Advice for Landing First Job for Entry-Level JavaScript Developers

The market for entry-level JavaScript developers is worse. This is especially true if you lack pedigree - e.g. you did not graduate from a well-known school, you have not done an internship at a well-known tech company or you do not have a strong network where people can refer you to entry-level positions at the company they work at.

And there's far more competition - bootcamps and universities have not stopped graduating new entrants to the market.

This article is advice for people who ask me what they could do to maximize their chances of getting their first - or second - jobs as JavaScript developers.

Join a support group

Try to find a place where there are other people in your shoes. This is where having an education at a college or being part of the bootcamp is helpful, as you already have such a group.

Alternatively, look for new grad Discord channels or communities like freeCodeCamp. It's easier to figure out what works, and what doesn't, and get motivation as part of a group.

Join r/cscareers on Reddit to learn about how others are starting their careers.

Aim wide when applying

Don't only apply to the best-known companies, or ones offering full-remote. Those companies will be getting hundreds, if not thousands of applications for entry-level roles.

While I'm not saying to not apply to well-known places, know that without references, your chances of even hearing back will likely be slim.

• Find smaller, lesser-known companies - These can be startups or businesses who will not spend the budget to advertise on job boards like LinkedIn.

• Apply to less competitive companies - Look for local, non-tech companies, and ones who are not offering full-remote positions. Not only do these positions get fewer applicants: if they are onsite or hybrid, they'll also hire more juniors.

• Apply to local companies, not just remote ones - Full-remote roles will get much more applications than local ones. Also they are far more likely to hire someone with past experience, as the hiring manager is more likely to see such a hire as a lower risk one.

• Apply to consultancies/developer agencies - The software consultancy business model requires hiring and training junior developers. They also give exposure with different environments and technologies. Be aware that some agencies have poor working practices: if you land in one of these, try to move on, instead of being stuck for too long.

Improve your resume while you keep applying

Continuously refine and update your resume based on feedback, experiences, and new skills acquired.

Also, tailoring your resume to each position you apply to can significantly increase your chances of standing out in a sea of applicants.

Build your experience while you are job hunting

Which person is more likely to be hired the next 12 months: one who spends 12 months applying nonstop, or the one who spends time applying, but also built a side project that anyone can try out, contributed to an open-source project, and did a contract gig on one of the popular freelancer marketplaces?

It will be the latter.

Balance time between applying, and between making your profile stand out more.

Contribute to open source

Most people you compete with will have similar, non-production-grade projects on their resume.

Those who contribute to popular open source libraries used by thousands of people and companies in production really stand out.

Look for open-source projects you can contribute to.

Consider taking on short projects for little payment or for free

If you are unable to land a fulltime job, it might be because you lack experience of shipping something in the real world.

One way to get this experience by doing shorter term projects, where you might be losing money on your time spent, but you ship something in production.

You could build a website or a mobile app for a friend or someone you know who needs something like this but cannot afford to pay market rate. You could build your own such app as well.

Don't be picky with offers

It's more important that you get started over getting a perfect start. You can course adjust as you go.

Getting started in the industry, and taking the first opportunity will be far more important for your career, than taking a perfect start.

Getting your foot in the industry is very hard. Much of the online resources of 'how I got 5 offers in 2 weeks' are all about survival bias and won't reflect the reality of most people, or how challenging it is to get started.

Once you'll make it in, it will only get easier with every passing year.

Good luck, especially in a challenging time to get started.