It’s been a tough time to be in tech. If you’ve been on Twitter lately, you know all about the major tech layoffs. That’s why we created this guide. We wanted to craft a list of resources and advice to help you in your job search as a developer.
Did we miss anything? Have advice or additional resources? Perhaps you have a lead on a job? Let people know in the comments below!
Brush Up on Your Resume
Yeah, we bet you saw this one coming (grin). All jokes aside, it’s important that you craft a perfect resume that can pass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). In case you’re unfamiliar with ATS, they’re the systems that prevent your resume from seeing the right people. If your resume doesn’t align with a company's job posting, it’s immediately thrown away by the system. According to this Jobscan article, around 98% of Fortune 500 companies, 66% of large companies, and 35% of small organizations use an ATS.
That’s why your developer resume needs to be tailored to beat ATS. Gone are the days of sending off uniform resumes to several different companies. Now, you got to put in some work to tailor your resume to job postings.
Here’s our advice on how to do that:
- Create, what we like to call, one Mega Resume or CV: Put all your experience there. That way, you can copy and paste relevant information for the next part.
- Tailor your resume: Use your Mega Resume as the foundation for your tailored resumes and copy and paste the relevant parts that align with a job post. Make sure you’re getting the right keywords!
- Run your resume through a resume checker: We found a few open-source scanners that you can run your resume through and see if they’ll pass an ATS.
- https://github.com/ZhengTzer/resume-scanner
- https://github.com/Vignesh0404/Resume-Scanner
- Bonus: Jobscan offers free scans! It’s one of the most robust resume-scanning software out there. After the free scans, it will cost money, though.
Updating and repurposing your resume sucks, but by putting in the extra effort, you’re more likely to land that first interview.
Brush up on your coding skills/knowledge
It makes sense that after being in one job for a while, some of your other developer skills become a bit rusty. That’s okay! The internet is a wonderful place to relearn and improve your skills.
Make sure that before your interview, you re-familiarize yourself with all of the following:
- Algorithms
- Big O Notation
- Your chosen language, trending libraries, and trending tech stacks
Okay, we know we already linked to this, but the Tech Interview Handbook really does deserve a shoutout. We highly, highly recommend you take some time and look it over!
In addition to this, you can also use these resources to practice coding:
Brushing up on your coding knowledge and skills is an excellent way to prepare yourself for when you do get an interview.
Prepare your GitHub
Consider your GitHub as an extension of your resume. Whether you like it or not, recruiters will look at it if it’s available, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s where you can really show off your coding skills! The Boot.dev blog post does a great job of summarizing how you should update your GitHub profile.
Some key takeaways include:
- Update your profile picture, short bio, and link to relevant websites
- Ensure all your projects have a README
- Introduce yourself with a profile README
- Code more if you’re heatmap is looking rather bare
- Hide embarrassing repositories (look, we were all beginners at some point)
For sure, check out the blog post linked above. It’s chock full of amazing advice! Once your GitHub is prepped and ready, reach out to your network.
Reach out to your network and community
Developer communities are incredible because when someone is laid off, it feels like the rest of the community comes together to help them out. And not just during massive layoffs like the ones we’re seeing now. In general, I’ve seen tweets and LinkedIn posts help other developers find jobs.
So, if you’ve been laid off, start reaching out to developer communities via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Yes, even Twitter since I’ve seen many people recently laid off from Twitter offered job leads on Twitter…oh goddess, imagine if you had to take a shot for every time I wrote Twitter.
A few hashtags you can use to get started:
- #Jobs
- #JobSearching
- #HireMe
- #JobOpening
- #HiringNow
- #JoinOurTeam
You can find an extended list of hashtags in the article “How Hashtags Can Help Your Job Search.”
While socials may help you get a lead on a job, nothing compares to reaching out to your personal network. Perhaps someone you know is working at a company you’re interested in? If so, get in touch with them! Ask them if there are any positions available for a developer. You can also get in touch with recruiters, as well (if they haven’t already reached out to you yet, lol).
If you use these strategies, there’s a great chance you’ll land some interviews. Once you land a few interviews, make sure that you remember your worth and value!
Remember your worth and value
Going to get a bit self-help here, but you absolutely deserve to work for a company that will treat you well. Don't settle for less if you can help it.
With that in mind, apply to jobs that you are not only interested in but the company culture is a good fit. The last thing you want is to work for a toxic company.
How do you know if a company is toxic? First things first, check Glassdoor. Yes, yes, we know that it sucks that you have to create an account, but it really is worth it. Don't want to sign up for a Glassdoor account? Check Indeed and view their review ratings for companies. Look for common complaints. Is there a pattern of burnout? Disrespect? Toxicity. If so, it might be best to avoid those companies.
Another way you can suss out whether or not a company is a good fit is by asking questions. Typically, the interview process is broken into four phrases:
- Screening
- Meeting someone on the team and completing a coding challenge
- Code critique
- Final interview/hang out at the office/offer
That means you potentially have 4 chances to ask questions regarding the company culture. Ask questions that will give you insight into how the team operates. Questions such as:
- How do you deal with failure and conduct postmortems?
- What are the company’s values?
- What does employee growth look like?
- What’s the turnover rate?
- How does the company deal with conflict?
This is a short list, but there are several other questions you can ask to decide if the company is a good fit. For additional questions, check out this Harvard Business Review article.
If you are offered a job, but you need more time to decide between other offers, a good company should give you extended time. Hard deadlines during the offer phase can be a red flag.
Still not sure about the company? See if someone from the company will speak to you one-on-one and get some real details.
Remember: you are valuable (don't let imposter syndrome tell you otherwise) and you should treat yourself as such!
Looking for a new job is always stressful, so we hope that this article provided some good resources and advice!
