Building your brand as a software engineer
04/22/19 11:30 Filed in: Candidate Information
Forbes listed software engineers as the job with the most significant hiring growth in 2019. With development of new technology and the ever growing need for it in modern society, there has been a huge wave of over 80,000 job openings. With that being said, I find that software engineers often do not get the recognition they deserve. According to a Medium article, software engineers find their current position difficult due to companies not giving them recognition for heavy work hours and completed projects. If you are reading this, we are assuming that you are an eager and talented software engineer looking for a long term career with advancement, high pay, and company acknowledgement. As a professional staffing firm, we noticed how important it is for software engineers to build their personal brand and differentiate themselves. A strong brand is the best way to get hired in today's job market.
Photo by Brayden George on Unsplash
1. Establish A Social Media Presence
Learn how to market yourself by developing an online presence. With LinkedIn and Twitter, there is no reason to not take advantage of these FREE resources. Ensure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and professional with contact information available. Beyond that, make sure your profile displays the companies you’ve worked with, the type of projects you’ve done, as well as have all of the coding languages and programs you know. Top three coding languages in demand are JavaScript, C++, and Python. Mentioning additional languages and how you applied them will be greatly beneficial for your profile. You can compliment your social media with a photo that is done by a professional to boost your brand. When interacting with others, be sure to communicate professionally and with consistency. Interact with your followers or connections with engaging posts that may display your expertise on the subject or pose questions to encourage productive conversations. Having an online presence ensures that you are being broadcasted and can be found by prospective employers and generally boost your reputation.
2. Establish A Personal Site or Personal Blog
Having a personal site or blog can give employers an in depth view of yourself. Being a software engineer, you are an artist with a vast variety of coding skills. Having a personal site or blog can demonstrate those skills in a portfolio. It gives the companies a good view of your personality and how you could fit in their company. That being said, ensure that your personal site is user friendly while still visually appealing to the human eye. You should view having a personal site or personal blog as a professional homage to yourself. Employers and companies should be able to feel you in your personal site or personal blog.
3. Build an Online Portfolio
Building an online portfolio is important in demonstrating your skill set. It shows potential employers that you can create difficult projects. An online portfolio is an extension to your resume.. GitHub is an excellent way to do that. GitHub essentially takes all of your projects and puts them in one place. GitHub keeps track of edits and past files, while allowing other people to contribute and share. It is an excellent way to simultaneously expand your online profile and resume at the same time. Not to mention, having a strong GitHub repository can give you experience and respect in this software engineer community. Having experience through personal projects, such as GitHub projects, or internships are incredibly important. Personal projects shows your own motivation to start and finish projects. It shows your niche, if you will.
4. Have Interpersonal Skills
Having an online presence is a tool to help people see you. It is meant to help you network and develop professional relationships. Professional relationships and connections are what help you build a presence in the community. Having interpersonal skills help you build a network for yourself. Going to local meet ups for your industry, trade shows, networking events, or a local hiring promotion allows you to use your interpersonal skills that may lead to hearing about jobs or meeting employers. It establishes you as a trusted person in the community. Rob Coble has a website featuring a podcast, tips, and articles with local events that can aid in expanding your interpersonal skills. Having internships or other work experience will do the same. It demonstrates that you can work well with a group of people. We’ve linked here a previous blog entry that goes more into depth with interpersonal skills. Being able to market yourself online can be what catches an employer’s attention.
We hope you enjoyed this entry and found our advice helpful. Please let us know what you think or reach out to us with your own tips!
Photo by Brayden George on Unsplash
1. Establish A Social Media Presence
Learn how to market yourself by developing an online presence. With LinkedIn and Twitter, there is no reason to not take advantage of these FREE resources. Ensure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and professional with contact information available. Beyond that, make sure your profile displays the companies you’ve worked with, the type of projects you’ve done, as well as have all of the coding languages and programs you know. Top three coding languages in demand are JavaScript, C++, and Python. Mentioning additional languages and how you applied them will be greatly beneficial for your profile. You can compliment your social media with a photo that is done by a professional to boost your brand. When interacting with others, be sure to communicate professionally and with consistency. Interact with your followers or connections with engaging posts that may display your expertise on the subject or pose questions to encourage productive conversations. Having an online presence ensures that you are being broadcasted and can be found by prospective employers and generally boost your reputation.
2. Establish A Personal Site or Personal Blog
Having a personal site or blog can give employers an in depth view of yourself. Being a software engineer, you are an artist with a vast variety of coding skills. Having a personal site or blog can demonstrate those skills in a portfolio. It gives the companies a good view of your personality and how you could fit in their company. That being said, ensure that your personal site is user friendly while still visually appealing to the human eye. You should view having a personal site or personal blog as a professional homage to yourself. Employers and companies should be able to feel you in your personal site or personal blog.
3. Build an Online Portfolio
Building an online portfolio is important in demonstrating your skill set. It shows potential employers that you can create difficult projects. An online portfolio is an extension to your resume.. GitHub is an excellent way to do that. GitHub essentially takes all of your projects and puts them in one place. GitHub keeps track of edits and past files, while allowing other people to contribute and share. It is an excellent way to simultaneously expand your online profile and resume at the same time. Not to mention, having a strong GitHub repository can give you experience and respect in this software engineer community. Having experience through personal projects, such as GitHub projects, or internships are incredibly important. Personal projects shows your own motivation to start and finish projects. It shows your niche, if you will.
4. Have Interpersonal Skills
Having an online presence is a tool to help people see you. It is meant to help you network and develop professional relationships. Professional relationships and connections are what help you build a presence in the community. Having interpersonal skills help you build a network for yourself. Going to local meet ups for your industry, trade shows, networking events, or a local hiring promotion allows you to use your interpersonal skills that may lead to hearing about jobs or meeting employers. It establishes you as a trusted person in the community. Rob Coble has a website featuring a podcast, tips, and articles with local events that can aid in expanding your interpersonal skills. Having internships or other work experience will do the same. It demonstrates that you can work well with a group of people. We’ve linked here a previous blog entry that goes more into depth with interpersonal skills. Being able to market yourself online can be what catches an employer’s attention.
We hope you enjoyed this entry and found our advice helpful. Please let us know what you think or reach out to us with your own tips!