Advice for those seeking a web development position

In the last six months I’ve landed three jobs, each significantly better than the last. I mean, I’m not saying I was working a bad job in the first place, I’ve just been really lucky. I’ve had more jobs that I enjoyed than ones I didn’t. Even so, I’ve been fortunate enough to continue to find better and better jobs. Because of this, I’ve been doing quite a bit of thinking about the topic of finding work and just why I’ve been able to find so much of it. My advice will be most useful for those seeking a web development/programming-related position because other than fast food, that’s the only area I have any experience in, but I imagine a lot of it will be relevant regardless of your particular field of work.

Make yourself desirable

You always find articles about writing a good resume or cover letter. People will always tell you how important it is to have the perfect portfolio and be able to talk the talk of the industry, and they are absolutely right, but all of this is not enough. You need to make yourself a desirable candidate. Luckily, our industry is not lacking in available jobs, but if you want to land that perfect job, you’ll need much more than just a head full of knowledge about the industry and the proper paperwork. Employers want to know that you are passionate about what you do. They want to see evidence that you are persistent in growing as a developer. There are a lot of things you can do to show a potential employer how passionate you are about your work.

Start an open source project

I have started several little object-oriented PHP libraries. Every couple months I come up with some idea for a PHP library, I create the project on Google Code, and code like crazy for a few months. Sometimes this is enough to get the project finished, but usually it isn’t. I still work on all my projects as much as possible, but can never seem to find the interest I had at the start of the project. Even unfinished projects can be immensely helpful when you’re trying to stand out. The fact that you spent the time to create a project on your own time and knew how to develop and release it is very impressive to potential employers. I have been approached by numerous people about my libraries and I have never gotten past version 0.3 on any of them. I can only imagine how many people would be approaching me if I had finished any of them.

Join an existing open source project

In almost every interview I’ve had, this question has come up. Spending your free time on a project that pays nothing says a lot about how passionate you are about programming. It also says a lot about your work ethic. It tells a potential employer that you aren’t just motivated by money. Also, helping with an open source project is just good karma.

Start a blog

Another question that comes up a lot in interviews is “Have you shared your knowledge with others by teaching, blogging etc.?”. Employers know that if you can teach somebody how to program, you know your shit. It also reinforces that you are passionate about programming and that you spend time thinking about it.

You should be a blabber-mouth

When an employer brings up a technology you are passionate about, don’t be afraid to talk their ear off about it. This is one instance where it’s OK to be a blabber-mouth. If you can go on and on about a subject, it tells them you really care about it. It tells them that you think about it even when you aren’t at work. This also applies to technologies you don’t care for. If you don’t like a certain technology, don’t be afraid to rant about it. Obviously you don’t want to be obnoxious, and you want to let them know that you’re willing to use whatever technology is necessary to get the job done.

Make sure you have some secret weapons

It is important that you don’t list every little technology you’ve ever worked with on your resume. Keep some of these things as secret weapons. Put only the technologies you are best at on your resume, but then if you get the interview, be sure to bring up a few of your secret weapons. For instance, I’m damn good at PHP, but I have a lot of design experience as well. I don’t mention this on my resume, but in an interview, I always bring it up. It lets them know I have too many skills to list on one piece of paper.

Don’t apply for jobs you aren’t qualified for

I am tired of the attitude that everybody should always shoot for the stars. I am all for somebody striving to be their best and working to achieve their dreams, but if you aren’t qualified for a job, you just shouldn’t apply for it. It is a waste of not only their time, but yours. If you aren’t qualified for a job, you aren’t going to get it. People can’t afford bad hires, especially during these hard economic times.

Be prepared

Being prepared is a piece of advice that most people will hastily dismiss as obvious. Yes it is obvious that you should be prepared. The problem is that a lot of the time, at least for me, I prepare for the wrong things. I prepare for questions asking me about my previous experience and what I’m capable of. I always forget to prepare for the real tough questions: “Why should we hire you?”, “What are your best qualities?”, “What do you hope to gain from working with us?”. These questions cannot be answered by years in a classroom, or even by being truely experienced at what you do. These types of questions require, at least for most people, that you actually think about them before the interview. I’ve put together a list of these types of questions and my own answers to them. If you are applying for a job, take a look at each question and be damn sure you know how to answer them. It’s forgivable for somebody to not know the answers to these questions off the top of their head, but if you have given them a good deal of thought and still can’t answer them, then perhaps you really aren’t ready for the job you’re applying for.

Why should we hire you?

I hate this question. It is just so difficult not to give a bullshit answer to it. This is why you need to think about it ahead of time. If you answer it off the top of your head, it’s almost always going to come off as a big pile of steaming bullshit. Take a look at what the job entails and how your skills match up with it. Put yourself in their position. If you were them, would you hire you? If so, why?

What are your best qualities?

Another difficult question not to answer with bullshit. You really should know your best qualities. Employers want to know that you are passionate, hard-working, persistent, can work individually as well as in a team, that you are a self-starter, that you aren’t afraid to take the reins when given the chance. Most importantly, they want to know that you are confident enough to answer this question.

What would you say are your biggest weakness?

Don’t be afraid to answer this question honestly. Everybody has weaknesses. They wouldn’t ask the question if they thought you’d have none. Personally, I feel that I have all the qualities I listed above, so I generally answer this question pretty specifically. I am not the best designer in the world. I am a little rusty with SQL. Give them specific examples of technologies where you could use some improvement.

How do you stay on top of your game?

Now, most employers won’t be asking you this exact question, but they will all ask you something similar. We work in an ever-changing industry. Employers want to know how you stay updated. What blogs do you read? What are your favorite development books? What was the last book you read? I always have trouble with this because I use Google to aggregate all of my blogs and I always forget which blogs I read. Plus I read so damn many of them I get them mixed up. Just be sure to have a few books and websites to list when they ask you this question.

Conclusion

Just about everything I’ve talked about so far in this article has been related to one thing. Passion. If you are a passionate developer, you really have nothing to worry about. If you are a passionate developer, everything I’ve mentioned in this article will come naturally to you. If you aren’t passionate, then maybe you need to find a new industry.