First things first
Getting your first internship as a software developer is pretty hard. Despite the fact that tech jobs are booming and that there is a shortage of skilled workers.
In this article I write about some actionable advice you can do to improve your chances to get an internship as a software developer. Since I’m living and working in Switzerland I’ll also give key information on what to check before applying in this beautfil (but cold) country.
Since I’m engaged in the process of hiring software developer trainees I know what tech recruiters look for and how you can stand above the competition.
5 actionable points for your application
Create a clear and concise resume
To write a clear and concise resume is an art.
There is so much work involved in the process of creating the “perfect” curiculum vitae. And yet recruiters watch approximately 10 seconds to get a first picture of you as a person. They only scan for their keywords.
So the goal for you is to make your resume “scannable”. This means that you highlight the most important points, which you think recruiters are interested in.
One major tip I can give you here is to write with the STAR principle. When listing your job experience, school career and your projects don’t just list your responsibilities and tasks. STAR stands for situation, task, action and results.
This gives recruiters much more information on what you did at this point in your life.
For example let’s take a web developer who developed an application for an insurance company.
Situation: That’s the position at the company you had (job title).
Task: Developing a web application to get client feedback after consulting. This data is used to improve customer experience.
Action: Developing the web application with framework X and connecting to database Y.
Results: The insurance company was capable to get customer feedback. And with the data they could improve Follow-Up after consultings, administrative processes and further development of service quality.
With this approach you help recruiters to better understand what exactly you did at that position and what impact you had.
Write a brief cover letter which gets to the point
This is a further point, that I didn’t think of including it.
For me it’s natural, that you write a good cover letter. You can’t imagine how much applicants really only send in their resume without a cover letter. So a brief cover letter can increase your chance of getting attention.
A major advice I can give here is to just keep it simple. You are NOT writing the next masterpiece to compete with Jane Austen or Paolo Cuelho (cheers to all Cuelho readers).
Just make sure to have the following structure:
- Heading
- Greeting
- Introductory paragraph
- Body paragraph(s)
- Closing sentence
- Closing signature
That’s it! More tips on how to write a cover letter you will find in this article from Codecademy.
Get your social media right
Oh boy, this really makes my heart bleed.
To get to the point, I’m only talking about LinkedIn in this subject (who uses Xing anyway?). LinkedIn is THE platform to get attention from employers and recruiters. And if you follow LinkedIn’s guide lines, the algorithm will reward you.
What does that mean?
When creating a new account on LinkedIn, it helps you with some steps to set up your profile. Just follow the instructions. Be sure to make it to the end, because then your profile will be marked as complete.
If you set the right keywords on your profile and have a decent profile picture, you will get more traction. LinkedIn preferes showing “completed” profile over uncompleted ones. And the right keywords makes it easier for other people to find you.
I really stress out this point, because LinkedIn helped me in the job searching process. About seven recruiters reached out to me with job offers. This significantly boosted my motivation and therefore further efforts.
Create a portfolio website with your personal projects
You won’t believe how few developers have a portfolio website.
This really is something which lets you stand out among the other applicants. And there’s also a reason for that. Building a portfolio website takes a lot of time and effort.
And there’s also a caveat to this. Having a portfolio website to show some projects you did in the past isn’t enough. And creating projects just for your website is also not a good thought.
A portfolio website is only worth it, if it’s not full of common projects.
Platform clones, todo apps, a calculator or a restaurant website aren’t really gonna prove your skills and won’t impress recruiters either. The reason for that is that already hundreds of others have built them (and there’s like hundreds of YouTube videos explaining them).
Don’t put in a project which can be build in a weekend. What really impresses recruiters are projects were you solved a problem with your unique solution. And it doesn’t need to be the next facebook in order to create a WOW effect.
Your network is your networth
This is a point that I fortunately discovered early in life.
Having a good network of people is a game changer in literally everything in your life. I won’t go in too detail in that. I just focus on the job searching process.
But be aware, that a good network is helpful in different life situations.
But why is that? Well, we all know that already having a foot in the door helps you with getting to the interview. That’s one major argument.
Another one is that the more people know you, the more there are people talking about you and your skills. This opens doors of opportunities you weren’t aware of or wouldn’t have ever get attention of.
Since this article is already getting too long, I won’t explain how you can expand your network. I may write an article about this topic in the future.
But you can just google “Networking for nerds”. I’m sure you’ll find a good guide.
The Swiss job market
If you’re a reader who doesn’t know Switzerland, there are some points to know before applying for jobs in this market.
Work Permit
I guess that’s a no-brainer.
I order to work in this country you’ll need a work permit. Depending on the sector and role you need a different one. There are jobs that you even need a swiss citizen (e.g. policeman).
If it’s not written on the job description, ask for which permit you need.
Certificates, diplomas and other papers
Switzerland is a country where people are really proud of their degrees and diplomas.
Recruiters and employers also look out for those papers. I dont’ say that it’s impossible to get a job without a degree, but it will certainly be harder.
Bachelor ≠ Bachelor
I apologize for the arrogance of the swiss education system.
If you have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, then cheers to that! But be aware, that some degrees from certain countries are not acknowledged in switzerland.
I met a few people whith a Bachelor or Master from Russia or Macedonia. They really had to work as barkeeper while studying from the beginning in switzerland.
Be sure to check if your degrees are acknowledgeg upfront, before getting disappointed.
Final words
Finding your first internship as a software developer is hard.
But if you take the mentioned points in this article serious, it should be less of a hassle. I hope you could find some ideas and information to improve your resume and therefore your chances of getting the job.
And lastly don’t forget to have fun in the whole process. You’re getting a set of new and exciting experiences and this is something you can look forward to.
growtogether
If you have already got an intership and got knowledge which could help others, feel free to share. This helps current and future applicants on their journey.
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