S3E1 - Your Dream Developer Job
Show Notes:
Bit of an unexpected hiatus, but we're back with a bang! What's the bang? It's a book that I wrote, called Your Dream Developer Job.
Today I'd like to talk about my first internationally published book. It's about everything you need to position yourself as the ideal candidate for your perfect role in the tech industry. It is now available worldwide; in Paperback, Kindle and DRM-Free EBook formats.
You’ll find it on the show’s website https://www.speakingsoftwareshow.com/yourdreamdeveloperjob, or you can search for it on your local variant of Amazon.
Some technical issues with the audio on this episode. We’ll be back to our usual level of quality for the next one!
Show Script:
Back again Folks! Bit of an unexpected hiatus, but we're back with a bang!
What's the bang? It's a book!
It's a book that I wrote, called “Your Dream Developer Job”. It's just been published, and folks - it's a doozy! It's everything you need to position yourself as the ideal candidate for your perfect role in the tech industry.
It's a comprehensive guide that covers everything from how to build a narrative, writing a 10/10 resume, networking, finding the right jobs to apply to, right up to acing the interview process. It is now available worldwide; in Paperback, Kindle and DRM-Free Ebook formats.
I’ll leave links in the show notes, but you’ll also find it on the show’s website http://speakingsoftwareshow.com, or you can search for it on amazon.
A book seems a little extreme though, right? Like where did that come from?
That's actually a great question!
Competition in the tech job market is fierce right now. There is so much great talent out there, but they just don't know how to sell their skills! A lot of devs I know love their craft, but just dislike where they work. They want to jump ship but they're finding out the hard way that it takes more than a 3 year old one-size-fits-all ratty Word doc CV/Resume to make it.
These days you have to a) apply for the right jobs and B) know how to position yourself as the obvious-and-easy pick for those roles. There's a lot to that. Probably a lot more work than people think it is.
You have to work out what you actually want.
You need a narrative.
You have to tap into your network (or grow one if you don't have one!)
You have to practice interviewing. You can't just rock up and talk shit; You need practice.
You need a portfolio. You need to be google-able.
You need to optimize your chances.
Technical skills are not the same as soft skills, and interviews will take you to task on your soft-skills. Nowadays, if you can't explain and demonstrate the value you can bring, it's just not going to happen.
Now, some heel will chime in with their WELL AKSHUALLY stories about how they're sister's cousin met someone at a tech meetup and the next day moved to a 200K job. I'm going to say that didn't happen, but I do know that’s not going to be the reality for 99.9999% of Software Engineers out there.
For everyday developers, this book aims to help and arm them with the knowledge they need to position themselves as the correct candidate for the jobs they apply for. It also teaches them to apply for the right jobs, and to prepare correctly.
I suppose the unique selling point of this book, compared to other similarly themed career advice books out there, is that it's written by an actual developer. For any devs out there - I've been in your shoes. I've made the fuck ups. I've lived the funny stories - you’ve probably even heard some of mine! I know the pain! This is the book I wish I had like 5, 7, jesus - even10 years ago!
I've been on both sides of the interview desks 100s of times, and over the years I've developed a great sense of what works, and what doesn't. The info in the book is inside-track stuff that Developers aren't going to find anywhere else. We’re not going to talk about SWOT analysis, or the STAR method. That’s all horseshit. We’re going to talk about real things like how to connect with your interviewer ,and what real problems you’re going to face, and tactics on how to avoid them.
If you’re looking for your next job, or even your first, this book is IMHO definitely something to consider. Check the links in the show notes!
If you read the book, and you’ve got a query, or idea, or want to challenge me or whatever, I’m using the hashtag #yourdreamdevjob on Twitter and LinkedIn. Write your post and pop the tag, and that makes sure that I can take a gander.
Grab a copy, and let me know your opinion. I’d love to hear it!