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Getting an Entry-Level Job
#1
Getting an Entry-Level Job
Hey, guys!
So, I've passed all my exams at the university this year and I've tried to get an entry-level job. I've applied to a few computer firms in Osijek, but I got rejected. I suppose most of it has to do with my GitHub profile. What do you think, how can I make myself look better to the hirers?
I must say I am quite a bit surprised. I thought very few junior programmers could make a PacMan game, yet alone a program that converts arithmetic expression to assembly, and that getting an entry-level job won't be a problem.
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#2
RE: Getting an Entry-Level Job
I know the feeling.

I wanted to be a gynecologist but I couldn' t find an opening.


...

Naughty
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#3
RE: Getting an Entry-Level Job
(August 17, 2019 at 2:02 pm)FlatAssembler Wrote: Hey, guys!
So, I've passed all my exams at the university this year and I've tried to get an entry-level job.  I've applied to a few computer firms in Osijek, but I got rejected. I suppose most of it has to do with my GitHub profile. What do you think, how can I make myself look better to the hirers?
I must say I am quite a bit surprised. I thought very few junior programmers could make a PacMan game, yet alone a program that converts arithmetic expression to assembly, and that getting an entry-level job won't be a problem.

Without knowing why they rejected you, it's kind of hard to advise you - perhaps they simply didn't have entry level jobs available.  Maybe providing samples of your work would help.

If nothing else seems to help (and if you can afford it) offer to work for free for a few weeks, sort of an unpaid internship.  Offers to work for no money really make employers sit up and take notice.

Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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#4
RE: Getting an Entry-Level Job
Get a professional employment counsellor to guide you.

And if you so happen to be on the autism spectrum or anything like that, depending on where you live, there might be some organisation tailored to such people that help them get into the jobs that suit their skills and/or preferences.
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#5
RE: Getting an Entry-Level Job
(August 17, 2019 at 2:02 pm)FlatAssembler Wrote: Hey, guys!
So, I've passed all my exams at the university this year and I've tried to get an entry-level job.  I've applied to a few computer firms in Osijek, but I got rejected. I suppose most of it has to do with my GitHub profile. What do you think, how can I make myself look better to the hirers?
I must say I am quite a bit surprised. I thought very few junior programmers could make a PacMan game, yet alone a program that converts arithmetic expression to assembly, and that getting an entry-level job won't be a problem.

As a very senior software developer who makes hiring recommendations....

If you're going to showcase your skills, it's best to showcase skills that a prospective employer would find useful. Whether or not many junior programmers can make a PacMan game, etc isn't very relevant, as it's very unlikely those particular skills are leveragable to their business. Make sure your CV / resume draws attention to the skills they're looking for.

I have in the past used headhunters to find work. That might be a good route to go when you lack relevant work experience.
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#6
RE: Getting an Entry-Level Job
Apply EVERYWHERE.
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#7
RE: Getting an Entry-Level Job
I take the view that it's a given that the programmer can program whatever task you give them. What sets them apart is how well they program it.

Is their code readable? Have they used encapsulation and abstraction? Do the methods only perform one specific function or are they all merged together? Have they got rid of magic numbers? Have they made the code generic and re-usable? Or have they copied and pasted the same functionality a million times in one massive god-class? How efficient is it?

All this boils down to one question.

How easy is it for another programmer to maintain their code?

I have had to sort out other people's code on many occasions. Sometimes I have had to spend months sorting it out before I can even go about doing anything new with it. The original programmer could have just written it properly the first time. Normally it's a scientist from a different field who is probably feeling quite proud of what they can write using a programming language yet haven't given thought to how well they write it.
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#8
RE: Getting an Entry-Level Job
(August 17, 2019 at 2:23 pm)onlinebiker Wrote: I know the feeling.

I wanted to be a gynecologist but I couldn' t find an opening.


...

Naughty

Awwww, g.  Wink
If you get to thinking you’re a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else’s dog around.
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#9
RE: Getting an Entry-Level Job
Mathilda makes some really great points - though I fully expect a junior programmer will make a lot of those mistakes, at least in the beginning. Proper code review should correct it in time.



The #2 skill I want in a junior is a willingness and ability to understand the workflow that the code they are working on supports. #1 is the ability to work as a team member, with all that entails. Technical prowess is #3 - especially for a junior.
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#10
RE: Getting an Entry-Level Job
(August 17, 2019 at 6:56 pm)Jackalope Wrote: Mathilda makes some really great points - though I fully expect a junior programmer will make a lot of those mistakes, at least in the beginning.  Proper code review should correct it in time.



The #2 skill I want in a junior is a willingness and ability to understand the workflow that the code they are working on supports.  #1 is the ability to work as a team member, with all that entails.  Technical prowess is #3 - especially for a junior.

And that's a supervisory level job. I used to help test student software at Purdue. (I frequently had lunch with the senior members of the CS Dept.) When called I'd walk in, slam my hands repeatedly on the keyboard and walk out. If it passed that test they would proceed. The students used to glare at me when I walked past them on the mall. Hilarious
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