There is no magic bullet that will get you hired as a developer. However, there are some very helpful tips along the way.
I recently spoke with Matt Langan and Christian Macolino, two of Atlassian’s top senior tech recruiters. I wanted to know what they thought, coming from a company that hires tech talent for a $3.3 billion software company.
This article looks at the periphery of recruitment and includes some practical tips and interview guides.
resume
The first step is to have a resume to sell. We need to go through this in order to demonstrate our capabilities to the people involved in the hiring process.
Often, developers spend more time doing this than they do actually searching for jobs.
Digital or traditional?
Especially when applying to a high-tech company, we assume that digital approaches — personal websites and online resumes — will take precedence over standard formats. But that’s not always the case. Especially for those non-design positions, the employers are more concerned about whether the applicants have what they need. In general, though, these are also included in digital resumes.
This also applies to small businesses, or non-high-tech companies, where the hiring process involves more management oversight and less technical content.
Selection method
In terms of education and what developers must do, Matt’s advice on this is:
Dabble in side projects, hobbies, blog, join forums, join Stack Overflow or Github, ask questions, answer questions, participate in coding contests and tech parties. For your current job, you should master what you’re doing, take on more responsibility, and help others learn — especially those at a lower level than you.
These suggestions are excellent. If you’ve been hired as a specialist in a particular field, take on a side project to not only keep up with the core languages and tools, but also expand your knowledge base to at least a basic understanding of other languages, software, and tools.
Constant learning is the key. From a continuing education perspective, Christian has a thought-provoking point:
The first five years of your career are when you really set the stage for yourself. In a new position or field, you need to be like a sponge and keep learning. But after four or five years, as you get better at it, people start asking you for guidance. So, if you have bad learning habits and bad lifestyle habits early in your career, you will suffer from them.
Self assessment
For those of you who have crossed the red line, it may be time to take a self-assessment.
Take a moment to consider where you are in your career. Do you still need to learn from colleagues, users, and projects? Are you improving and growing through side projects? Are you still passionate about your work?
Looking for passion
This seems to be a common constraint on development in many enterprises. Especially for young junior staff, the passion factor is particularly influential.
Make a change
If you’ve been hired as a developer and you’ve stopped learning and loving what you do, then you need to think about what you’re going to do next to find passion both in your position and by changing things up. It can be as simple as a change in attitude and responsibility or a change in your current workplace. It can also mean changing jobs, changing positions, or even replanning careers.
Full stack or exclusive
So, should we aspire to be a full-stack developer, or an expert in a particular programming language?
Master one’s craft
For starters, the goal should be to get a lot of exposure, and then focus on one area. Use this as a starting point to really start your career as a developer.
In your spare time, continue to read widely, and then expand on other skills once you’ve established your brand.
However, one should also be well-read
Recruiters looking for senior development positions are looking for a broad range of knowledge. Find a major you love and study it, but you don’t have to choose anything else.
Expand your knowledge and skills at work and side projects by dabling in other projects, languages, roles and knowledge.
Instead of focusing on the full stack, Christian said, it’s better to cultivate the qualities that a software engineer should have:
Basic coding skills sound architectural knowledge thorough knowledge of software development ability to try to complete tasks and balance conflicting requirements passionate communication skills release.
Look for a career, not a position
Many companies want to hire a skilled, dynamic, adaptable team. This can happen during the hiring process, or after the hiring process, or even several years later, if the company allows internship rotation.
With this attitude, consider your goals before you choose to work for a company. Not just applying for jobs. Research the company. Get to know their recruiters and HR staff and let them know about you. Track the career trajectories of talented developers. As the saying goes, there must be a teacher in three people’s company, who can continue to learn from their predecessors, peers and sometimes even juniors.
Make yourself noteworthy
Atlassian, like many big tech companies, is looking for gold that already shines, not waiting for it to shine later. So making yourself noticeable isn’t about gilding the lily, it’s about rendering your ability from the inside out. This applies even to junior developers, to some extent.
The lesson: Make yourself noteworthy.
Ways to get attention
The blog. Commit to open source. Use social media. Build your own online business. Interact with peers on developer communities such as GitHub, SitePoint Forums, Stack Overflow, and so on.
The proliferation of online profiles
Matt and Christian and I also talked about the length of online profiles, especially on LinkedIn. One thing mentioned here is that LinkedIn job spam has made some people feel the need to pare down their profile entries.
Such restrictions may deter some of the more genteel recruiters. This is the only information they will use to decide whether to contact the person.
So if you’re looking for a new job, the extreme risk of revealing information about yourself is likely to lead to a deluge of spam job postings.
Developer interview
Here are Matt and Christian’s 6 tips for interviewing programmers.
Research the company
Read the company’s website and blog. Watch their videos, experience their culture, and research information about the company and its joint venture.
Doing some research can show your interest, help you discuss the company more intelligently, and ask questions about how you’ll fit in.
2. Get to know the interviewer
Search LinkedIn and profiles of prospective interviewers.
3. Review your skills
You should know which areas will be tested. If you don’t know, try to get a range. Then review the skills that will be discussed, even if you are confident. Don’t let some simple code problem ruin your chances.
4. Practice
Practice pair programming with friends or through a service online.
Many developer positions at software companies and large organizations may have some form of pair programming assessment.
Even if you don’t, you might be able to pair program once you’re hired. In a word, it is safe to be prepared.
5. Know yourself
Think about all the failures and successes you’ve had so far. Know where you want to go, know your strengths and weaknesses as a developer and as a team member.
6. You’re the “Interviewer”
Remember, the interview is not only a good time for employers to decide whether they want to hire you, but also a good time for you to decide whether to join them.
When the interviewer asks if you have any other questions, you should ask them. Ask about the direction of a project you might be working on, or the company’s goals, or your role. If you have any good ideas that contribute to the project and service concept, feel free to share them.
An interview is both a chance to be chosen and a chance to choose.
Apply to be a developer
It’s important to note that a lot of this advice is based on the fact that you’re already a developer.
If you want to become a developer, you need to work hard and take the time to find companies and jobs that fit your career path.
You may need to build your portfolio, or you may even have to do free work — work on side projects or become a freelance worker — in order to land a full-time job.
You’ll need to think carefully about your online profile and find time at work to learn other skills. But it was all worth it in the end.
If you get an interview with a company you’ve been dreaming of, don’t forget this: this interview could define the rest of your life, or at least the next few years. Your earnings, your career trajectory, what you learn next, your happiness, depend on the next series of tests and conversations. You should thank yourself, thank the person who made the offer, and be prepared to present the best possible version of yourself to the interviewer.