Upload
dennis-slade-jr
View
4.053
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Tips on how to efficiently find your next (or first) job as a PHP developer. Includes tips on how to formulate you resume, how to work with recruiters, how to use LinkedIn, and a lot more. Links related to this presentation can be found here: http://ampfront.tumblr.com/post/43732875343/links-from-my-presentation-landing-your-next-php-job
Citation preview
First of all, Underground Elephant is hiring… :-) Underground Elephant has been
gracious enough to offer this meeting space for a while now. Please consider them early on in your job search.
Get in touch with Aaron <[email protected]> or others here (please raise your hands, y'all) to find out more about U.E.
Second of all, we've got a Job Listings Page: http://www.sdphp.org/job-listings/
Who am I?
Dennis Slade Jr. >> [email protected] 19+ years experience implementing and
supporting critical web and desktop business systems
10+ years hands-on experience with *AMP web development projects (PHP on Linux & OS X)
11+ years experience in software support and training
Intensive training in resume, job searching, and networking techniques
So how do you landyour next PHP job?
Before You Begin…
Prepare yourself!“Luck is the intersection of opportunity and
preparation”
Know your story!How have you come to this point in your
career?What's the next chapter you'd like to write in
the story of your career?
Before You Begin…
Line up your referencesInform your mentors
Know your target salary / hourly rate Have code samples ready
Typical Steps in Getting a Development Job Contact made with a hiring manager or
HR person Phone interview Skills test / coding project In-person or video interview Job offer
The Resume
How long does a typical resume reader spend on your resume?
The Resume
How long does a typical resume reader spend on your resume?Between 6-30 seconds.
The Resume
How long does a typical resume reader spend on your resume?Between 6-30 seconds.
How long should your resume be?
The Resume
How long does a typical resume reader spend on your resume?Between 6-30 seconds.
How long should your resume be?At most two pages. The vast majority of the
readers of your resume won't get past the top half of the first page.
The Resume
What should be in your resume?Accomplishments and awards first, then
duties○ If a position's duties are obvious, or if the duties
have been mentioned in a more recent position, then there's no need to list those duties again.
Tailor your resume as much as possible to the specific position you're applying for.○ Specific objective○ Consider preparing different resumes for
different types of positions
The Resume
Be succinct (precise and tidy) with your language.
Use keywords but don't be a slave to them.
Put your name in the filename of any resumes you send. Also suggested: your contact info in the header of each page.
Format: PDF or Word doc
Your Job Search Email Address NEVER use your current job's email
account. Please. Consider giving out a separate email
address just for your online resumes and LinkedIn.
Try not to use email accounts where:The Inbox has thousands of unread messagesSpam filters catch all messages from people not
in your contact list/address book
Your Job Search Email Address Be as professional as possible with job
search email address.Bad: [email protected] Bad: [email protected] Good:
[email protected]@JosephSchmoe.com
Samples of your work
GitHub, Google Code, SourceForge…
Samples of your work
Linking to live sitesIf a web page using your PHP code is live
and accessible, put it out there!Make sure all real customer data has been
scrubbed clean from your samplesDon't ever give a potential employer a
username/password to use in a live system
Do-It-Yourself (DYI) Hosting More control, more work to maintain
Getting to the hiring manager Through a friend/ex-colleague From contact on LinkedIn or similar site Through a recruiter By direct submission
To a company's careers pageOn a job boardOn Craigslist: possible but be carefulIf contacting directly via email, send a
succinct cover letter in the body of the email.
Using LinkedIn
You should be using LinkedIn. And you should be connecting with as many friends and former colleagues as possible.
98% network building, 2% using the network Who are you looking for? Who's looking for
you? Ask for endorsements and
recommendations (and give some too!) Surfing connections' connections
Other Social Media
Make sure your Facebook/G+ profile is clean and secure.Don't put anything into Facebook that you
wouldn't want your grandma to see.Lock down your privacy settings, but don't
count on them.
Should you use Facebook to network? What about Facebook job-networking
apps?
Recruiters
Recruiters are not the devil.Potential employers would prefer to find you
without a recruiter involved, but often a connection can't be made without them.
The employer is paying the recruiter, not the job seeker.
Most likely the recruiter won't be paid by the hiring employer until you've been at the company for 3-6 months. Leaving before this period will leave you in the bad graces of both the company and the recruiter.
Recruiters
Know the etiquette of working with recruitersBe mindful of the “who showed you to the
company first” ruleWhen to just say no – and you can say no!
Link to multiple recruiters in LinkedIn to maximize your chances of success.
Recruiters
Looking for a good recruiter? Lonnie Brown is a group sponsor, and he's a good guy.http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lonnie-brown/0/
6bb/b89
Interviewing
Be up-to-date in your PHP/tech knowledge Do research on the company
What technologies do they use besides PHP? Are they using PHP on their main website?
Who are their customers?What's cool and/or impressive about their site or
what they do?
Interviewing
Be ready to ask at least one intelligent question
When you don't know something asked of you, be upfront about it
You're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you
Expect technical questions…
Interviewing
Example tech interview questionsWhat are some of your strongest technical skills?
What technologies do you prefer working with and why?
Briefly explain one of the most difficult technical problems you've ever faced and how you solved it. How did you come up with the solution?
What skills would you like to improve and which technologies would you like to learn more about, and why?
Interviewing
Example tech interview questionsDescribe your experience working with a large
software project. How did you collaborate with team mates, how did you check in and check out code, etc. What were some of the challenges specific to working with a larger project?
Describe any experience working with larger databases. How many tables, how many rows of data (order of magnitude), how many gigabytes of data (roughly). Explain some of the challenges you faced and approaches that worked.
Interviewing
After your in-person or video interview, be sure to send a “thank you” emailBe specific about what you enjoyed about
the company and the people you met.Literally ask for the job (if you still want it)
Other Things…
Never trust that an email submission has actually made it (spam filters, folder filtering, Inbox overload)
If you're not near the beginning of a queue, you may as well skip that queue
Following through with a phone call can make a big difference
Consider actually delivering a copy of your resume in person
Other Things…
A lot of the hiring process is proving you can develop in PHP and other required technologies. So don't freak out about being tested a few times, or when having your code evaluated by potential employers.
The more “at peace” you are telling why your previous positions ended, the better. Know your story!
Other Things…
Understand your valueIf you can write software, if you truly
understand the development lifecycle, and if you can work well with others then employers want you as much as you want them.
“But I've never had a PHP job!!!” Don't panic! Code something!
Do your own thing >> GitHubVolunteer projects for non-profitsOpen source contributionsHackathons
Network using Meetup.com groups and other user groups (http://sdtechscene.org/groups/)
Consider contract-to-perm or temp positions
In college? Just out of college?
Use your college employment site/office Internships are your friends (if you can find
one) Find a mentor
SDPHP has a mentoring program!
Resources
Lifehack :: Work
Dice Newsletters
Links
SDPHP Job Listings:http://www.sdphp.org/job-listings/
SD Tech Scene:http://sdtechscene.org/ http://sdtechscene.org/groups/
March Mingle:http://marchmingle.com/
LinkedIn:http://linkedin.com/
Links
Dice:http://www.dice.com/
Lifehack :: Workhttp://www.lifehack.org/work
A post with all the links from this presentation - plus a few which didn’t make it - will be posted on http://www.sdphp.org/(I think. )
My Contact Info
Dennis Slade [email protected]@gmail.com@DennisSladeJrhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/dennissladejrhttp://dennisslade.com/hire-me.html