It’s Not the Economy: Job Searching Tips for Software Engineers

Searching for a Software Engineering Job in a Recession

Software engineers are finding it increasingly tough to land a new job. The global coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on the economy. Many would-be jobseekers believe that this makes it impossible to secure a new position. But is this true for software engineers?

While unemployment has hit many sectors of the economy, tech jobs have avoided the trend in many cities. If you are struggling to find a new software engineering job, it could be time to reevaluate your job-hunting tactics. Here are our top job searching tips.

Create Consistency

If, unfortunately, you lost your software engineering job due to COVID-19 or other reasons, you may have found the time at home has left you lost and without a routine. Developing and maintaining a routine can help you feel busy and productive. In turn, your motivation will improve as you tick tasks off your to-do list every day.

Set yourself a time to wake up each morning, and stick to it. Develop a routine that may include tasks such as:

  • Checking emails
  • Taking a walk
  • Setting times for meals
  • Allocating time for job searching
  • Spending time developing skills and working on projects

Build Your Brand

Building a personal brand as a software engineer can be a great asset in searching for a job. Look at these ideas to help you build your brand:

·      Create a Website

Build a personal website to display your software engineering projects. This gives you a place to direct potential employers to learn about your experience and career achievements.

·      Start Blogging

Now is a great time to start or restart blogging. Write posts about what you are learning and share your knowledge with the community of software engineers.

·      Give Online Talks or Webinars

This one is a little trickier, but totally do-able. Pick a topic in which you have an expanse of experience. Put together a presentation and practice delivering it with friends on Zoom. Once you are ready, set a date to deliver it live and send out invites to your connections.

·      Contribute to Open-Source Projects

If you are unemployed and have time to, you can start contributing to open-source projects. There are many great ways that you can contribute to the open-source community, and they don’t all involve writing a large chunk of complex code.

For example, if you have less time, or are intimidated by taking on larger tasks that you may not be able to complete once you land a new job, you may be able to:

  • Translate documents – if you speak another language, translation is often a skill that is needed in tech projects.
  • Conduct bug reports – looking at open-source projects online, and notice a bug? Report it and make an issue.

Network (Remotely)

Industry events, seminars, and workshops might all be cancelled due to lockdowns and restrictions on social gatherings. However, that does not mean you can’t network. You simply need to find a new way to do it: online.

·      Social Media

LinkedIn is a great online networking tool. It is the social media platform for professionals and has a plethora of great tech groups you can follow and contribute to. Each interaction on LinkedIn is a step to further developing your professional network.

·      Online Tech Community

There are also tech communities all over the internet. From Twitter to Stack Overflow, create accounts on various sites and start joining in the conversation and helping other professionals.

Register with a Specialist Staffing Agency

Organizations who are searching for talented software engineers often employ the services of specialist staffing agencies. These give them access to a wider pool of highly talented, pre-screened software engineering candidates. The job seekers who are registered with this type of agency become more effectively connected to some of the best and most suitable jobs in their field.

To Sum Up

The US economy may be taking a hit right now, but there are still steps you can take from home to land your dream job. The need for skilled workers it out there, you simply need to adapt your job search and networking techniques following the tips above.

For help finding your next software engineer job, contact Loyal Source.

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