Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job, 3rd Edition

Develop Marketable Skills

In the appendix we discuss your résumé as a marketing tool to get you job interviews. The easiest thing to sell is something that people want, so it’s important that you have marketable skills to offer a prospective employer.

To stand out from the crowd both on paper and in the interviews you need to develop skills and accomplishments, especially if you’re entering the job market for the first time. The following are some approaches you can take:

• Upgrade your credentials — Companies such as Google are well known for favoring job applicants with graduate degrees. Getting a master’s or doctorate degree is one way to upgrade your credentials. You can upgrade your credentials in other ways, such as taking university or professional development courses or participating in programming contests.
• Get certified — Certification is a contentious issue in the software development profession, but some jobs either prefer or require candidates to be certified in specific technologies, especially IT jobs. Consider surveying job listings to see whether certifications are required for the jobs that interest you before you invest time and money in certifications.
• Work on a side project — A great way to expand your skill set is to work on a project not directly related to your primary work or study focus. Starting or joining an open-source development project is one way to go. Or if you work at a company, see if it will let you spend time on an ancillary project.
• Do well ...