{"id":4695,"date":"2021-05-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-02T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-your-first-web-developer-job-the-ultimate-guide-for-junior-developers\/"},"modified":"2023-08-31T13:56:03","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T11:56:03","slug":"how-to-get-your-first-web-developer-job-the-ultimate-guide-for-junior-developers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/web-development\/how-to-get-your-first-web-developer-job-the-ultimate-guide-for-junior-developers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Your First Web Developer Job: The Ultimate Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re self-taught, a bootcamp grad<\/a> or have a college degree, when you\u2019re a fresh-faced coder, landing that first web developer job can be tricky.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know you\u2019ve got the skills to do the job. The question is, how do you communicate that to hiring managers? How do you impress at the interview stage? How do you make sure you even get an interview in the first place?<\/p>\n

In this guide, I\u2019ll show you how to get a job as a web developer. If you’re just starting coding, try this free 5-day coding course<\/strong><\/a> to see if it’s for you.<\/p>\n

Here’s what we’ll cover:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Is it possible to get a web developer job without professional experience?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. How to gain experience that will help you land a job<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Where to look for web developer jobs<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. How to make sure your application stands out (including portfolio tips)<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. How to network as a newbie in the web development industry<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. How to ace your first web development interview<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. Is it possible to get a web developer job without professional experience?<\/h2>\n

    It\u2019s that classic conundrum that many jobseekers and career-changers face. Lots of employers want you to have experience, but how do you get experience without a job in web development?<\/p>\n

    The great news is that developers and software engineers are at a particular advantage here. Because coding has so many applications and there’s so much demand for these skills, there’s a whole host of projects and ways that you can build up your experience.<\/p>\n

    How career-change programs can help<\/h3>\n

    A lot of these examples will be detailed more in the next section, but for now I’d like to talk about how career-change programs such as CareerFoundry’s Full-Stack Web Development Program<\/a> are designed to build on this demand and allow you to walk into a professional job after you complete it.<\/p>\n

    Essentially, the program is designed to give you experience as you go through the program itself. We’ve purposefully chosen subjects and projects which are relevant to areas that are easy to break into as someone who has changed careers into coding.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Career-changers already have experience<\/h3>\n

    If you’re fretting about this need for real-world experience when applying for web development roles, remember that as a career-changer you already have real-world experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

    By harnessing that experience from your previous career and combining it with the practical coding skills and projects you’ve worked on, you can develop your own personal brand<\/a> to impress employers. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Not convinced it’s possible? If you any developers you might know how they got into coding, you’d be surprised how many of them came from surprising backgrounds. CareerFoundry have helped dancers<\/a>, community managers<\/a>, and Uber drivers<\/a> successfully become professional developers.<\/p>\n

    2. How can I gain valuable experience that will help me land a job?<\/h2>\n

    Fortunately for web developers, there are plenty of ways to put your in-demand skills to good use. Here\u2019s how you can get hands-on with programming before you\u2019re officially hired:<\/p>\n

    Volunteer your programming skills<\/h3>\n

    Volunteering is a great way to gain real-world experience and add some interesting projects to your portfolio. Not only will you be gaining valuable experience; you\u2019ll also be giving something back to the community. Win-win!<\/p>\n

    Pick up freelance work<\/h3>\n

    When you\u2019re trying to establish yourself as a bonafide developer, freelance gigs will help you to build credibility.<\/p>\n

    Check sites like Upwork<\/a> and fiverr<\/a> for ad-hoc projects. It may also be worth approaching smaller local companies to see if they could use your services. This might not be the most lucrative endeavour of your career, but it sends a clear message to employers: you\u2019ve got real-world skills and you\u2019re ready to use them!<\/p>\n

    Get involved in open-source projects<\/h3>\n

    Open-source projects consist of publicly available source code that anyone can modify\u2014and they\u2019re great for new coders wondering how to get a job in web development.<\/p>\n

    As well as putting your skills into practice, open-source projects give you the opportunity to work collaboratively with other developers. You can find a broad range of open-source projects on GitHub<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Never stop building!<\/h3>\n

    When it comes to convincing employers that you\u2019re job-ready, it\u2019s all about getting hands-on and putting your skills into action.<\/p>\n

    Therefore, it’s really important to keep learning and building. The more projects you work on\u2014be they open source, volunteer or freelance\u2014the more you will have to talk about in the interview room.<\/p>\n

    Keeping up with projects and trying new things out is a great way to improve your coding chops. So get involved!<\/p>\n

    3. Where should I look for web development jobs?<\/h2>\n

    While gaining as much real-world experience as possible, you also need to come up with a solid job-search strategy.<\/p>\n

    Web development is an extremely broad field, and there are so many different avenues you can pursue. Before you start browsing for jobs, you need to consider what you\u2019re looking for and use this to streamline your search.<\/p>\n

    Tailoring your job search<\/h3>\n

    Your job search should be tailored to both your existing skills and your goals for the future.<\/p>\n

    If you want to focus on frontend development, it makes sense to apply for frontend roles. However, if you have plans to branch out into backend development later on, check for roles that might accommodate this.<\/p>\n

    At the same time, think about the kind of setting you would most like to work in. Before you start searching, consider the following questions:<\/p>\n