Open Letter to Developer Candidates

Resume: a written exaggeration of only the good things a person has done in the past, as well as a wish list of the qualities a person would like to have. - Bo Bennett

To All Potential Candidates:

As a person who hires software developers I felt it was time someone let you know why you are not getting job offers.  The market for developers is extremely tight and companies are in dire need for talented people, but for some reason you are not getting the offers you expect.  In order to save both you and I time, I have compiled a list of tips from the other side of the interview table to help you get the job you really want.

If it is on your resume, it is fair game:  This seems like an obvious point but it is surprising how many candidates cannot answer the most basic questions about resume items.  If you put it on the resume you better be prepared to discuss it.  The worst thing you can do is lie.  That might work in a different profession, but a technical interview is a means to measure your technical knowledge.  If you are misrepresenting yourself, it will come out. Finally, do not let a recruiting firm present you for jobs for which you are not qualified.  You will not get the job anyway and you might ruin your chance at future opportunities.

P.S. J2EE is now Java EE.  Change it on your resume.

Develop your skills:  Programming is a dynamic field.  The most desired skills are constantly evolving, but the excuse that your company is not using that technology is no longer valid.  You can contribute to open source projects, develop apps, operate a side business, etc.  At my company we ask developers what they do on the side; no answer, no offer.  This goes double for developers right out of college.  I don't care what projects you worked on in class.  What did you do when you went home? Come to the table with demonstrable skills.  All the best candidates have a GitHub account and are more than happy to discuss the code they have there.  Own your skill set and do not be bound by what you do on your job.

Be professional:  You don't have the job yet, so act like it.  Enough said.

Give me a reason to hire you: If I have an open position, I want to fill it.  Interviewing candidates and talking to recruiting firms can be a tiresome process.  Technical interviews take development time away from my team and an open position means diminished capacity on one of my teams.  These are both cost. Give me a reason to hire you; I want to.  We are talking because something told me you might be a fit for the job.  All you need to do is make me feel comfortable hiring you.  Many candidates think we are looking for a reason to reject you, but the reality is really the opposite.  Find your value proposition and sell me on it.

Answer the question I ask:  Sometimes I feel like I am talking to a politician.  I ask a specific question but get the answer to something completely different. I asked the question because I want to know something.  If you don't know the answer, say so.  Also, when I ask what your specific responsibilities were on a project, starting your answer with "we" is not answering my question.  It sounds like you are hiding behind other developer's work.

Have a passion for programming:  As mentioned before, the best programmers code on the side.  They do this because they love coding.  If you come work for me, you better love coding because you a going to a lot of it.  I like to ask candidates why they first started writing code.  The best ones have a very clear reason and usually started very young. Passionate programmers bring new and innovative ideas to the company.  We need these ideas to compete in the market place. If you don't love programming and are doing it for the paycheck, go work for a bank.

Hopefully this post will help you present yourself in the best possible light and land you the job of your dreams.  At the least it should make you a better developer.

Thanks and good luck,

Real Steve Vaughn