Getting a job is the easiest thing you can do as a developer, and back then I had no idea about this fact. I had never done something like that so the whole process felt vague and horrifying. I had a strong portfolio, strong skills and also strong imposter syndrome and perfectionism that prevented me from sending my resume for one more month.
These are some of the objections I had for delaying sending my resume for work:
- What if I'm not skilled enough?
- What do they even do in software companies?
- What if I receive a task I can't handle?
- ….
So during that extra month I focused on three things. First, networking with other developers on LinkedIn, hoping they had an empty position at their companies. Second, sending my resume and asking for internships. Third, completing projects similar to real projects out there, hoping I'd acquire the skills to land a job.
Networking on LinkedIn
LinkedIn was the first ever social media I joined. I didn't have any ideas about how to leverage it properly. But I got to connect with some amazing developers back then. I'd message them, send them my resume and ask them for advice on my journey. Even had a few coffee chats with some of them which was pretty enlightening. They had gone through that path before me so their advice was pretty helpful.
Based on their advice I updated my resume anytime I did a new project. I also went beyond just using the tools to actually understanding their systems under the hood. Things like understanding Component Tree, Rendering, States and more in React. Which came super handy in my first job interview later.
Another huge benefit of those conversations was that I got a real glimpse of how working as a developer in a software company would look like. They gave me a realistic view of what I needed to focus on in order to land my first job.
Never be afraid to reach out to people in tech and ask them for their experience. The tech community is so generous. They believe that by sharing their experience freely, they get to help expand this community. This means the more you share without expectations, the more it grows and more opportunities become available for everyone. Beautiful isn't it!
Doing Clone Projects to Learn
One of the things most developers I spoke with recommended was to add more realistic projects to my resume. Which was a great idea for several reasons:
It built real-world experience: Working on clone projects exposed me to actual project structures, API integrations, and design patterns used in production applications. Instead of simple todo apps, I was dealing with complex state management, authentication flows, and responsive layouts.
It boosted my confidence: There's something powerful about recreating a platform you use daily. When I successfully cloned Netflix's UI and functionality, I realized I could build anything if I broke it down into smaller pieces.
It showcased relevant skills: Employers could immediately see I understood modern development practices, not just basic concepts. These projects demonstrated I could work with real APIs, handle complex routing, and create polished user interfaces.
These two were my first ever cloned projects, I've written a clean README files for them and both are live if you wish to explore them:
One mistake I see in those trying to break into this field is that they don’t make their projects live! Let me be brutally honest with you, nobody ever clones your repository and runs it locally to see what you’ve done. If you want them to stand out in your resume and actually be seen, you need to make them live.
Writing and Sending Work Resumes
For some time I was only sending my resume for internships. And I saw no results from that. Not even a single "we are not taking interns at the moment" kind of message. After doing more projects and speaking with other developers online, I finally decided to apply for jobs instead of internships. So I updated my resume:
Before resume.pdf
After resume-2.pdf
Besides the colors, the only thing that I changed was my profile section.
I also updated my portfolio website from this https://maxjn-next-portfolio.vercel.app/
to this: https://maxjn-portfolio-first.pages.dev/
(Back then if someone had told me one day I'd create websites like the one I have now, I'd have thought the guy had lost it)
The main change in my opinion wasn't my website or my resume though, it was my mindset. I used to think I wasn't good enough to start working right away. So I'd spray-and-pray for getting an internship.
This time from hundreds of jobs in the job listing website I targeted only 7 of them. Only the ones that matched my interests and skills. Also I adjusted my resume before applying for each one. For example if they had asked for someone skilled in Next.js and capable of handling complex states using Redux and skilled in Bootstrap, I'd put those three first. If it was a frontend position I'd remove MongoDB and Express.
Within a week I got 3 interviews out of 7 applications I had sent.
With AI systems in place, I don't recommend you use templates like mine for your resume. Look for ATS ready resumes instead. Something like this: ATS Ready Resume
First Interview and Preparation
I remember my first job interview like it was yesterday, stressful yet still a beautiful experience. It took me so long to get there but it felt like every action I took had prepared me for that moment. Those networking conversations and all coffee chats I had with other developers had improved my communication and soft skills without me even realizing. Those clone projects and research I had done on React fundamentals had prepared me for the technical aspect of the interview.
The only thing I did before the interview was to review all of that. And as always, YouTube was my savior. Just search like this "[The Tool or Language] Interview Questions." For example "React Interview Questions" or "JavaScript Interview Questions."
Most companies ask the same conventional questions you can easily find online. Because these are basically all they need from you in that job. So they won't bother asking you about highly unlikely situations that might never happen or are not necessary for that specific position. You don't need to look for unconventional job interview questions out there.
Other than that, be prepared to prove anything you've claimed on your resume. Any tools you said you can use or any soft skills you said you have. Explain things with detail and avoid short yes or no answers. If you're asked about managing forms and you have experience with Formik, explain in detail how you leveraged it in one of your projects, which functions you used to achieve each feature and more.
Getting My First Job, How I Felt
It's amazing how fast things we wanted for a long time become normal when we get them. I did a paid test work for 2 weeks, where I was responsible for creating 3 of their websites for their new clients. Thankfully I was able to do quality work on those websites and moved to sign the contract with them.
The moment I signed the contract I had so many mixed feelings. Am I going to be able to provide real value here? Can I make things better? Am I going to be stuck to X salary for a year now? I didn't get an answer for the first two questions. But about the third one, something inside me said: "don't think about it, I'll take care of that."