Ask HN: How to Get My First Software Job?

#1

Post by ZneT31 » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:06 PM UTC

I’ve been applying for software engineer roles but haven’t had much luck. My skills include Next.js, React, TypeScript, Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Java, and Spring Boot. I’ve built projects like Debatable (opinion-sharing platform) and CodeZen (a online code editor). Also some small projects. I have some freelance experience as well. I graduated in June 2024. Since then I have give several interviews, but was not able to crack them. I have been trying to skill up daily solving Leetcode and learning spring boot, and applying to job but my last interviwe was on mid December.

I posted on LinkedIn/Twitter and apply to jobs, but I’m struggling to land interviews. What has worked for others in getting their first job? Any advice or strategies?

My Resume: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Kabp-tb69MVhujFcQM0ySc0_QWTUyPY/view?usp=sharing

My Github: https://github.com/harsh-dev0

Feel free to give me any advice that anyone finds helpful. I am open to hear anything.

Thanks, Hp

Re: Ask HN: How to Get My First Software Job?

#2

Post by scarface_74 » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:37 PM UTC

Unfortunately, the way the world and tech landscape s right now, there are thousands of developers competing for the same jobs. It’s always been hard to break the can’t get a job don’t have experience cycle. It’s even hard now to rise above the noise if you do have “generic” experience. At least in the US, for every job opening there are thousands of applications.

As harsh as that sounds calling your experience “generic”, we all had to start somewhere. That’s not meant to be an insult

Re: Ask HN: How to Get My First Software Job?

#3

Post by ZneT31 » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:54 PM UTC

scarface_74 wrote: post #2

Unfortunately, the way the world and tech landscape s right now, there are thousands of developers competing for the same jobs. It’s always been hard to break the can’t get a job don’t have experience cycle. It’s even hard now to rise above the noise if you do have “generic” experience. At least in the US, for every job opening there are thousands of applications. As harsh as that sounds calling your experience “gene…

Same here as well. I been thinking on how to rise above the noise, trying some new things, failing as well, all in vain. Do you have any specific "way" to rise above noise or is it different for everyone and same old hit and trial method.

Re: Ask HN: How to Get My First Software Job?

#4

Post by scarface_74 » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 3:14 PM UTC

ZneT31 wrote: post #3

scarface_74 wrote: post #2

Unfortunately, the way the world and tech landscape s right now, there are thousands of developers competing for the same jobs. It’s always been hard to break the can’t get a job don’t have experience cycle. It’s even hard now to rise above the noise if you do have “generic” experience. At least in the US, for every job opening there are thousands of applications. As harsh as that sounds calling your experience “gene…

Same here as well. I been thinking on how to rise above the noise, trying some new things, failing as well, all in vain. Do you have any specific "way" to rise above noise or is it different for everyone and same old hit and trial method.

There isn’t one at your stage. When I was looking for a job in 2023, 1 offer came from a referral by a former manager who still worked at our former company after it was acquired, another came from a director who was a former coworker who was going to create a job for me because he needed someone he could trust to lead the cloud migrations he was responsible for. The third offer came because I had experience in a niche AWS service.

All those only happened because I had years of experience and a stint at BigTech in cloud consulting.

When I was looking last year, an internal recruiter reached out to me for my current job.

I would have been screwed looking for a job both times as “just” an enterprise developer working with C# like I was before 2018. I looked for those types of jobs as a Plan B both in 2023 and 2024 and even with my experience my results were the same as yours for those types of jobs - crickets.

Re: Ask HN: How to Get My First Software Job?

#5

Post by ZneT31 » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 3:18 PM UTC

scarface_74 wrote: post #4

ZneT31 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here as well. I been thinking on how to rise above the noise, trying some new things, failing as well, all in vain. Do you have any specific "way" to rise above noise or is it different for everyone and same old hit and trial method.

There isn’t one at your stage. When I was looking for a job in 2023, 1 offer came from a referral by a former manager who still worked at our former company after it was acquired, another came from a director who was a former coworker who was going to create a job for me because he needed someone he could trust to lead the cloud migrations he was responsible for. The third offer came because I had experience in a nic…

I see. I guess then i have to just try again.