Launching a Successful Developer Career
By Jordan Kimura
Heather Duckworth, Director of Human Resources of JNR, visited LearningFuze and shared valuable tips on how to produce a solid success plan for developers in the hiring process. JNR is a global leader that works in partnership with corporate buyers, marketing professionals, meeting planners and agencies to provide strategic solutions and engaging programs. Globally, they are recognized leaders in the fields of motivation, recognition, rewards, events, promotions, merchandise and entertainment. One of our recent alumni, Tevin Mantock, landed a job at JNR as a Back-End Developer by demonstrating solid programming skills, good communication, and adaptability. Below are some valuable resume and interview tips for job success.
- Resume readability – The resume should be easy to read and organized, don’t use a super small font size or hard to read font. Use at least a 10 font size with correct spacing. Be prepared and bring at least 3 copies of your resume to the interview. Electronically sent resumes (typically HTML that can alter WORD docs) can pose issues so do a practice run and send your resume attachment to yourself or a friend before sending it to the hiring manager or recruiter to ensure proper format and placement.
- Spelling and grammar – No exceptions. This needs to be spot-on! Heather mentioned that if a resume contains any typos then it automatically gets trashed. Also ensure that the tense remains consistent throughout the resume.
- Keep the resume tight – It can be a major turn-off if the resume is too dense or contains too many words so keep it efficient.
- Avoid cliches – Keep the wording professional and engaging. Instead of simply using results-driven, use an example on how you experienced success on the job with your particular skill set.
- Strong cover letter and references – Explain why you are the best candidate for the job and tailor it to the company. Ensure you have strong references who know your work ethic and will be available for a potential phone call. It is critical to communicate with potential references in advance so they will be ready for any call. Different people from Human Resources to Technical Management will be reading your cover letter and resume so take the time to describe your skills and experience using keywords. Examples include awards or promotions, projects, team and leadership roles, Hackathon experiences, etc.
- Respect the company’s time – Take time to research the company’s website, social media and online articles. Company expectations and culture are important to know. Also, dress for success and follow-up the interview with a thank-you.
- Ask appropriate job-related questions – The interview is a time when the company is not only getting to know you but you are also getting to know them. Ask pertinent questions such as if the role is a new one and if not, what were some of the challenges that the previous employee in the role experienced. Touch on how your experiences have prepared you for the role.
- Be prepared with an example of how you resolved a conflict on the job – Companies would like to know how you have effectively dealt with challenges and successfully overcame them.
You landed the Web Developer role! Now what? Observe. Take the time to get to know the culture parameters. In addition, learn from mistakes and own them, take notes and follow through on action items. Meet deadlines. Learning and growing on the job will open the doors to more opportunities and will serve as a firm foundation that can launch your development career.
Great insight from Heather on how to best be prepared to succeed in the job search!
