Starting off my journey as a software developer, I was one of those few people that got a job while still learning, as the company I was working with at that time gave me a period of time to learn and come back to apply my knowledge almost immediately and that was how the journey started off for me.
if you are interested in that story, check out my article on how I transitioned into tech.
But after that job was over, I started the journey afresh! as getting a new job in tech was not a child's play because there was always something I didn't have in every job description I came across, which led me into a tutorial loop.
I kept learning, learning and re-learning.
How I eventually built up the confidence to start applying for jobs and how I got my next job are the steps I would be sharing in this article.
Go grab some popcorn..
Preparing for Software Developer Jobs as a Beginner
1. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SIMILAR MINDS
As much as you may be introverted, or love building in private and showing off the results in public, while you are still trying to get your first job, this does not apply to you! as you need to surround yourself with similar minds like you so that you do not get weary and just give up along the way as the road can get lonely at some point. So start by searching for {coding, software developer, backend developer, frontend developer.. } on social media spaces like Twitter or LinkedIn and following the people in the results.
- See what their content looks like, and get yourself accustomed to the keywords around your space.
- Check what their Bio looks like and make something similar for yourself.
- Check out how their contents are structured and do the same.
- Join twitter spaces, events or webinars around your field.
- Join communities around your field and asides from getting yourself new friends, you'd also get access to exclusive programs such as; boot camps, mentorships, private events and most especially.. exclusive job offers! which was how I found my next job.🤗 Some of these communities are SheCodeAfrica, GenZTechies, DevCareer Africa, Ingressive for Good, Tamborin, EmpowerHer Community
2. GET THAT EXPERIENCE ANYWAY
In other to break out of the tutorial loop, you need to get busy! Get involved in hackathons, volunteer for projects, contribute to open source, get into a project-based boot camp, become a tutor or write a blog. Just don't stop learning!
Not Everybody will get an Internship Role!
if you've already spent over a year doing all of the things I mentioned above and you still haven't gotten your first job, then it's time to wear your big girl pants or big boy pants as the case may be, and start applying for junior roles or any role that doesn't explicitly say "Senior Software Developer!" because you no longer need an internship to begin your career, instead start focusing more on the best coding practices to adapt and make your codes look more professional.
3. PUSH YOUR CODES!
How else would an employer know what you are capable of, if all your codes remain in your local directory.. or how are they supposed to see that you are well conversant with version control and can collaborate efficiently with teams when working on the same project if you refuse to push your codes.
If you are guilty of this act, make a decision to start pushing your codes today.
Example of platforms where you can showcase your codes are: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and so on.
4. BUILD YOUR PORTFOLIO
Remember those boot-camp assignments, those volunteering jobs you did, and some personal projects you worked on.. now it's time to put them together and make a portfolio out of it.
Please don't get caught up in the animation trend while trying to build your portfolio. As much as it is quite fancy these days, finding your next job does not depend on how your portfolio banner can make a 360 turn before finally landing. Spend that time on building quality projects!
Below are some meaningful projects you can build to strengthen your portfolio:
- A CRUD Application (Such as Blogs, a Sticky note App, an Ecommerce Application.. and so on)
- Recreating a Figma Design or making clones of existing websites
- Building an API
- Consuming an API to create a dynamic application
- A Web3 Project - check out build space for examples.
Also here are some sites with minimalist designs that you could draw your portfolio inspiration:
6. GET YOUR RESUME READY
Your resume is the first key needed to get you into the interview room and as simple as that sounds, a lot of people still mess it up. Here is a video on how to craft a good resume for developers.
Also, owing to the fact that we are in the 21st century, our social media profiles also serve as our resumes, most especially on LinkedIn and Twitter. Make sure you have a clear profile picture and a short and concise Bio with content that states clearly that you are a developer.
5. START APPLYING FOR JOBS
Just like I mentioned previously, for every job that doesn't explicitly say "Senior Software Developer" you are open to applying for them as every job description is just a wishlist written by the employer or recruiter as the case may be, hence you don't have to tick all the boxes written in a job description before applying for a job.
Let the recruiter go through the stress of sorting out the resumes and don't disqualify yourself before they do.
You deserve a seat at the tech table.
7. PREPARE FOR INTERVIEWS
When your resume eventually fetches you an interview, prepare for every interview like a business proposal meeting. This means that you would need to have an elevator pitch of who you are (make it interesting..) and why they should hire you.
Don't forget to know your onions, meaning you read up and practice for the technical part of the interviews.
Also, don't let them off the hook easily, do your research about the company, find out things you need clarity on, things that could be better on their websites and what they have in store for you if you eventually get on board.
7. RESEARCH YOUR SALARY RANGE AND GO FOR IT!
Conclusion
Regardless of how daunting the whole beginner journey might be, I want you to know that every expert you see out there, was once in your shoes.. and the only way they made it to the top was that they kept showing up every day in their own little way and that was what differentiated them from the rest.
So, don't give up yet even though the waiting period can be overwhelming, the journey can only get better from here, as the reward of your labour is going to last waaayy longer than that.
Trust the process, and I can't wait to hear your story.
See you on the other side. cheers🥂
#4articles4weeks #week1 #beginner #softwaredeveloper