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Find WEB DEVELOPMENT JOBS with no experience or cs degree
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Feb 6, 2024
The video titled "Find WEB DEVELOPMENT JOBS with no experience or CS degree" offers guidance and tips for individuals aspiring to enter the field of web development without prior experience or a computer science degree. It likely discusses various strategies such as building a strong portfolio, leveraging online resources and communities for learning, networking with professionals in the field, and showcasing relevant skills to potential employers. The aim is to provide actionable advice and encouragement to those interested in breaking into web development despite lacking traditional qualifications.
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0:00
Here are five tips for finding development jobs when you're self-taught with no experience and no computer science degree
0:05
And I'm not gonna go into sending applications through sites like LinkedIn
0:09
You can try applying to lots of companies through those sites, but it's so easy that everyone is doing it and it's just gonna be really hard to stand out when you're a new developer
0:17
It's probably not gonna hurt to send some of those out here and there, but if you're relying on that as your sole strategy, then don't complain if you end up not getting a job
0:26
So let's jump into it. Number five. Probably one of the easiest places to get started is with websites like Glassdoor and Indeed
0:33
The ones where employees can leave their experience as working at a company
0:37
Now some of these also let you apply directly for jobs and will also suggest open listings to you
0:43
For right now, just ignore all of that. What you want to do on these sites is look for smaller companies that are not posting listings on the big job sites
0:52
Often these companies hire through word of mouth or they may post listings on their own site
0:56
and then when they're just not having any luck filling that position, then they consider paying to list on a bigger site
1:03
But because employees are able to leave their reviews, you will find out about companies that might not actually be posting any listings on Glassdoor
1:11
Similarly, you can look for smaller job boards and find listings that just aren't on these big sites
1:16
And there are tons of these boards out there. The one downside to job boards is that there's likely to be fewer listings
1:22
and there might not be many that are actually local to where you live
1:26
What we're hoping to find are companies that are potentially hiring or that are getting ready to hire
1:31
and try to connect with them before they actually post to the masses
1:35
And the only way to do that is with some effort. Now once you've accumulated a list of companies
1:39
you should check to see if there are any actual job listings on their own websites
1:43
If there are, just keep in mind that it might be outdated. So I would not just apply and then sit back and hope to hear from them
1:50
Do a little bit of digging around on their website and on LinkedIn or wherever you can
1:54
to try and find out who works there. And hopefully you can find out who the actual hiring manager is
1:59
So that way you can contact that person and follow up on the position. See if the job opening is even open and let them know that you're really interested
2:06
and that you would love to show them your portfolio. Sometimes it can be really hard to find out who the hiring manager is
2:11
So have some copies of your resume and bring a way to showcase your portfolio
2:15
and just walk into the company. At the front desk, ask them if there's somebody that you could talk to about that job listing
2:20
Or if there weren't any job listings that you're looking at in particular
2:24
find out if there's somebody that you can talk to about software developer jobs
2:28
and opportunities at the company. They might try to brush you off because either they don't know the answer
2:33
or maybe they're unsure about giving that information. Or they might just end up pointing you to wherever it is that they post their listings
2:40
Even if they do this as a last ditch effort, you might try something like
2:45
Hey, thanks, I totally appreciate that. And I'm really interested in working for your company
2:49
and I would really like to be able to talk to someone about what it is you are looking for in software developers
2:54
Maybe someone who could answer some of my technical questions. Is there a manager or maybe a software engineer that I could talk to for a couple minutes while I'm here
3:01
If you get lucky, be sure to have some questions ready so that you can stir up a conversation
3:06
Don't make this just about you. You really want to show interest in the other person and in the company
3:11
and have an actual genuine conversation. Let that person know you are really interested in working for the company
3:16
and ask them who would be a good person to talk to about possible jobs
3:20
Often, they're going to be more in the know than the front desk. And so if they share that, then the next step is getting in touch with that hiring manager
3:27
They may have a company policy against giving out this information. And if that's the case, then ask if that person would be willing to pass on your resume
3:35
to the hiring manager, which is why you want to have a printed copy of your resume ready to go
3:40
The key is to get your resume into the hands of a non-HR person. You just don't want to get stuck in a database or getting sifted out by HR
3:48
And persistence and just being an all-around cool person to chat with can go a long way to getting some attention and hopefully a phone interview
3:55
And this is why you should focus on local companies. It's just so much easier to walk in if you live nearby
4:01
Often, these companies are renting office space in buildings shared by other smaller tech companies
4:05
So on your way out, be sure to write down the names of other companies in that building so that you can do some research later
4:11
Sometimes, these tech buildings are part of a larger group of buildings. Be sure to walk into the lobby of each one and write down the companies
4:17
And then, if you see a cluster of shiny-looking tech companies on your way home
4:21
don't forget to stop by and collect more company names. You might find that some of these companies just aren't on Glassdoor or on Indeed
4:28
which means that there's going to be less competition for jobs. And as a bonus, these companies are closed, so you could end up with a really short commute
4:35
Go through all these companies and make a list of the most promising ones, and then start that walk-in process
4:39
You're probably going to strike out on a bunch of these, but all it takes is one. And be ready because you might get pulled into kind of an impromptu interview situation
4:48
So be ready for that. Number three, local recruiters. My first breakout job in the industry actually came through a recruiter
4:55
But before I get into the pros and cons of recruiters, I want to give you a strong warning
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Some recruiters should be avoided at all costs. Once you have a LinkedIn profile set up for software development
5:05
you will be approached by a ton of bottom feeder recruiters. And some of these are just scammers trying to get your personal information
5:12
Like they might have you fill out fake applications to get your name, your address
5:16
your birthdate, your social security number. Just don't give that stuff out
5:20
With legitimate recruiters, all they really need is your resume, cover letter, and a link to your portfolio
5:24
And if you're new, they might ask you to take some sort of online assessment
5:28
that they can forward to hiring managers. I had to take an online HTML, CSS, and JavaScript assessment
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to help gauge my skill level. The recruiters will then forward that information to a hiring manager
5:37
who will look over it and decide whether to interview you. And eventually down the road at some point, they'll have you fill out an application
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Just be weary of giving out application information to anyone up front
5:47
I also ignore recruiters who are impressed by my extensive experience and fill in the blank some random programming language
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that I've never used before, never listed on my LinkedIn profile. Or I've even been contacted by one recruiter
5:58
who told me he was super impressed by my vast experience working at Adobe
6:03
The dude sent this to me like three weeks after I started there. I wouldn't personally call that a vast amount of experience at that time
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These people aren't even looking at your profile. They're just blasting stuff out there to everybody
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which means they aren't going to do a very good job of actually representing you. And the same goes for recruiters who contact you from other countries
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What good connections could they possibly have in your country with companies near where you live
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For example, I was recently contacted by a recruiter from the Philippines
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There's nothing wrong with the Philippines per se, but why would I leave a great local company
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to go work for someone on the other side of the world in a different time zone for some random company
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that may not even pay well and may not have a good work-life balance
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It just makes no sense. Good recruiters will have lots of connections with actual hiring managers at local companies
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They're often going to work with both sides to help you present your best and most appropriate skills
6:55
that fit the needs of the company and then help the hiring manager to tweak the job listing
7:00
so that they can help get that past the HR bureaucracy if they want to hire you
7:05
Often, they know about jobs before they even hit the market. And they're super eager to really be aggressive
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in helping push you into getting a job because they want to get that big fat commission
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Now, there are some downsides to working with recruiters that I talk about in another video
7:20
But when first starting out and trying to get that first job, I definitely think that the pros outweigh the cons
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So where do you find good local recruiters? Ones that actually are proactive with local connections
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The same places that you find out about other local companies that are hiring
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So let's talk about those. Number two. When I was starting out, I learned a ton of stuff about software development
7:41
including companies that were hiring devs at local meetups and JavaScript conferences
7:45
I would attend Angular, JavaScript, and React meetups through meetup.com. These were cool once-a-month hangouts
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with other devs in the area. Usually, one or two people would present
7:55
on different software development topics. And then there's usually pizza and then chatting afterwards
8:01
And after nearly every single presentation, the presenter would be like, Oh, and by the way, I work for some company and we're hiring
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So get in touch if you're looking for a job. Most times, there was also a recruiter or two
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hanging out, chatting with folks, and handing out their business card. And these recruiters seemed like the ones
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that were most active in the local community. So this is where I would start
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if I was trying to make connections with a recruiter. It was also at these meetups that I found out
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about a local JavaScript conference that was held once a year and was affordable
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unlike all the big-name conferences. It was also a great place to meet other devs and recruiters
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And this was sponsored by local companies who usually had booths set out
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where you could go chat to them about their company and about job openings
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And the number one absolute best way to find good jobs is through personal connections
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And many jobs are even filled before the listings even hit those big websites
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But if you're new, how do you even leverage connections like that
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First of all, the earlier you start building connections, the better. You don't want to be a user
8:59
I personally don't like recommending people for jobs if I feel like they're just trying to use me
9:03
My best recommendations go to people that I know and that I would actually personally like to work with
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This isn't something you can really fake because these quality connections take time to build
9:12
and require that you be a genuine friend and all-around good person
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So don't just show up at meetups and then expect that everyone is just going to help you
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get a job right away. That's just a recipe for failure. Try to make actual friends and play the long game
9:28
You see, there's a good chance that your first job won't even come from someone
9:31
that you met at a meetup. But down the road, something might come your way
9:35
Maybe an opportunity for your second or your third job. I've had people I first met several years ago
9:41
at a meetup who've reached out to me and asked if I was interested in joining their team
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You see, we had had several good chats and interactions over the years
9:49
It's just that when I was new, I didn't really have the exact skills that they were needing
9:54
It just wasn't the right time. But once I had more experience, I was more likely to have the skills they were looking for
10:00
and I would be a good culture fit. And that never would have happened
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if I had just sat back at those meetups and not actually gone out of my way
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and tried to meet people and chat with people and get to know them on a more personal level
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Yes, it's super uncomfortable to go out of your way and meet new people, but it can totally be worth it
10:17
I mean, it was uncomfortable for me, but I still really enjoy bumping into, like
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all those people that I've met at those early meetups. And while it's important to think about the now
10:25
don't forget to plant the seeds for something that's going to happen in the future
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But now is probably what you're most interested in. And the next best place to leverage your connections
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is through your current circle. There's a good chance that there's someone
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in your extended family or maybe your friends group or a group of acquaintances through clubs
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or maybe church congregations that there's someone out there who is a software engineer
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and you don't even know it. Or maybe you know that they're a software engineer
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but they don't even know that you're trying to become one. So just speak up and let people know that you are looking
10:56
Maybe a brother-in-law has another brother-in-law that is looking for affordable software developers
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so they decide to give you a chance. True story. That just happened to a bootcamp grad
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that I personally know. Connections completely trump every other way of finding a job
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I found out about my last two jobs through connections that gave me a heads up on job openings
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But my ultimate, all-time favorite way to leverage connections is to start with the company you are currently working for
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Now, this is not going to work for everybody. But if you do work for a company
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that could use some help with either updating their website or maybe they could use some smaller informational websites
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to help with marketing some products or they send out tons of emails
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that look like they came from the 90s, you could offer to help them out
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You really gotta demonstrate what you offer first. Otherwise, they're probably just going to say no
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So maybe create some sample HTML emails that really look nice. Or some mock-ups for enhancing the website
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Or maybe you just full-on just build a small marketing style website from the ground up
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Then you present that to them with your idea of how you can contribute
12:00
maybe part-time just to get started. Maybe they let you spend 10% of your time at first
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But this can grow over time. And that's how I got my initial experience
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and I worked my way into more and more software development duties
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Even if they say no, if you have built that marketing website, volunteer to let them have it
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and help them set it up so that it's getting used. And congrats
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You have a little bit of experience building something for an actual company
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If that's just not an option and not going to work for you at your current job and you're willing to leave
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and take another position somewhere else, maybe one that's not even full-time
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doing software development, maybe look for a non-profit that could use some help on their website
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or mailing lists. And then even if it's only 25% of your job duties
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are tied into software development, that's still experience that you are getting
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as you work on finding that full-time gig. And then once you get a call for that interview
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you gotta pass it. So here are some important things that you should do during a tech interview
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if you want to actually get a job. Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next one. Lates
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