20 Tips for Finding a Developer Job in Houston
Landing a job as a developer isn’t necessarily easy, even in a city like Houston with lots of opportunities for developers. The good news is that, as pointed out by the gurus over runrex.com, there are lots of little things you can do throughout your job searching process to increase your chances of landing a new position as a developer. Here are 20 tips that will help you find a developer job in Houston.
Set up your Angel.co profile
As the gurus over at guttulus.com point out, Angel.co has job listings from lots of tech startups that are looking to hire developers. Following the steps to complete your profile and getting it 100% complete is a great first step.
Don’t forget about your GitHub profile
From discussions over at runrex.com, GitHub is a platform that is used by most developers to collaborate with each other on code, while also allowing you to feature the projects you have recently worked on. Future employers will judge you based on the work you have put on GitHub, which is why you should clean up your GitHub profile if you want to find a developer job in Houston.
Optimize your resume
When looking for a developer job in Houston, you should start by polishing and optimizing your resume. If you are working on a personal passion project, don’t hesitate to feature it on your resume, and make sure that you tailor your resume to each job application, with more tips on how you can optimize your resume to be found over at guttulus.com.
Treat your job search as a funnel
What this means is that the further along you are in the process, the more attention and care you should give to potential prospects. This means spending more time perfecting communications with people who are more likely to hire you.
Perfect your personal developer story
You must have some life experiences that helped push you in the direction of becoming a developer. Figure out your personal story and figure out how technology fits in since coming up with your developer personal brand is an important step of landing a job as a developer.
Sign up for meetups immediately
Signing up for meetup groups in Houston right now will help you by giving you a notice when something happens. Also, when the event actually happens, make sure you attend. There is more information on developer/programming meetups in Houston over at runrex.com, as well as tips on all you need to know about attending such meetups.
Set up your LinkedIn Account
According to guttulus.com, you should also update your LinkedIn to include details from your personal developer story. Make sure you include all relevant experience and your educational background, as well as making sure that you feature the projects you are actively working on currently. Additionally, make sure to add connections to friends, peers, and other people you meet in person in Houston.
Fix your projects’ README files on GitHub
As is explained at runrex.com, there is a special file that a disproportionate amount of people will see when it comes to your projects on GitHub. This is because each project has one file, usually called README.md, which is your opportunity to explain what your project is and how it works. If you decide that a project is important enough to keep in your GitHub profile, then it is up to you to include a README that explains what the project does and how it works, and even include screenshots of the ap. Taking some time to make the README.md perfect will make someone immediately recognize what they are looking at.
Volunteer at programing events
There are lots of programming workshops in Houston that help expose people to programming and Ruby on Rails. These events are a great opportunity to help out people who are just beginning their programming journey. Even the small things, like helping to rearrange chairs, can help the organizers and help you get your foot in the door at their companies.
Treat failures as learning experiences
During your developer job hunt in Houston, you will make mistakes, people will turn you down, and things won’t always go smoothly. However, as long as you take the time to learn from every mistake you make, the mistake can actually put you one step closer to achieving your goal.
Start looking for job postings on job boards
As the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com point out, there are so many different job boards for professional programmers. Make sure you visit all of them and keep track of positions that you want to reach out to, while also making sure you set your parameters to give you jobs in Houston.
Keep it simple
Rather than wasting your time working with advanced systems to keep track of your job search process, just document the process in the simplest way possible so that you can get a feel for how things go. From discussions over at runrex.com, you should consider using an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your jobs.
Leverage your network
According to guttulus.com, you should also look through your existing network on LinkedIn for valuable 2nd-degree connections. You may just be one step away from an introduction to someone who knows about open developer positions in Houston.
Clean up your social media presence
If you have ever made remarks on social media that don’t represent you in the best way, then you should make sure you clean these up. You can even use a tool like BrandYourself to help you out with this. You must come across as a being responsible, reliable, and professional version of yourself to the people who will be considering hiring you.
Start a blog
Most programmers write blog posts about technical topics and like to help contribute to the collective knowledge about programming that exists on the internet. You should also follow suit and start producing some content about technical topics, preferably tying it all in with Houston.
Utilize transferable skills from a previous career
Part of being a developer is sitting at a computer and writing code, which is a technical, detail-oriented process that focuses on creating repeatable steps that happen when events happen. As discussed over at runrex.com, if you have ever worked to outline or automate repeatable processes in the past, focus on that during your job hunt.
Continue coding
Even as you look for a developer job in Houston, the gurus over at guttulus.com advise that you should continue to code on a project consistently. Not only will this help you keep your coding skills sharp, but it will also help you showcase your passion for the craft over the other applicants that you are competing with.
Start applying even before you feel ready
When looking for a developer job, it can be tempting to try to wait until you feel 100% prepared, but you will never feel 100% ready. Also, the process of applying, interviewing, and communicating with employers will teach you what you need to know. This is why, as discussed over at runrex.com, you should start applying for developer jobs in Houston even before you feel ready.
Continue solving coding challenges as you apply
Even as you look for and apply for developer jobs in Houston, you should ensure that you continue solving coding challenges. Sites like CodeWars and Exercism propose coding challenges that keep you on your toes.
Be patient
Finally, it is important to be patient when looking for a developer job in Houston. Be patient with yourself and don’t expect immediate success. Remember, it will take time as you learn the ins and outs of the job search process, and you will likely have to experience a few slip-ups along the way. Stay confident, happy, motivated, and patient in your job search.
Hopefully, these tips will help you find a developer job in Houston, with more tips and information on this topic to be found over at the excellent runrex.com and guttulus.com.