The Job Search
Searching for your first Software Developer job can be an intimidating task. Here are some tips top help you get through it.
- Don’t get discouraged
Of course getting rejection after rejection from jobs you thought you had a chance at is discouraging. I know first hand how it feels to fail a coding challenge a job has given or to completely mis-word your responses and pitches during an interview. All I can say is: don’t get discouraged. Each failure is a way to get better at the interview and job search practice.
2. Realize that your job search could take a while
If you expect to have a job after a week of searching, you are setting yourself up to be majorly disappointed. Some people have been able to find a job quickly while others have to spend six months searching for the perfect job. Counting the days and waiting eagerly for those emails and responses from employers is a sure way to be disappointed constantly.
3. Don’t take it personally
When you receive a rejection for a promising-looking position, it is easy to get discouraged and to wonder: what did I do wrong? You may even begin to doubt your skills and yourself because you didn’t seem to fit the position you thought you did. I can tell your from experience that this will only prolong your job search and hurt your feelings. It’s good to question how you can improve yourself and your interview skills, but it’s not good to take everything personally.
4. Keep yourself busy
Waiting for an offer letter from a position can feel life long. Keep applying, interviewing and coding even if you think you’ve already gotten the job. For the first weeks of my job search, I made the fatal mistake of waiting around. This caused me to become exhausted and discouraged very quickly. When I put the computer down for a bit and went to do something completely unrelated to my job search, I felt refreshed. Know that a job search is not an overnight task and it can take months, keep yourself busy with new projects and things to do during those months.
5. Spend some time learning new skills
Throughout your job search, it may be useful to take up a whole new skill while you’re searching. Sometimes, sticking with the skills you know can be the difference between getting a job or not. During the months I’ve spent in an active job search, I’ve learned C#. C# is a programming language I never thought about learning before, but it happens that learning that new skill has gotten me more interviews than not.
Those are a few tips that have helped throughout the long process of job searching. I hope they will help you too. Good luck on your job search!
