How to Get a Job as a Software Engineer

Introduction

While there is great demand for software engineers, there are a number of hurdles that must be cleared in order to land a good job.

Things You'll Need

• Experience developing software
• Passion for the industry
• Communication skills
• Innovative thinking

Steps

1 Step One

The first step is to have experience developing software. While you can certainly learn-as-you-go in terms of individual technology items, a basic grounding in software development is a must. In other words, it's quite possible to get a job where you will be coding in C# even if you only know C++, as demonstrated proficiency in one language can often convince a prospective employer that you can ramp-up in the new language quickly.

Experience with development methodologies and the base skills for software development are much more important that specific languages or platforms in landing a job. In other words, while already knowing a language or platform is often very helpful, not having the basics down is a clear deal-breaker.

Does this mean you're in a catch-22? You can't get a job without experience, but you can't get experience without a job. Interestingly, in the world of software development, this isn't the case! You can develop software on your own. In fact, most developers do, which leads to step 2.

2 Step Two

Have a passion for the industry. This is good advice for *any* industry, but in software development, it's especially true. If you're not keenly interested in development and improving your skills a prospective employer is going to know.

Microsoft has a question that they ask, internally, whenever a candidate goes through the interview loop: "Is this candidate a 'Microsoft hire?'" What they mean by that is, irrespective of the candidate's skills, is this someone who has a passion for the industry? Is this someone who could succeed at Microsoft doing anything in which they're qualified? Do they have the drive and passion that Microsoft wants in their developers?

Demonstrating that drive and passion goes a long way in convincing a prospective employer that not only will you get the job done, but that you'll go above and beyond because you want to.

3 Step Three

During the interview, be prepared to code on a whiteboard. If you can't listen to a problem, ask a few key questions, and bang out some code on the fly, work on your skills until you can. A good software development interview loop will have you doing this a few times. Don't be afraid to ask questions to clarify (sometimes the requirements are even vague to see if you will).

4 Step Four

Know what excites you and communicate that. As outlined in step two, prospective employers want to see a passion for the industry. They also want to see a passion for specific technologies to get a feel for what excites you. If you've done your research and know what the employer does, and you demonstrate a passion for their market segment, that's a big plus. Of course, be genuine. If you're not interested in what they do, don't interview there.