How to Get a Software Job Without Applying For One
I read a post from a newcomer to software development the other day about his frustration with having applied to some eight-hundred jobs or thereabouts without securing the software development job he wanted.? I can certainly sympathize, since it took me some three years to break into the field myself.? Eight-hundred jobs, wow -- that’s an impressive number of “no” answers.? I hope he breaks in soon.
I have some ideas -- based in part on my own experience both as a newcomer and since then, about how one might approach things a bit differently.? Clearly, if one applies eight hundred times and fails, changing up one’s approach in the following ways might help.? (Or at least, can’t hurt very much).
First, try this. Don’t apply to published jobs. ?Published jobs generally have one feature in common:? a recruiter.? If you think recruiters work to find you work, that’s partly true if you’re some old codger like me who started his career by etching his code on dinosaur bones with sharp rocks.? When you’re new, a recruiter’s job is to ignore you. They're out there hoping someone will pay them to find an experienced resource.
Recruiters ignored me when I was new.? Now it’s your turn.
The solution?? Ignore them back.? Instead, start reaching out to developers who already have the job you want.? Introduce yourself, and ask to talk to them about their experiences.? Some questions you might ask: 1) Does your company ever hire interns or entry-level people?? 2) Given my experience, what would you recommend I do to get ready to work for your company?? What am I missing?? 3) Does your company have a referral bonus program?? [In other words, can the developer make money by referring you?]? 4) If I do the things you suggested (#2), would you be willing to refer me?
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Re-focus your portfolio not on showing you can code, but in showing you can help developers.? Writing a killer project demo is hard when you’re new, and takes time.? Instead, pick some short tutorials that show:
Will writing these articles take time and effort?? Of course, but it takes a lot less effort than writing another demo project.? At the same time, it shows you’re serious about learning the profession.? Implicitly, it also shows you’ve moved on beyond simple coding demos.
Good luck on your search!
Developer
3 年Really felt like a puzzle piece just fell into place after reading this and Rob Allen's post - Lot's of skills that I can make small projects/post about. Its about time I finally delved past the surface of security as well. Honestly these are all skills I could use some more work on. One of the reasons it's hard for me to stick to TDD is because I'm not fluent enough in writing test. Best part is I can see how all these skills will increase the QoL of being developer as well!
Application Development Manager at Red River
3 年This is all great advice John; and that’s coming from a guy who still has a box of etched dinosaur bone code in his closet somewhere. A couple of things to add: * Take an interest in security. Too many companies have whole departments of network security specialists and millions of lines of old, crappy, unsecured code using libraries from the ‘90s. If you can write secure code and - better yet - add security to legacy code, you’ll be gold. * Automation, automation, automation. Learn about DevSecOps. Set up a build/deploy pipeline in the cloud. Another place old coding grognards tend to slip up is they like to write code, compile it, and deploy it by hand. If you know the workings of Git and, say, AWS CodeBuild, integrate automated testing and code scanning, and can package an application in a container and deploy it - all just by checking in a change and promoting the commit - again, you’re an asset that can improve the efficiency and quality of an entire team.