Let's set the scene: You've just completed a bootcamp or web development program and are eagerly applying for junior positions with less than two years of experience. However, you're not getting any responses from companies. Sound familiar? No worries. In this article, we'll dive into the selection process, identify potential reasons for the radio silence, and develop a strategy to land your first interview (usually a phone call).

The Hard Truth

Let's be real: Developers are in high demand, but the industry prefers experienced professionals. Folks who can work autonomously with minimal guidance and training are few and far between, and everyone wants a senior dev on their team. Meanwhile, junior developers, particularly those who've done short-term courses, often require significant help to assimilate into a team and provide value to the company. Experienced team members, who are already overloaded, are usually tasked with mentoring these newbies. This means that when recruiters sift through the hundreds of entry-level applicants, they're looking for the most skilled candidate.

The goal is to make your application stand out from the crowd, so it can reach the technical management team.

How to make your application stand out

The first humans to review your application are likely non-technical staff, so it's crucial that your resume and LinkedIn profile are on point. To really shine, however, you'll need a good portfolio and GitHub profile.

For front-end developers in particular, a portfolio is essential. It's a valuable tool for demonstrating your abilities to recruiters and HR personnel who may not be familiar with GitHub or coding. Your portfolio can be as simple as a responsive page with smooth effects, a contact form, and a section showcasing your top 3-4 fully deployed projects. These can even be your favorite case studies. Make sure each project is linked to its corresponding live web product and well-documented repository.

Here's a pro tip: Populate your GitHub with at least three high-quality projects that are fully deployed and well-documented. Become an active GitHub user to boost your daily board marks. It's critical to learn how to use version control and collaborate on a repository as early as possible. This will help you understand user stories and how to solve business problems by submitting a solution through a Pull Request. Consider collaborating on an open-source project to gain valuable experience, such as ours, the Web Dev Path.

Finally, ensure that your showcase applications (including your portfolio) have excellent performance rates.

It takes some effort, but the payoff is landing that first interview. Remember that your resume, LinkedIn, portfolio, and GitHub are all tools for promoting yourself as a hard-working, dedicated, and detail-oriented developer. So, sharpen those tools and keep pushing!