“I’m a junior developer, can you help me get a job?”
I get this question a lot.
And my answer is unfortunately that I probably can’t.
Companies have not been keen on hiring junior talent even before the recent downturn in the economy.
Even tougher now.
And my time is limited.
“But do you have any recommendations what I can do?”, they ask me.
Yes actually I have.
Here they come in no particular order:
? Keep honing your skills. Practice makes perfect. Build a simple product end-to-end. Update your GitHub.
? If you’re a frontend specialist, you should also try to learn some backend. There’s a huge amount of junior frontend devs applying for the same jobs. Being more fullstacky helps.
? Start a profile on Codersrank. io. Getting a good score there is external validation of your skills that is super helpful for many of us non-techy recruiters. You can use it over and over again, unlike a coding test you do in a specific recruitment process with a hiring company.
? Start writing posts regularly here on Linkedin. Don’t only write that you’re looking for a job. Here are some topics you can try:
How you got into programming, What you are currently working on/learning, The best programming advice you’ve got, Your proudest moment as a developer, Your biggest fail and what you learned from it. Write stories and be personal.
? Comment on other people’s posts here who are in the industry. Find developers who are active here. CTOs, team leads and so. Focus on the kind of companies you’re especially interested in. Try to add value in the comments. Be specific why you appreciate the post. Ask questions and seek to both learn and engage personally. Some good people to follow and learn from are: Marcus Rådell , Lars Larsson, PhD and Mads Brodt . Being consistent with good comments will increase your visibility. A lot.
? Read the two above points about Linkedin again and just get started! Most won’t do that but those who do will get ahead of the competition. Recruiters hang out on Linkedin all day and they will notice you if you show up regularly.
? Learn about about non-obvious fields such as business, collaboration, networking, communication and personal development Devs who are good at these things will be increasingly valuable in 2023. The podcast The Startup of You with Reid Hoffman is a treasure here.
? Go to in-person Meetups. Meeting people f2f too is so much better than only online, if possible.
? Try to find a mentor. A senior developer who can help you with both technical stuff and being strategic in shaping your career. And be generous with their network.
Btw, if your a junior developer looking for a mentor, why not comment below?
Or if you’re a senior who want to give a little hand to someone starting out, raise your hand.
Hopefully we can make some connections.