As a final year student or recent graduate in 2023, February is a great time to start planning for your next step after college. Job applications and interviews will come sooner than you think, so plan now for success.
2022 saw headlines of layoffs at Big Tech firms, and the trend is continuing in 2023. The job market is getting more competitive as companies adjust their outlook post-pandemic. The good news for software engineers is that their skills and knowledge are still very much in demand.
In Ireland, there are many open roles for graduates looking to get hired as software engineers.
Take a look at these graduate roles on our Jobs Board.
Here’s five steps you can take in February 2023 to start your journey to getting hired.
1. Build a Strong LinkedIn Profile and Network
1. Build a Strong LinkedIn Profile and Network
It’s a great time to look at your LinkedIn profile and see how you can make it more professional and ensure it lists all your technical skills and work experience. Look at the LinkedIn profiles of experienced software engineers to get ideas on how to write your profile.
Start connecting with Graduate Recruiters and Early-Stage Recruiters to build your network. You will see job opportunities appear on your Feed as soon as these recruiters post them on LinkedIn.
Use Keywords on your profile. List your technical skills (e.g. Java, C#, Python, AWS) in your profile to ensure that your profile is found when recruiters are searching.
List your work experience, especially your internship. Give details of the technologies you used and the type of applications you were coding.
Include a link to your Github account and your blog on your LinkedIn profile.
2. Review your CV
Take time to review your CV and make changes so it will standout when you apply for jobs.
Page 1 of your CV must be strong. A recruiter will scan for keywords on Page 1, so make sure you have your technical skills listed here.
Try to include the following details on Page 1 of your CV – Intro | Education | Experience | Projects.
Read our guide on How to write your CV. We also have a CV Template for graduate software engineers to download.
3. Read Salary Guides
Take a look at salary guides to see what graduates are getting paid in your location. This will ensure that you get paid what you are worth when you get hired as a software engineer.
During the interview process, you may be asked, “What are your salary expectations?”
After having researched salary guides, you can say “I expect to be paid €x based on my research from salary guides for this location”.
Read our Salary Guide for Software Engineers for the most recent salary ranges in your location.
4. Prepare for Interviews
Start your interview preparation early in 2023. It takes time to prepare answers to common questions and become proficient at answering technical questions.
Make a list of common questions such as behavioural, problem-solving and skills-based.
Write down the answers to these questions so you have them for future reference every time you do an interview.
Practice common questions by asking yourself the question and answering it out loud.
Technical questions for graduates will often focus on college or personal projects. Know your projects very well and be able to talk about how you used each technology on your CV.
Start practicing technical questions on platforms such as Leetcode, HackerRank or Codewars.
Interview technical tests in 2023 are often done virtually. Spend time becoming familiar with platforms such as Codility which many companies use to test the coding skills of software engineers.
For more information, read our article on Interview Preparation for Graduate Software Engineers
5. Share your Knowledge
In 2023, a software engineer is expected to have a Github account with a couple of projects. You can increase your chances of getting hired in 2023 by sharing your knowledge across other platforms. Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for individuals who contribute and share information across the software community.
Create a Stack Overflow account to begin answering questions on programming languages you have studied.
Join LinkedIn groups and contribute your knowledge to group discussions.
Start a blog and write an article on how to build a REST API or why unit testing is important in software development.
Include the link to each profile at the top of your CV.
For more information, read our article on How to Create An Online Identity As A Graduate
