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Ask HN: Do I have to lie to get first tech job?

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Re: Ask HN: Do I have to lie to get first tech job?

#21
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Joined a programming agency run by a friend of my father. I did poorly on the technical interview, had bad grades, but the boss knew that I made games and went to a really good school so they took a chance on me.

Just for the sake of more complete information: what year did you get your first job?

2012. Would that be a big difference?

Re: Ask HN: Do I have to lie to get first tech job?

#23
Try getting some PRs into an estabilished open source projects, such as for example Apache Spark, Mozilla Firefox etc. These projects follow standard, modern practices of software companies, so getting your PRs (maybe a couple of bugfixes or a minor feature/extension) approved means you should be qualified for a junior developer position.

Re: Ask HN: Do I have to lie to get first tech job?

#24
Of course, don't lie. Does your resume include software project work or just non-tech jobs?

First, you should structure your resume as a "skills resume" that includes as many languages, environments and major libraries as you know how to use.

Then, include your strongest, most relevant school/personal projects and list them with action verbs, "Built XXX using YYY with these features...", "Designed ZZZ with algorithm QQQ..."

Most employers are looking for entry-level developers that have built complete solutions and not toy problems. They want to know that you can collaborate with others and contribute. Underscore any and all school/volunteer projects that show that.

BTW: I gave that same advice to my nephew who was self-taught without any college degree to get his first development job. What helped him the most, I think, was that he essentially created his own first job, so to speak, by building a basic scheduling web app for a friend's bike messenger service (for free). It filled a gap in his resume and proved that he could turn requirements into working code. That's all he needed to get a "real" job.

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