Last week I was at a career fair, and had a chance to speak to dozens of students who were just about to start out in the wider world. They had loads of great questions about software engineering and what they should be focusing on now to help land that first job. I think that’s a really interesting topic, so I wanted to share some of my thoughts on that here.
First up, you’ve got to want to do it. If the idea of writing code, figuring out problems and designing systems doesn’t excite you, then you might want to look to something else.
Next up, you’ll make sure you know how to display some of those key skills. Most early careers schemes won’t be asking for really deep knowledge of specific technologies, but they will want to see some proof of logical thinking, problem solving and something around actually coding.
Depending on the type of company that might be quite deep computer science type thinking, or it might be focused more on code to solve business problems. Target your learning and prep appropriately!
Beyond the key professional skills, the interpersonal and team skills are just as important. When we build modern software you work in a team. You don’t just sit and code, but you talk to other team members, you work across teams and you might work directly with some of your users. So make sure you are a nailing your group projects and building up experience of team based activities.
Many programmes will use technical skills demonstrations in initial rounds to set a baseline skill level, and then use the team and personal skills to select standout candidates. Don’t leave these as an afterthought!
Finally, in early careers you don’t have loads of experience, so potential is assessed even more actively. Knowing about the company you are applying for, connecting with their mission and being enthusiastic about it are real benefits. Being curious and ready to learn is another great attribute, and is the thing that will nudge you from good to great!
Early careers schemes are popular and attract massive numbers of applicants. It can feel like you need to play the numbers game to win, but if you balance your tech and personal skills, prepare with great examples of times you’ve used them and align your applications to your interests, you can jump to the front of the queue.
James Osborn 