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It can be frustrating to be an entry level developer trying to find work. It seems like every job ad asks for more experience than you have or expertise on tools you have never worked with, at a salary that barely pays back those student loans. While there is not much that can be done to change the employer side of the equation, there are lots of things you can do on your end to make it easier to find a job.
1: Talk to other developers The best place to hear about new job opportunities is from other developers. Recruiters are great, but developers can give you leads on jobs that might not have gone to a recruiter yet or that the recruiter has been struggling to fill. They may also be able to give you a personal introduction or even a recommendation that will set you apart from the crowd.
2: Be prepared for a long journey If you want to get work in the development industry, you cant start looking for work a month before you graduate and hope for the best. If you have been working and are looking to change jobs, you still need to understand that entry level developers usually look about the same on paper. Making yourself stand out from the pack is essential if you want to be hired quickly and into a good position. And that is a process. Simply going to the "right school" or working with the "right tools" is not enough. There are zillions of .NET and Java and PHP developer jobs out there with zero to three years of on-the-job experience. If you do not start laying the groundwork in advance, it will be hard to show why you are a better hire than anyone else.
3: Work on an open source or personal project One of the best ways to differentiate yourself is to show an actual project you have worked on. And if you did it outside the workplace or school, where you have people hounding you to get it done and guiding you, even better. It is easy to say, "I worked on a timesheet application in my first job, but I cant show you the source code." It is rare that someone can come in and give a demo or leave a copy of the code with the interviewers that proves that they can write quality code. And working on your own or in a loose team shows that you do not need someone micromanaging you to get your work done, which is always an employers concern when hiring entry level software developers.
4: Be visible Working on a project will raise your visibility. So will getting involved in the developer community. Helping people out in forums, attending local user groups, and generally trying to be helpful and friendly both online and offline will go a long way to helping you get hired. Will you be able to answer all the questions people have? No. But by being willing to help out, and doing the things that others may be too busy to do, youll make an impression and people will remember you. At the various .NET user groups I attend, for example, helping out is a great way to meet recruiters and people who can clue you in to new jobs.
5: Do not be picky A critical mistake that many entry level developers make is to think they are "above" a certain job or technology. I hate to break it to people, but this is an industry where you have to pay your dues. Yes, working with some technologies or in some industries may be potentially career limiting, but they can give you the experience you need to step up to the next level. For example, one company near me likes to hire people directly from college to work on legacy COBOL applications. While COBOL may not be the most in-demand skill, those folks are learning a lot about the Big Data techniques and the enterprise environment. That kind of experience will be a big help for them to move on to other positions in the future.
6: Fit the resume to the job Trying to get hired as an entry level developer is all about standing out. If the people reading your resume have to struggle to find what they want, they will quickly move on to the next one in the pile. Before sending your resume in, look carefully at the ad, follow all directions to the letter, and make sure to emphasize the skills and experiences that the ad is looking for. To make sure you have the perfect fitting resume for a developer, use a resume writing services to have your resume professionally written to stand a better chance to get the job.
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