How to get your first job as a Web Developer
This is the last of a five-part article. Here you have links to the other parts:
Part 5 -How to get your first job as a Web Developer
Intro
You came a long way since you started. This was a long Journey, learning to code. Now that you have worked so hard to get here, and you know your way around the web scene, it’s time to get that job you always wanted.
In this last part of the article, I will walk you through all the aspects you should consider when applying for your first junior developer position. I will show you what will make you stand out from the crowd and maximize your possibilities of landing that dream job.
How do you know you are ready?
Let me put it simple… you don’t! In this profession, you will be constantly learning and improving, there is no way around it.
A good indicator that you should start applying for a job, is when you have enough projects in your portfolio to show your skills. What is enough? Well, if you are following freeCodeCamp’s path, you should finish these certifications:
- Responsive Web Design Certification (300 hours)
- Javascript Algorithms And Data Structures Certification (300 hours)
- Front End Libraries Certification (300 hours) (optional)
This is obviously not a rule but for you to apply for a job, you should at least know your way around how to build websites with HTML, CSS and you should know the basics of a programming language, in this case, Javascript. The Front End Libraries Certification will also give you something extra. In this case, React.
The trick is not to stop learning, but at least you know you should start contacting companies when you have these skills “mastered” and some projects to show.
Sell yourself
Ok, you’ve been acquiring some skills and you think you can stand your ground in an interview. The question is, how do you communicate that to hiring managers? In a sea of candidates, how do you make recruiters notice you?
You have to sell yourself. But, how do you do that? Well, you adopt some marketing strategies:
- Advertise yourself
- Show your skills
- Stand out from the crowd
- Make companies want you
Build your online presence
When you apply for a job, the first thing recruiters will do is to check your online presence. They will look for a resume, a LikedIn, a Portfolio and everything they can find, to see if you are a good match for the company.
Recruiters will want to know who you are and what you have been doing with your time. So be sure to update everything you have online and show that you are a professional.
Profile photo
Speaking about professionalism, please don't neglect your profile foto. You should provide a recent and professional profile foto. There is no need for a professional photographer. You can easily do it at home using your smartphone. Just follow this guide and your good to go.
Resume
“The resume is the first thing a recruiter sees. It’s the gateway to the interview process and could be the difference between getting your dream job and, well, not getting it”. Creating an updated resume that reflects your current skills and your training is crucial. If you need some guidance check this article by Chris Blakely.
As you may be thinking, if you pass the resume test, your LinkedIn is the second place recruiters will go to find out more about you. You should not neglect your LinkedIn profile. Keep it updated because here is where recruiters can find all the professional information. Include all the certifications as well as everything professionally relevant. If you need some guidance check this article by Laurence Bradford.
Show your skills
By now you should have lots of cool projects to brag about. But if no one sees them is like they don't exist. The best way to display your projects is by building a personal portfolio page. This doesn’t take that much time and you are learning as you build it. This way you can have all your projects organized and displayed for everyone to see. It will cause a good impression and show that you are professional and proud of your work. Here are the top web developer portfolios for you to get inspired. Remember you are just starting and something simple that does the job is perfectly fine.
GitHub
GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, you name it. Online repositories are the “portfolio” of your code. Although a robust GitHub presence is not necessarily a decisive factor in most companies hiring process, it would be a wasted opportunity not to show the code you wrote for your projects.
I advise you to have some attention to detail. Your code should follow some good practices like for example correct indentation (you can do it automagically using Prettier in your editor). Remember you are just starting and you don't have to apply all the Clean Code principles (unless you know them).
You should also invest some time in each project readme file because it’s the first thing people will see upon entering a project repository. Provide all the relevant info about the project and if possible, a link to the site where the project is being hosted so that recruiters can see a live demo. I like to use GitHub Pages to host my single page projects but you have lots of other option.
Write technical articles
Articles are a great way to show that you already know some stuff. If you think that just because you are a beginner you have nothing to teach, you’re wrong. You can write about anything. There is always someone out there that doesn’t know what you know and will be glad to learn it. It’s also a great way to get yourself to learn something in depth. Remember, the best way to learn about a topic is to teach it to someone else.
Articles will also make you stand out from the crowd because they will show that you are willing to walk the extra mile and that you are passionate about it.
Lots of networking
Everybody knows networking is important. Still, most people underestimate how important it is. You should be present in every event and trying to get to know everybody from the community. Share what you are doing and let them know how passionate you are about it. Bound with people, learn with them, teach what you know and make lots of friends. Community and friends are the best part of programming. Invest time and energy in this because it’s worth it.
Do your research
Most people will say that you will maximize your chances of getting your first job by sending your resume to all the companies you know about. This is true if you just want to get a job. But, this is not the right way of thinking. There are lots of bad companies out there that don’t deserve you. You should be the one to choose.
Be sure to research companies, what they do, their culture, how are employers treated, etc. You can find lot’s of info online but no company will ever speak bad things about themselves. Networking plays a big role here. You will meet people that work or have worked at the companies that you are interested in. They will gladly share how working at that specific company feels like.
Get that job
Ok now that you have everything ready, it’s time to go and grab that job. You can prepare a cover letter, attach your resume and send it to the company you have selected. Or you can invest in the networking part and follow that company everywhere. Cool companies usually organize events regularly. That's your opportunity to go and introduce yourself. Let them know your story and how passionate you are about programming. Don't force an interview but make yourself available.
In my case, putting myself out there and talking to people about what I was doing, was hands down, the most impactful thing I did when it comes to getting a job. I even got my first job as a developer, without a formal interview. There are two reasons for this:
- First, if you had a child and you needed to contract a babysitter, you would prefer one from your neighborhood that you know it’s legit, despite receiving appliances of better-skilled ones from abroad that nobody knew.
- The second reason is described in this quote from Simon Sinek:
“You don’t hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills.”
Grab opportunities
Always be humble and recognize that you are just starting out. Sometimes you still need to gain some skills before getting to that top company you dream about. Don’t waste any opportunity to learn more.
I was invited to join a company even before I was ready to apply for my first job. I was being paid but if I had to work for free I would do it anyway because this was a company with a pretty good reputation and it was my way into the tech industry.
I didn’t feel ready to start professionally because my skills were not that good (during my first month I discovered I was even worse than I thought), yet, I couldn’t say no to an opportunity like this because as Sir Richard Branson says:
“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes — then learn how to do it later!”
Interviews
Interviews are the scariest thing of the job hunt process. It’s like they will take you to a low light basement room, making a huge questionnaire and torture you until you come up with the right answers. Ahahaha, just kidding! This is the opposite of what really happens in an interview.
The interviewers: they are human beings like you and me. They have done lot’s of interviews in the past and they are used to people being nervous. Because of this, they will try to make it the less stressful possible so that you can be natural and they can evaluate you for who you are. Usually, interviewers are really friendly because they know how stressful this process can be and they don’t want to scare candidates away.
The questionnaire: Another thing candidates are usually scared are the technical questions. When you are applying for a Junior position, recruiters aren’t expecting much technical knowledge. This doesn’t mean you don’t have to know your skills but, your social skills and your attitude will matter the most.
Caution: Always be truthful about your answers, your project’s code, and your skillset. Being caught lying, it’s definitely game over.
The possibility of no success
Yes, even if you do everything right, there is the possibility of you not being hired after the interview. Maybe the company is looking for a more experienced candidate, maybe your skillset doesn’t match the companies needs or maybe it’s because of some other reason. Whatever the reason, rejection will always put you down.
Don't despair! It’s when we are down that we have the most strength to get back up. So, do a reality check and evaluate what went wrong. You can do a “follow-up” with the recruiter and politely ask for some feedback about the interview so that you can improve next time. This will not only give a good impression but it will also give you some insights into which areas you have to improve. Never close that “door”. Tell them you will work harder and come back when you are ready.
For the obvious reasons, never be rude when things don't go as you wish. Keep applying for cool companies, practicing your coding skills and networking on events. You will get more comfortable at it and you will keep improving until you finally get that Job.
Final thoughts
My objective with this article is not to tell you how to get a job. Instead, this focus on how to make companies desire you so that you can be the one to choose. You may think this is less important than skill but, if you have two candidates to fill a position, would you chose the one that doesn’t even care to impress you?
In my case, being involved in the community, helping other students learning to code and being present at every event, showed that I was really passionate about code and that I was here to stay. Back then I didn’t realize, but this was my way of getting into the market. For you, it might be different. You may want to focus more on skills and building awesome projects. Either way, you need to stand out.
Despite all the job offers, getting your first job as a junior web developer is still not easy. You can do everything right and still get rejected for some reason. Don’t ever let this put you down. Keep pushing and showing everyone that you are committed and won't quit. Keep building projects and helping other developers.
Remember, being a developer is not all about writing code, it’s about being a good human being that knows how to write code. Writing good code is important, but without empathy and without being a good team player, you will never be a good developer.
Remember, to get that dream job, your attitude and actions are what matters most. So…
Become so good that no company can ignore you!
This is the fifth of a five-part article. Here you have links to the other parts:
Part 5 -How to get your first job as a Web Developer
