How to Land Your First Programming Job: 4 Essential Tips

You finished your education, and now you’re ready to learn how to land your first programming job. The task might seem daunting when every job posting asks for years of experience. Fortunately, there are several ways to showcase your skills on your resume and impress recruiters.

Whether you have a computer science degree or you're a coding nerd with no degree, employers seek certain skills that may serve you well as you begin your job hunt. 

Tips for Landing Your First Programming Job

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 139,400 computer programmers work in the United States. The career is expected to see a 10% decline by 2033 due to changing job roles with advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. 

Even if you had a university job placement office or career consultant coach you on how to find your first developer job, you might still feel uncertain about landing your dream position. There’s fierce competition among experienced programmers and graduates, and getting your first developer job may take preparation and extra time. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you go through the process.

1. Create Experience

It’s a catch-22 for most young people wanting to break into the coding world. They need experience to get their first job as a software developer, but to gain experience, they need employment. One thing new developers can do is create personal projects or participate in coding challenges to enhance their portfolios. What does this look like for most programmers?

• Adopt a cause and volunteer to create a program or fix issues for a local charity. People who volunteer have 27% higher odds of finding employment. 

• Develop a new app to serve a need you see. You’ll have app development to add to your portfolio. 

• Find a pain point within the industry you prefer to work in and solve it. Your ability to think on your feet is attractive to potential employers and can garner your first coding job. 

Keep track of each project and its outcomes, placing the top-performing tasks in your portfolio to use as examples during interviews. A strong portfolio that shows off your skills can be the biggest factor in how to land your first programming job.

2. Tweak Your Resume

Many recruiters are turning to AI to sort through huge stacks of resumes and pull the ones with the skills needed for open roles within the company. A good resume refresh can help with getting your first programming job. 

Consider the roles you want to target. Perhaps you want to work within a specific industry or prefer to use the best programming language for a first job to build basic skills and a reputation for excellence. Some of your first programming job expectations may fall flat, so pay attention to reviews from other employees on sites such as Glassdoor and the Better Business Bureau. A company with a lot of complaints from young developers may not be the best choice for your first programming job.

• Pay attention to job postings from brands you want to work for. What keywords are they using? Do your skills match coding languages? 

• Getting your first software developer job requires understanding the skills needed for an open position and showcasing relevant projects or developing additional skills. 

• Understand that your expectations for your first programming job may differ from those of someone with years of experience. Look for entry-level positions that better match your current skills. 

You can get advice from a recruiter or job coach on how to land your first programming job interview through a stellar resume.

3. Practice for the Interview

• You can have the most amazing resume anyone ever created, but you must interview well or risk the job going to another candidate. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to prepare for a meeting with company recruiters.

• Scour job listings for hints at what the company is looking for in a new hire. Write out potential questions that might tie to those skills and practice answering them.

• Look on job sites for hints at what questions the company might typically ask. Glassdoor offers reviews from employees about the process and sample questions.

• Have a friend or family member ask relevant questions and answer them to get more comfortable.

• Save useful code snippets to prepare for your coding interview.

The more prepared you are for your interview for a developer position, the better you’ll perform. 

4. Expand Your Knowledge

If you go to school for programming, they’ll likely teach you two or three languages. However, in the real world, companies use various programs and coding syntax to get the job done. On the way to getting your first developer job, you should seek hobbies and activities in your spare time that add to your knowledge.

• Join a coding club with like-minded individuals. You’ll pick up advice for your first programming job. 

• Network with technology company leaders. You can ask what they’re looking for in programmers. Gain insight on how to get a first job as a software developer.

• Find a mentor. Seasoned industry mentors can help you better understand how to get your first programming job and fill knowledge gaps.

• Brush up your skills. Make sure you’re well-versed in the top coding languages used in programming.

Learning how to get your first coding job requires thinking outside the box. If you apply on the same job sites as everyone else, you may be overlooked in favor of people with more experience or specific skills. Developing soft skills, such as better communication and time management, can make you stand out from competitors. 

Final Thoughts on Landing Your First Developer Job

Learning how to land your first programming job is complex and requires a multifaceted approach that includes networking, developing a portfolio, and embracing ongoing learning. Subtle skills, such as being a good interview subject, can help you make it to a second interview, where you’ll have a chance to share your passion for what you do and why you want to work for a specific company. 

Getting your first programming job may take some time. Keep submitting applications, reach out to people you know in the industry, and remember that job hunting is a numbers game. The more resumes you send out, the more chances you have to secure a position. 

If you need help figuring out coding details for a project, check out Pieces for Developers, which gives you another tool in your programming arsenal and helps you be more productive.