If you’ve ever spoken to an experienced software developer about job hunting, you have probably also learned how high the demand is for talented developers. Recruiters on LinkedIn spam messages to these established industry veterans left and right, hoping to entice the candidates with offers of higher pay, better benefits, and excellent work/life balance.
It sounds incredible, and you begin to get the impression that all you need are a few simple projects. After that, it’s a done deal, you won’t have to even look for a job, the jobs will find you! Unfortunately, as I found, that’s not exactly the case. Sure, seasoned pros may receive an endless stream of interview requests and job offers, but for new grads? You had better be able to show some proof of your skill.
As I approached graduation, I was frantically applying to internships and full-time jobs, all while trying to bolster my resume. For most of the Summer of 2021, I had no luck. Sure, there were a few responses, but during each interview I could tell that my projects were not exciting anyone. I had built basic CRUD applications, displayed basic competence with creating and using APIs, and had experience with a wide range of languages. Still, I had not received any opportunities.
One day, I decided to try and comb through job postings, and see where my resume fell flat. I noticed one thing that many companies had in common: they were looking for someone with experience using a front-end JavaScript framework (especially React, but Angular or Vue as well). I decided that same day to create a portfolio piece built in React.
A few weeks later, I had a project built with React. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was a real project I built that I could now rely on, both in my interviews and on my resume. I immediately noticed an uptick in responses for both internships and full-time positions after upgrading my resume. This lead to several interviews, and eventually my current position at a Fortune 500 company.
This is a simplified version of my story, but the truth of it is, new developers have to find a way to stand out. Take a look at job postings near you. Do you meet many of the basic requirements? If so, great you’re ready to start applying. But if you’re still struggling to get the offer of your dreams, take a look at the preferred qualities candidates might have. You might notice a few holes in your knowledge that you can start improving. Sometimes it’s as simple as adding an extra bullet point and some ‘oomph’ to your resume.
