Two Years of Experience Doesn’t make you “Senior”

Two years of experience doesn’t make you “senior”. Except maybe in high school. I don’t mean this in a negative sort of way. I mean it in a trying-to-help-you-out sort of way.

I’ve worked for a relatively small number of companies in my twenty-plus years of professional life. Small by the software industry’s standards, anyway. I’ve been involved in the hiring process in every job I’ve had. In most cases, I’ve been involved in the full process: assembling the job description, pruning through cover letters and resumes, interviewing, and making recommendations to hire.

In my opinion, pruning through cover letters and resumes is the hardest part. There have been times when I’ve literally received more than a thousand applications for a single job posting. In general, the first step is prune that list down to a manageable number (say a dozen or so) of people that you can talk to on the phone. From that list, you hope to narrow it down to a short list (e.g. four or five) of people that you can bring in for a face-to-face interview. You can’t really get to know somebody from a resume and cover letter; they’re used by an employer to sort out who they want to get to know. Winnowing a thousand applications into a dozen or so requires some tricks.

I tend to look for two things in an applicant: do they have the skills, and do they pay attention to detail. I don’t care if a resume is printed on cobalt blue paper. I don’t care if it uses a fancy font (though I do care if the selected font makes it difficult to read). I don’t care if it’s presented in some neat-o origami. I don’t care if you won an Olympic gold medal. Actually, I do care about the Olympic gold medal: that’s pretty cool, but it’s still not enough to get you to the next round.
The cover letter and resume must highlight relevant skills. I expect that an application for a job lists at least most of the skills required to do that job.

The cover letter and resume should be grammatically correct and all words should be spelled correctly. I can read in both correct and American English. Pick one.

On the topic of detail, let me return to the title of this post: Two Years of Experience Doesn’t make you “Senior”. Do not tell me that you graduated from college or university two years ago and have been working as a “senior” anything in the field. With two years of experience and a little luck, you may wind up as a “lead” developer; but you’re not senior. You need a few more years of real industry experience before you can call yourself senior.

If you’re a young person just starting out in this business, I give you this advice: don’t oversell yourself, represent yourself honestly, pay attention to the details, and do a little research on the companies you’re applying to. The software industry values potential.

Reference: Two Years of Experience Doesn’t make you “Senior” from our JCG partner Wayne Beaton at the Eclipse Hints, Tips, and Random Musings blog.

 http://www.javacodegeeks.com

14 Tips For To Be Independent Software Developers

1. Answer 'the why' before you resign from your job: People want to take up the independent software development gig for different reasons. Some want the luxury to work from home, while others want to make more money. Still others want to travel or want to work on their own terms. Why you want to do it is a very important question. You need to realise that many or even most of your goals will not be met immediately. So, you have to choose the right time to quite your job.

2. Have a game plan: Formulate your path before you sign your resignation. What do we mean? Make sure you know what you are going to do and how to go about it. You’re going to be your own man now, so you can do almost anything that you want to. But just because the world is open to you, doesn’t mean that you forget what your strengths are.

3. Get the first break: Remember how you had to hunt for a job before you got your break? It’s the same with a business as an independent software developer. The first contract is often the toughest task for an independent developer. This you can achieve either through your former employer or through recruitment firms, who can get you independent gigs.

4. Expand your skills: If you want to be a software developer, you’re most probably a coder yourself. But, you have to recognise that you’re starting a business and have a lot more responsibility. You have quite literally stepped into your boss’ shoes. Now it’s time to cope with it. Moreover, you don’t have a team that you boss did. Learn as much as you can and add new things to your skill set.

5. Quality matters: Quality is of the utmost importance nowadays. You have to strive to be the best in the business. If you get a contract, then you have to ensure that you become the end all and be all for your clients. That’s how you get ahead.

6. Pay attention to the little things: This is actually an extension of point 4. You have to pay attention to things like accounting, contracts, liability, cash flow etc. in order to avoid tax fiascos and other hassles in future. The little things don’t pay for now, but they pay in the long run by not becoming issues for you.

7. Marketing is the key: You can never really be the best unless the world knows it. Look at technology giants like Google, Apple etc. and you will recognise the importance of marketing. Market yourself as much as possible. If you’re working with a client, find out what additional work you can get from them. Moreover, ask every client for a referral. Lastly, meet new people in the same field of work as you.

8. Being organised: This is not something that we need to tell you, but still. It is really easy to be disorganised when you’re handling everything by yourself. We are not going to suggest one of the systems for being organised, do whatever works for you. As long as you’re organised, everything will be fine.

9. You didn’t get a promotion: You went independent, you did not get a promotion. As an independent software developer, you have to do the things that your boss did and the things that you yourself did. Basically, you’re a one man company now.

10. Don’t be a hindrance to yourself: Ok, you just went independent and the adrenaline is rushing. You may feel like you can do whatever comes your way now, but you do have a limit. Delegating tasks is very important and it keeps you from burning out.

11. You got to know when to hold ‘em: It’s like a game of poker and like it’s said in that song, “You got to know when to fold ‘em, know when to hold ‘em.” Go slow when you have too much work on your hands. As your venture becomes bigger, you can take more stuff at the same time. Overloading yourself can be the death of your business before you can realise it.

12. Judge your product: You are your own judge in this arena. You have a code and it is beautiful. But why should we take your word for it? This is exactly the question that your clients have for you. The good things about knowing your product is that you can sell it better. You have to know where your product excels and what its weaknesses are.

13. Find your successor: You know what the ultimate goal for any business is? To become what companies like Facebook and Google have become. But Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Mark Zuckerberg do not sit down to write the code anymore. They have other responsibilities now. Any moderately well to do developer will tell you that this stage comes much before you become the next Google. So, prepare for it and make sure that you have a team that functions well under you. Moreover, find your own replacement for when you want to be the big man with the big chair.

14. What is your asset: No, your best asset is not your product, at least not yet. That comes later, when you grow to a certain level. Zuckerberg is one of Facebook’s assets now, but when the boy started out, he was the biggest asset to Facebook. That is exactly what you are to your endeavour. Don’t burn yourself out and be in an impeccable state health wise.

Courtesy: ITWorld.com

Prasid Banerjee, EFYTIMES News Network

12 Tips to handle your first campus interview with a Software Company

 

Campus interview season is well on its way, and it won’t be long before you are confronted with your first corporate showdown. Intimidating thought? Most certainly; but it is natural to be a little anxious before your first campus interview. In fact, a little anxiety might actually enhance your performance. Let this nervous energy drive your efforts to success.

Generally, students make the disastrous mistake of not preparing for a technical campus interview well in advance. The realization generally comes too late, often after the first interview is over. Often when your best friend cracks the interview and you don’t, frustration creeps in.

Confidence level of even the brightest is bound to go down a notch or two after messing up one interview. So the key is, “get it right the first time”.

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Here are a few tips for your first software company interview:

1)      Know your subject:

• Ace that written exam: The written tests in campus interviews generally are aimed at testing the candidate’s knowledge of his/her core technical subjects in addition to critical reasoning skills. For instance, CS students must be prepared with Operating Systems, data structures, programming, compiler design etc.

• During the interview: Having cleared the written test, it is important for you to know the basics of programming for the interview. Generally, interviewers ask basic searching and sorting algorithms. Students generally cannot answer questions as simple as ‘bubble sorting using C’. To avoid this blunder, know your subject well enough.

2)      Aptitude and logical reasoning:

Aptitude test is one of the first hurdles that you have to cross to even be considered for the main campus interview. This includes a logical ability exam, numerical problems and a basic communication test.

For this, taking mock tests beforehand would help. Generally, speed is the key to cracking these exams, and that would come only with practice. Preparing for aptitude tests is generally fun, so this really should not be a problem.

3)      Build your communication Skills:

Being well versed in your subject would definitely give you an initial edge, but communication skills are equally important. You know that you are knowledgeable, but the interviewers don’t. They need to be convinced that you are the right person for the job. Good communication would certainly help you convey this.

• Lost in Translation: I clearly remember my high-school English teacher point out a problem common to all non-native English speakers. She said, “We tend to think in our regional language, and then translate it to English”. Our original thought process is conditioned to be in our native language. This is the reason why many people stammer or incorrectly phrase sentences during a formal conversation in English.

          A couple of things can help you tackle this problem:

1. Get into the habit of reading books and newspapers. In addition to strengthening your vocabulary, this would keep you updated with the affairs of the world.
2. Have group discussions with your friends. To build confidence for public speaking, it always helps if you get out of your comfort zone (i.e. have discussion sessions with people outside your immediate friend circle). With friends, you are much too comfortable to be able to honestly assess yourself. However, you can always begin with your friends and then widen the circle. Not only would this help you build confidence, but would enhance your analytical skills as well.

• Listening Skills: Listening is a very important aspect of communication. It is great if you have a killer vocabulary, and impressive oration style, but any conversation is incomplete without listening. During an interview, make sure to respond only after having understood the question properly.

4)      Research the company thoroughly:

One advantage of a campus interview is that the companies introduce themselves before the actual selection process begins. However, there is no harm in being prepared beforehand right!

Just do a little bit of homework; for instance, if the organization made headlines recently, find out what it was for.

5)      Know your project cover to cover:

Your project is something you are supposed to have put your best efforts in. The interviewer would expect you to know even the most elementary concepts about it.

6)      Be honest:

This may be your first campus interview, but it won’t be the interviewer’s first time conducting one. It won’t take much time for a skilled interviewer to find the loopholes/lies in your CV, and once he does, it is not going to be pleasant.

Just remember, knowledge is immense, and you are bound to have limitations. The interviewer is much too experienced to think otherwise. So, just give your best in whatever you know. If you are honest about your limitations, chances are you would be appreciated.

7)     Maintain eye-contact: 

This age old formula to project confidence still works like a charm. A good eye-contact is an effective way to let the interviewer know that you both are on the same page. Remember, first interview is unnerving for everyone. Always go in for an interview with positive energy. Self confidence is one trait highly valued by employers. But, it is important to appear confident, without appearing conceited.

8)      Prepare to answer common questions beforehand:

But remember, it should not sound rehearsed.

Imagine this: 2 minutes into the conversation, you are still adjusting yourself to the panel’s scrutinizing glances, when you are asked, “Tell me something about yourself”. Though it sounds fairly simple, this question is one of the toughest to answer. You wouldn’t want to stammer now, but you don’t want to parrot your CV back to the interviewer either. To avoid last minute meltdowns, prepare for such questions in advance.

9)      Do not get personal during an interview:

Don’t whine about your unfair life in an interview. The interviewer is not your shrink. He is just trying to find someone perfect for the job. Long story short, just concentrate on your skill-set and how you can add value to the organization.

10)      Avoid controversial topics like Religion, political beliefs etc.:

Unless specifically brought up by the interviewer, keep away from this risky territory.

11)      How to handle awkward questions:

Don’t get defensive if the interviewer asks you something you find inappropriate. Handle such situations very intelligently during your campus interview. More often than not, the interviewer is judging your tolerance level, and reaction to stressful situations. This is the kind of stuff Stress Interviews are made of.

12)      Get professional help: 

This is especially advised if you are a little low on confidence. With professional help you can identify your specific weak points, and work on them, rather than beating around the bush.

A few professionals in the job consulting industry conduct mock interviews with corporate professionals to give their students a first-hand experience before the big day. If you decide to take professional help, choose someone that gives this service.

Source http://www.edureka.in/blog/tips-to-handle-first-campus-interview-software-company/

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