You are a software developer and want to find your dream job. Here are 5 tips to help you realize your software development dream.
1. Visualize Your Dream Job
Before you even start your job search, make a list of the characteristics of your ideal job—what excites you, what motivates you, etc. This will help determine if you’re as good fit for new opportunities.
2. Network
If you’re looking to network and build relationships within your industry, consider participating in a Hackathon. Recruiters and potential employers typically attend meetups, hackathons and networking events. These networking events are a great opportunity to meet recruiter and potential employers in a more social setting. These connections can lead you to your dream job as a software developer.
3. Revamp Your Github Profile
If you’re just getting started in your career, Github is a great platform to showcase your technical skills even if you don’t have a long list of work experience. Upload a new profile picture (make sure it’s work appropriate) and update your profile with the latest on your work experience and contributions to other projects. Make sure these updates are professional, accurate and compelling. Be sure to include a link back in your resume as well.
4. Be Realistic When Reviewing Job Descriptions
Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses when reviewing potential job descriptions. If the job requires 5 years of experience and you are fresh out of school, it’s probably not the right position for you. Be careful to thoroughly read and review the job description and match the described job requirements to your skills.
7. Prepare to Be Tested
Once you get past the initial screening process, you may be asked to demonstrate the long list of skills you’ve included on your resume. Be prepared to take a test or work through problems on a white board. This is a common practice in technical interviews and is a tool to validate the experience and technical acumen you described on your resume.
Now you are ready to start looking for that software development position you have dreamed about….good luck!
Weeks ago you started searching for a new job. You looked through job board with enthusiasm and excitement. However, after a few weeks you are left unmotivated and discouraged.
So how can you re-focus on your job search and become motivated to search for a job again?
1. Establish achievable goals
The hiring process is taking longer than ever. According to a Glassdoor study from 2015, the average length of the process in the United States is 22.9 days, which is up from 12.6 days in 2010.
Avoid the stress of a ticking clock, parental expectations, and bills by setting smaller goals for yourself that eventually lead to landing a job. Instead set deadlines for each week. For example, set a deadline for updating your resume or set a goal to submit a certain number of job applications.
Reaching these smaller goals each week will make you more motivated, instead of dwelling on those external pressures.
2. Create structure
Motivation will allow you to see your job search as a fun challenge — an opportunity to find enjoyable work that aligns with your values. Setting a routine and structure for your job search is another way to stay driven.
3. Find your support system
Another key factor for a successful job search, especially when it is taking longer than you expected, is to surround yourself with people who motivate you. Supportive family, friends, and mentors will help you stay focused.
You need these people in your corner to keep motivated.
4. Use tools you enjoy
Searching for a job doesn’t have to be boring. You can do it with tools you already use in your daily life, like Facebook and Twitter. Your social networks are full of people who know you and have friend that create a network. Don’t forget to leverage the connections you already have, on the platforms you’re already using.
5. Treat yourself
Don’t spend all of your free time focused on your job search or you will hit a wall. Treat yourself when you reach your smaller goals or land a second interview.
Celebrate the wins and soon you’ll be celebrating your new job!
You have been searching for a new role for a while and you now have multiple offers. How do you choose the best job for you?
What are you priorities? Make a list of your goals for the future?
Spend some time putting your personal goals and priorities on paper for the next 5 years. Seeing your goals will help you keep perspective and help you prioritize the characteristics for your next position. Everyone’s goals are different—maybe it’s to grow technically, or learn a new set of skills or make a certain amount of money. Once you determine what you want your life and career now and in % years, your decision should become clearer.
Do Some Research
Not all companies are created equal. Go online and search the company reviews. These reviews will give you a firsthand account of the culture and the company. Reviews often include comments on salary, benefits, work/life balance and perks. This will help you validate your impressions of the company and ensure you are informed about all aspects of the company.
Evaluate Total Compensation
It’s great to have multiple offers, but it is important to make sure you are comparing total compensation. Most offers include salary plus benefits and perks. Additionally, your offers may include commission or bonuses. When you are comparing each offer, you should include these benefits, perks and bonus to compare ‘apples to apples’. You can also research comparable pay rates and benefits online via review sites and salary surveys to ensure your offers are comparable to the IT market today.
Consider How You Will Feel About the Job after the First 90 Days
The position you are evaluating today can change and evolve within the company. As you evaluate your offers, it’s important to consider what the job will look like in 90 days, in 1 year, in 5 years. Be sure to ask and understand how each employer sees the job changing over time. If you learn, the company expects your role to evolve into a management role, research the salaries for that management role. While compensation could be relatively equal today, consider where it could be after one or two promotions.
Get Some Advice
The interview process and evaluating several job offers can be stressful. Talk with someone you trust who knows you and understands your goals and your industry. That could be your spouse, a mentor or someone you trust. Sometimes talking about your choices with someone else can help you clarify your decision.
Often qualified candidates turn down lucrative contract employment opportunities, while they spend months looking for the perceived stability of permanent employment.
It is a common for large corporations to classify certain positions as contract, not because it has a limited duration, but due to overhead cost allocation. Corporations also classify certain positions as contract so they can try a contractor in their environment before they convert them to a permanent employee. A significant portion of contract assignments eventually turn into permanent job offers within the first year or two.
The IT industry is dynamic and constantly evolving. Contract positions allow the contract consultant to continue to evolve with these technology changes. Permanent employees may be in technical environments that don’t change or evolve for several years. Contractors have the ability to move between companies or groups and divisions within the same organization. These varied contracts often have different and new technologies.
Contract jobs are obviously not for everyone. The benefits and perks that come with permanent positions can outweigh the flexibility and technical evolution that comes with contracting.
Thinking in terms of your long-term career goals, a contract opportunity often provides a better path to upgrade your skills or have a high-profile employer on your resume that you may otherwise not have. There are pros to contract and permanent positions. Job seekers should consider all opportunities available.
There is no doubt that IT jobs pay well, but which jobs pay the most in the United States today.
A computer hardware engineer designs computers and all sorts of other electronic devices.
A QA, or “quality assurance,” manager performs tests to make sure a product, service or software to ensure they perform according to their design.
A security engineer designs, deploys and maintains a company’s network, software, and assets.
A data scientist helps companies find insight into their data.
A product manager runs teams that design and market a product.
An IT Manager manages a company’s technology infrastructure.
An analytics manager analyzes a company’s financial and business to predict success and growth.
A Solutions Architect designs and engineers complex software or computer systems
A software developer manager is the project leader for software projects.
A software architect designs complex software applications.
*Source-BusinessWeek Feb. 17, 2015
Delta Computer Consulting, Inc. is certified through the WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) as a woman-owned and woman-operated business.
