5 Ways to Find Your Dream Job as a Software Developer

It’s common knowledge that candidate competition is high in the technology industry right now.

This is particularly true if you’re applying to international companies with the most competitive salaries.

Unfortunately there have been a number of layoff's recently, notably at FARFETCH and there is quite a bit of uncertainty in the industry, as we speak.

Now more than ever, is the right moment to invest in your professional development and upskill, so you are ready to land your dream job when the opportunity arises.

It's your chance to really shine, to show your professional worth and to demonstrate why you’re the only candidate they should be thinking about!

So, to help you out in this endeavour, here are 5 ways to find your dream job that will give you that competitive advantage and help you to stand out from the crowd.

1. Update Your CV/Resume, Cover Letter & LinkedIn Profile

Get your CV, cover Letter and LinkedIn profile professionally written or translated by a native professional, ideally by someone with Software Developer experience and/or knowledge of CV writing.

Why so specific?

Well, apart from the obvious, they know how to articulately use professional Business English and how to make your CV stand out in front of potential employers, not to mention their key insights into what recruiters are looking for.

Make sure your cover letter is short, sharp and to the point. A bit like an abstract of a scientific paper, it must clearly and professionally deliver the key points and your purpose for writing early on.?

2. Activate your Referral Network

Many job openings are not advertised, which is why attending technology events, career-related webinars, or training sessions can really pay off.

Let people know you’re open to work on LinkedIn, and send DM's about open positions.

Also, let your friends know that you’re looking and ask if you can email them your CV, so they can provide feedback. Chances are, at least one of your friends can provide guidance or a 'foot-in-the-door.'

While there isn’t a magic pill when it comes to finding a job, focusing your job search on quality over quantity and activating your relationships is the way to go.

3. Fail to Prepare and you Prepare to Fail!

It’s an old expression, but it’s as true today as it ever has been. Don’t leave your career to chance!

In other words, even if your interview goes OK without much preparation, you’ll probably lose out to another candidate who put the time, effort and preparation in. During an interview, it really shows show’s done their preparation, and who hasn’t!?

Don’t assume you can just breeze through the interview without the adequate preparation… and just to be clear, ‘preparation’ doesn’t mean cramming all your practice into one or two days before the interview!

Remember, for vacancies at international companies, you’re not only competing against other non-native English speakers, but also natives AND internal candidates! If they’re putting in the preparation, you should be putting in double!

Practice, practice and practice some more. And if you have time, invest in a course to elevate your interview skills, that suits your schedule.

4. Perfect Grammar & Accents

This is a common stress point for many English learners, and yet, it isn’t actually the ‘be all and end all’. There are more important things you should be focusing on!

So you have an accent, so what! It’s actually quite an endearing feature to have, so relax about it!

Of course, if your accent prohibits your pronunciation to the point that the interviewer cannot understand you, then work on your pronunciation, intonation and word stress. However, it’s not necessary to completely lose your accent.

**Top Interview Tip!**

To help you better understand the interviewer (and their accent), find out where they’re from and practice listening to that typical accent online to familiarise yourself with their intonation and pronunciation. That way, it will be easier to understand them on the day of your interview!

Regarding grammar, the more accurate you are, the better, but a small mistake here or there isn’t going to lose you the job!

5. Punctuality

In English speaking nations like the USA, UK and Australia, as well as many European countries, good punctuality in the business world is a must, and interviews are no exception.

Turning up late to an interview or unprepared, shows disrespect, disinterest and disorganisation. Don’t make that mistake. Remember tip number 3?

In fact, to make the right impression, you should be neither late, nor too early!?Yes, too early is a thing!

I’d recommend 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled time. Nothing more, nothing less.

So which of these tips resonated with you?

Hopefully they’ve come in handy and will add some clarity, focus and success to your job hunt.

The first things you can do to get started are, translate and modernise your CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile, and train your interview skills in English.

If you would like any additional advice from me on this matter, send me a message on LinkedIn and I'll be happy to help.

For more Business English tips and insights for Software Engineers, subscribe to my newsletter and blog.

All the best and good luck!

Tom :)