Tips To Get A Job As A Developer
Tags: career, jobs, codenewbie, development
Published: 2019-09-13 06:44:00

Hi Everyone!

This is my first post! I hope some people find it helpful in landing their first job as a developer. I'm sure the following tips will help you get a job, even if you have a job as a developer already. If you have more tips, add them in comments and I will add them to the list!

1. Nobody cares if you went to Yale, to the technical school down the road, or you if learned how to code by watching YouTube. As long as you know your stuff, you are good to go. If a company cares about where you went to school, rather than focusing on your skills, you probably don't want to work there.

2. Contribute to Open Source. How? Github (https://github.com/) is a good place to start or go to NPM and find projects there.

3. Have your resume updated and complete at all times. FYI: I review resumes for FREE. Send me a DM on Twitter @devpato.

4. Complete your profile on LinkedIn. Seriously, this is how tech recruiters can find you!

5. Be active on LinkedIn. Share what you read, your thoughts, and what you are learning, etcetera. I get contacted by recruiters a few times a week because of all the things previously mentioned. Always keep your LinkedIn professional.

6. Contact recruiters. The candidates from recruiting agencies have a higher chance to get an interview than people who apply directly to the company.

7. Have a personal website.

8. Have a least 3 projects on your portfolio and talk about them in your resume.

9. Make sure every single line of code you write is on Github. Github is the portfolio of the developers and recruiters can find you on Github too! ;) 

10. Answer and post questions on Stackoverflow.

11. Create a developer story on Stackoverflow. How do you do this? Go to your profile -> click on Developer Story Tab. Once completed, you will see something like mine https://stackoverflow.com/users/story/5262452. This helps recruiters find you and helps you find the job you want.

12. Show your passion about programming while interviewing. 

13. Show your desire to learn new technologies.

14. Be active on Twitter. Twitter? Wait, What??? Yes, Twitter! Twitter is an informal way to meet developers. You never know who you'll interact with and the potential doors that can be opened.

15. Data-structures and Algorithms are the most important things! LIES! The majority of the developers will never use a crazy algorithm or a crazy DS. You also need to focus on learning best practices, how to integrate different tools like NPM packages to your code, APIs, etcetera. 

16. DO NOT get discouraged if you don't hear back from any of the 200 companies you QUICK APPLIED to on Indeed or LinkedIn.

17. DO NOT CLICK ON "quick apply" to jobs. Most of the jobs posted with "quick apply" are fake. Take a few extra minutes to apply and answer the questions properly on their forms, etcetera. 

18. DO NOT LIE on your resume. Everything you put on your resume is valid for the interviewer to ask questions about. 

19. Go to meetups! Meetups are an awesome way to network and get your name out there. Also, recruiters go to meetups :)

20. Participate in Hackathons. If your school or someone in your town is hosting a hackathon, participate! Even if you don't think you are good enough to compete. Hackathons are not always about competing, it's about learning, networking, and having a good time! Plus, they usually give free food.

21. Look for jobs on Stackoverflow, LinkedIn, and Indeed. Stackoverflow is very good for remote jobs :)

22. Set the preferences on Stackoverflow and LinkedIn specifying that you are looking for a new opportunity. 

23. Post on twitter when you are looking for a job. More than one of us will retweet it!

24. Worried about your GPA? Dang, sorry COLLEGE wasn't for you. Luckily, that doesn't mean that you don't know how to code. In fact, I know a lot of very talented programmers who had a very low GPAs.

25. Find a mentor. Having a mentor is always good even if you are a senior developer. A mentor can help you make decisions and take the correct path in you career.

26. Do something that make you accountable for your learnings and goals.

You don't have do every single one of these tips. They are tips, not rules or formulas, on how to land a job as a developer.

Good luck on your job search!


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