Discussion on:

10 ways for entry level developers to get hired

Get your degree, all 4 years too. Obviously you don't *really* need a degree to write code, but it is the ticket for entry in many companies. (My company will not hire you with 30 years of experience without a 4-year degree. It's a client/contract requirement.)

Another one to add is not being all high and mighty about programming languages. If the job is to write COBOL, don't talk down about it. Any job that puts money in your pocket is a good one at this stage. We hired a young guy that just loved .Net, which was okay if he didn't talk trash about everything else. We're a Java shop, so that attitude didn't play well. He didn't last long.

One thing I found that really helped me get interviewed is to have my friends review my resume and offer their feedback. Be open to their suggestions, as their paradigm, and fresh set of eyes will help you to craft a better, more rounded resume. My resume was professionally reviewed, and when I asked my friends for input, they found a few spelling and grammar mistakes, which might have negatively affected me getting an interview. When your friends do give feedback, thank them for taking time out of their day, and do NOT defend yourself to their viewpoint. You do not have to use their suggestions, but they are probably correct.

I created a "master" resume that I would then eliminate bullet points that were not needed to the job. I keep my resume at no more than 2 pages. You do not want to show all of you hand. Let them come away with questions so they will call you. The goal of a resume is to get an interview, not tell your life story, and the more refined and correct it is, the better you will look. Best of luck!

. . . start preparing yourself for a radical career change, waiting for you at the age of about 45, when you become an exit level developer. Nobody will hire you after you reach that age.

Having a healthy ego is one thing, but letting it run wild, acting like you were the master mind behind the .NET framework (replace with the technology of your preference) its a whole different game.

1. Accept that you are just entering the job market. What you lack in experience you can compensate with eagerness to learn, to collaborate, to make yourself useful. Be honest about it.

2. Keep it real during the interview. be yourself!. You may fool a hiring manager that its not experienced in IT people. But a seasoned manager in Software engineering will spot you a mile away.

3. Make sure your resume has zero BS in it. You must really know the things you are saying you know. Otherwise, you will make the biggest ridicule of your life if you are submitted to a technical interview. I have seen it many times.It hurts to see people do that to themselves.

Insider tip. If a SW manager calls you for an interview, it means that it has seen some degree of potential in you and its willing to take a gamble if the interview shows him that you do indeed have that potential. Don't fool yourself into thinking that somebody just realized that you are the next Linus Torvalds. It just means that they are willing to give you and opportunity. be appreciative when such rare gem its handed to you.