How to Land Your First Job as a Software Engineer
By: Josh Blumberg
Tags: Bootcamp, Junior Developer, Software Engineering, Coding, Software Development

Photo by Taylor Vick on Unsplash

Grow, and then leverage, your network

A common theme you’ll see repeated throughout the advice that follows is that you should do whatever you can to avoid being a single, flavourless, data point. To illustrate, within minutes of a job opening becoming available on your favourite job board, hundreds of people will have applied. Hiring managers and recruiters are then tasked with assessing this heap of applicants, trying to pick signal from noise. It’s not hard to see how even the strongest applicants can have trouble standing out from the crowd.

The truth is that single data points — papers in a pile, blips in an applicant tracking system — don’t get hired, humans do. Humans with rich experiences and interests (and flaws!). So, it’s imperative that you do what you can to avoid the standard ‘apply now’ button and that you find another way to get in front of hiring decision-makers.

The ‘other’ route

There are two ways to get an interview at most companies. First, the ‘apply now’ button, to be avoided where possible (or supplemented with other measures, discussed later). The other route, the ‘inside track’, is unlocked when someone at the company gives you a referral to whoever is making the hiring decisions — usually a senior engineer, people/HR team member, or the CTO. These people often have the authority and leverage to help you circumvent some of the traditional hiring processes, fast-forwarding you beyond the paper-in-a-pile point and increasing your chances of success.

Asking for a referral is a commonly misunderstood practice, but, if used correctly, it can be incredibly effective. As evidence of this, it’s recommended by some of the most successful people in tech. It’s powerful enough to warrant doing even if it makes you uncomfortable, and there’s no real reason it should. That’s because it’s not a ‘shameless’ thing to do, nor do you have to have an exceptionally strong relationship with the person you ask. In fact, the very act of asking demonstrates that you have certain organizational navigation skills and that you know how to ask for help, both of which are things you’d be wise to be showcasing anyway. All that it takes is you making a connection with someone in regular contact with a key decision-maker and asking them to pass along your CV to that person. It’s in people’s nature to want to help, and, if you’ve made a positive impression, they’ll likely include some kind words along with it. Worst case, they say no, and you lose nothing. So, how to make those connections?

Events

One way to grow your network is to attend events. Events can take the form of meetups, talks, webinars, conferences, etc. They represent one of the most positive aspects of working in tech and there are enough going on at any one time that you will be able to find some to suit your interests. Some places to check are meetup.com, twitter, and LinkedIn. For the latter two, follow the people and the companies that you are interested in, and, as certain as death and taxes, they’ll let you know when they have an event on the horizon.

When you attend an event, you should speak to people, ask questions, and start making connections. If you lean introverted, and that’s not your cup of tea, then you can jot down names and emails of people you find interesting and then email or message them later to strike up a conversation in a less public forum.

Beyond growing your network, attending events is a great way to learn a thing or two beyond the scope of your current role or experience. This is especially important as a junior because it can help round out your lack of experience. As an example, I made a positive impression in multiple interviews by talking about concepts which I hadn’t learned at the bootcamp I attended, but which I discovered at events. Attending events is also a good way to showcase that you like to learn, a trait which every hiring manager will be looking for.

Alumni

If you attended a computer science program or bootcamp, then, luckily for you, you already have a group of peers who will form the beginnings of your professional network. Yes, you are all equally fresh-faced and looking for your first engineering jobs at the same time, so your peers won’t likely be making introductions right away. However, within a few months, they will start getting jobs. As they do, if they are performing well, their employers may ask them if they know anyone else who would be keen to join, and you never know when that person will be you.

Your alumni network also forms an invaluable support group. You can and should use it to get help with technical questions for your projects, conduct practice interviews, and compare notes about which job-hunting techniques are or aren't working. As you progress and grow in your careers, these connections can provide information about what it’s like to work for different companies and in different places, top tips for success at those companies, salary benchmarking info (depending on how forthcoming your friends are), and they can even make the introductions which help you land your next role.

The alumni network is one of the strongest value-adds of attending a bootcamp and I’m sure that’s true of computer science programs as well, although maybe to a lesser extent given their typical size.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an amazing tool when you are looking for your first engineering role. Its job board is less polluted with spam than most, the profile provides a place to dynamically showcase all your experience, and, most importantly, it has powerful and free networking features.

Growing your network on LinkedIn is easy, but it's about more than just adding everyone you can think of as a connection. The bar for the strength of the relationship required to ask for a referral is low, but it’s not so low that you can be just connected — you need to have had a (positive) conversation. However, that’s not to say that the conversation can’t either start or take place in full over LinkedIn. So, who to connect with, and how to start the conversation?

Head to the job board and find a few openings you’re interested in applying to. In particular, you should look out for companies with current or former engineers/product-people with whom you have something in common. You could’ve graduated from the same program at university or the same bootcamp, or perhaps you both have a strong desire to change the world through Haskell. Whatever it is, if they’ve hired people like you before, then they are likely to again. Also, this common ground can serve as a conversation starter. You then have two options — connecting before you apply to the job or after. In cases where the job description isn’t explanatory enough for you to write a well thought out cover letter, you should reach out before. Send a connection request to a few of the company’s tech leads, senior engineers, or even the CTO, with a message attached. Here’s an example:

Hi X, I recently graduated from Y bootcamp/university and I’m really keen to apply to Z because of This and That. I saw you also trained at a bootcamp and I wonder how you’re finding working at Z? Thanks,

Josh

A few key things to note:

- Brevity. Expressive but short messages are the likeliest to elicit a response and simultaneously ensure you remain respectful of peoples time.

- Include, if not lead with, the commonality or shared interest. People are more likely to respond to members of their in-group.

- This and That, whatever they are for you, are critical. People receive tons of messages on LinkedIn, so be sure to stand out by making it clear that you care and have done some research.

- End with an open-ended question which will start the conversation off.

If they get back to you, have a back and forth and ask some more questions, the answers to which will help you flesh out your application. Many people won’t get back to you, but don’t be discouraged. This is why you should send a few messages for each company you’re interested in. As an aside, don’t worry about sending similar messages to multiple people at the same company. No one has ever turned to their colleague and said I just received this message on LinkedIn, did you receive the same one?

If you feel the job description gives enough information to allow you to write a thorough application without having a conversation with an employee, then I’d recommend you reach out after you’ve already applied. Here’s an example:

Hi X, I’ve just applied to work at Y. I saw you also trained at Z bootcamp/university and I’m wondering how you find working at Y? Is there anything you think I should bear in mind for the remainder of the application process? Thanks,

Josh

The same points as above still hold. The question about what it’s like to work there or if they have any advice are just two examples. You could also ask what the company’s current focus is or for more information about their tech stack. What’s important is that it’s something open-ended so that you can have a back and forth.

Once you’ve opened up the conversation, you also have a chance to weave in your interests which make you a good fit for the role. You could share a relevant project and ask for feedback, talk about a relevant technical challenge you’re having and ask if they have any ideas, etc. Once you’ve had a conversation, if they seem to be taking a liking to what you are all about, you can close by asking them to make a referral.

Whether you have already formally applied or not, this could look like:

Thanks for taking the time to chat. I wonder if you could introduce me to the hiring manager for the X role?

Note that one common response is “Oh we have a .com/careers page, you can apply directly there.” If you get that response, you can try a gentle nudge, as sometimes people forget they can do this.

Could I send you my CV and a one-paragraph email to forward to the right person?

With repeated attempts and some luck, you’ll find yourself on the ‘inside track’. You’ll have had a chance to stand out from the crowd and you may even be able to miss out some of the standard interview rounds because an employee has already vouched for you.

As you progress throughout your career, it would be wise to continue attending to your network, both online and offline. You can do so by attending events, blogging, and perhaps even by running your own meetups or speaking at conferences. As you become more senior, it becomes even more common for openings to be filled through the network via headhunting and referrals rather than through direct applications. In any case, meeting new people and sharing ideas is one of the most positive and interesting aspects of working in tech.