tessa Mero : https://twitter.com/TessaMero
ADVICE FOR NEWBIES THAT WANT TO BE DEVRELS
Follow Experts in the industry - Join talks, Twitter spaces, be passionate about community building, build evidence, make your online presence your resume, teach/help others.
Build in Public - Pick a platform and grow your community. You could dissect a product and share with the company. Implement things. Keep on learning. Never be scared to pivot.