What is VanHack Leap ?
VanHack Leap is an in-person event over 4-5 days and it is an amazing opportunity for developers, data scientists, DevOps engineers, and senior tech talent from around the world to meet top tech-based companies (startups and enterprise) and conduct face to face interviews.
Why should I attend a Leap Event?
Whether you are looking for a job in Canada or Europe Leap is the place to be! 60% of candidates who attend Leap get an offer through the event.
This event will target local companies from tech and business. Leap is a chance for you to talk to companies that are hiring in person. If you’ve had enough of submitting your CV online without the opportunity to make a lasting first impression, here’s your chance to change your strategy and demonstrate your qualifications in person!
- Meeting and interacting with recruiters face to face – better than sending a regular email application with resume and motivation letter attached
- Unique opportunity to make personal and impactful connections – show your real value as a motivated applicant and make a great first impression
- Networking with different corporations – learn about what is going on in the market and interact with a broad selection of companies
When is it? And where?
We have multiple Leap events every year, in cities across Canada and Europe. For example, the next Leap that you should apply for is in Montreal on March 2nd – https://vanhack.com/platform/#/events/leap-montreal-march-2020
You can check out and apply for any of the upcoming Leap events here – https://vanhack.com/platform/#/events/
Who is the ideal Leap candidate?
We are looking for senior developers from around the world.You need to have advanced English and 4+ years of job experience as a software developer/ engineer, QA, Data Engineer. For example:
- React/ React Native
- Mobile development in Android / iOS
- Devops with AWS and virtualization
- Front-end/ Fullstack with great HTML/CSS + Javascript and one or more of its frameworks (example: Node/Redux etc..)
- Ruby on Rails
- Python
- Machine learning…
There are other skills as well – this is just an example.
How do I apply?
- Create and fill out your VanHack Profile. Don’t forget to add your resumé, GitHub, LinkedIn and your personal website (if you have one). An incomplete profile won’t be considered for the selection process.
- Finish your English Verification. You don’t need to be a native speaker, but we need to know that you will be able to communicate as expected for a senior developer in order to better match you with a job vacancy. Click here to schedule your verification call
- Complete the Code Verification – Prove your coding skills. We check your technical knowledge and problem-solving abilities. Start your challenge at the Code Verification page.
- Apply for a Leap event: https://vanhack.com/platform/#/events.
Don’t wait – complete your profile now.
How do I get approved?
In order to be approved your profile will go through 3 main steps:
- Profile Screening – Our Recruiters will review your profile and do a match based on market needs.
- Screening Call if you are selected- They will request you a call of 15-30 minutes to understand who you are as a professional and what is your level of experience.
- Matching – Your profile will be matched with the openings based on each event’s requirements.
What if I’m not selected?
We select candidates based on their skills and the match to the job roles at a particular Leap. You may not be a good fit for one event, but a perfect fit for another! Don’t give up, and keep applying for Leap events. Our recruiting team will also attempt to match you to a different event if they feel that you’d be a really good fit for that event instead of the one you applied for.
What happens after I am approved to participate in the Leap event?
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- You need to get your Canadian Visa and book your flights/accommodation
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- VanHack provides every selected candidate with CAD$500 to help defray your costs. These funds will be paid at the end of the Leap event, after you attend. Any other expenses are your responsibility.
- The VanHack team will start contacting you and begin training you for the event with English classes, Interview Practice, Resume review and a lot more. We invest heavily in our Leap candidates because we want you to get a job after you fly all the way here! We do not charge for any of this – if you’re selected for Leap, this is included.
So let’s get started: Check your Visa Processing Times
Getting a Canadian tourist visa is often a prerequisite to attend a Leap event. In 2019, we found that many great candidates were unable to attend because they simply couldn’t get a visa in time! We want to make sure that you don’t face this issue next year. Visa processing times vary a lot depending on where you’re applying from, so we’d like to help you understand your options.
The first step is to check whether you need a visa. You can do that here http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp. If you only need an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) and not a visa, you don’t need to worry about processing times.
However, if you need a visa (most people do), you need to know how long it takes to get a visa. To do this, follow the steps below
Check processing times – https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html
- Choose “Temporary Residence (visiting, studying, working)
- Choose “Visitor Visa (outside Canada)”
- Choose your country of application.
(You can apply from your country of citizenship or a country where you legally reside as a student/worker etc.
What if I don’t receive a job offer?
Don’t worry if you don’t receive a job offer right away. VanHack has a lot of job opportunities for you and we will keep hacking together to help you along the way, supporting you in different matters such as salary negotiation, immigration, resume review, relocation, and much more. We’ve often seen Leap candidates get hired a few weeks after the event, as companies can take some time to decide.
Final Tips
Try to arrive in the city of the event a couple of days before the kickoff day (which is usually a Monday) because it’s long flight to Canada for most people, and you need time to adapt to the new time zone and get over jet lag. In addition, it is good to have time to get to know the subways and bus routes to leap destinations. We recommend that you stay for a week as you may be invited for an onsite interview.
Ideally, your accommodation should be downtown, close to a train or bus station to facilitate your mobility. You can use Airbnb or a hotel. And if you have questions, we’re here to help!
Apply for an upcoming Leap here: https://vanhack.com/platform/#/events
