The Comprehensive Guide On Why You Aren’t Getting A Software Engineer Job

Let’s get you out of this hole

With the Tech Career Growth Community my friend Rahul Pandey and I have started, we are now helping thousands of developers get a software engineer job, with many of these developers looking for their first one. Job searching is a laborious marathon of a process with tons of different levers you can pull, so it just made sense to create a single, comprehensive resource on how to successfully navigate yourself through it.

This guide is split up into sections for the 2 different “phases” of job searching, with each section explaining the levers you have access to within that phase. These 2 phases are:

1. I can’t get interviews
2. I am not passing my interviews

I can’t get interviews

This is the most brutal stage to be at, and this is the unfortunate reality for a lot of junior engineers, especially those coming from non-traditional backgrounds. So if you aren’t getting a healthy amount of opportunities (I consider healthy to be 3+ a month), here’s how you can get out of that funk:

1. Polish your resume - This is a low-hanging fruit that I see so many engineers fail to take. Just 1 hour of polish can easily make a resume 2–5x more effective. Keep it at 1 page, show the impact, and make sure the spelling and grammar are absolutely perfect. For more in-depth advice on resume optimization, check out my Medium article on it here.
2. Apply to more places - This one’s obvious and straightforward. As long as your conversion rate of application -> interview is >0%, then you can get more opportunities simply by applying to more places. Don’t spend too much time on cover letters, don’t overly customize each and every application, and don’t filter yourself out for jobs you are likely qualified for. You can find my article on how to effectively apply to software engineer jobs here.
3. Take LinkedIn seriously - I have underestimated LinkedIn for years. It is such an incredibly powerful professional social network, and prior to working at Facebook, ~90% of the job opportunities I got came through LinkedIn. It is effectively a resume++, and there are just so many recruiters on it, ranging from the tiniest startups to the top tech giants like…