Developers Share What Helped Them Land New Roles

Ongoing tech company job layoffs over the last year have left thousands of developers without employment, and many laid-off developers we recently spoke with are still looking for new roles. The New Stack’s Lawrence Hecht recently reported that developers looking for new roles are becoming increasingly pessimistic about finding a new job. “If they lose their job, nearly half of The New Stack readers polled don’t believe they will easily find a comparable position.”

While the tech industry is still in a state of ongoing layoffs and reduced employment opportunities, there are some developers who are finding new roles during this tumultuous period. I spoke with a few developers who have recently found new roles or who have had historical success finding other work between jobs, and asked them to share some tips and advice about what helped them find new opportunities.

Developers Finding Employment Success

Senior Developer Fred Peixoto recently found a new role after being laid off and between jobs for two months. Peixoto said he was contacted for his new role by a recruiter via LinkedIn, so he thinks that job-seekers should take a more active role when promoting their skills and experience online.

“I posted some articles on LinkedIn that highlighted my best skills, which helped make a difference between me and other candidates,” said Peixoto. “I also linked to these articles on my resume, which helped demonstrate my experience with important skills.”

Peixoto said that his posted LinkedIn articles helped increase his visibility to recruiters and potential employers, and he encouraged developers to take advantage of all the capabilities that LinkedIn has to offer those looking for a new role. “LinkedIn [was the most helpful tool, which] I used to create and grow my network.”

He networked with people relevant to his industry and built relationships with human resources executives at companies he was interested in, and then contacted HR staff with questions about opportunities and who posted — or who was the hiring manager — of open jobs he was interested in.

Software Engineer Nacho Anaya was jobless for roughly a month before finding his latest role. Nacho said he found his latest job by using Wellfound.com (formerly known as AngelList Talent.) “My advice is to apply to as many companies as possible and maintain an organized tracking system for your applications, such as Notion,” said Anaya. “I applied to 80 companies, including some roles I was not initially interested in. Tracking my applications helped me gain insights into the progress I was making, identify what worked and what didn’t in my resume and cover letters, and [helped me] better understand the job market, [including information such as the most] active roles and average salaries. Keeping a record is crucial for evaluating your approach and adjusting your strategy accordingly.”

Anaya also found Workatastartup.com to be a useful resource for remote job searches. He also discovered that many companies don’t list certain jobs with popular jobs websites, so he compiled a list of companies he admired, searched their career web pages, and applied directly on the websites of prospective employers.

Further, Anaya encourages developers to use AI tools like ChatGPT to customize their applications for each role they apply for. “The process is straightforward,” said Anaya. “Paste in your resume, paste in the job description, and then request [using prompts] a cover letter or introduction that aligns with both your resume and the job requirements, or any specific message you want to convey to the employer.”

The Importance of Continual Learning

Kristian Ranstrom, the Owner and Software Architect at Rainstorm Technologies, suggested that unemployed developers follow some steps that have worked well for him in finding work in the past, like embracing new technology that developers are increasingly relying on, like GitHub Copilot and other AI technologies.

“I think it’s always good for developers to not be too narrow in what they focus on, and they should be open to trying new things and doing side projects with other platforms and technologies,” Ranstrom said. “If someone asks you to build an app, or to build a WordPress site, or [another] technology project you haven’t tried before, use that as an opportunity to expand your skill set.”

Ranstrom also suggests that developers be proactive about seeking out contract work and freelance projects while they also look for a new full-time role. “In my own experience, I’ve had several part-time contracting projects turn into bigger jobs, or even into a full-time role. At the same time [as] I was building my network of contacts in the industry, which often leads to full-time work or even more opportunities down the road.”

Bottom Line: You Won’t Find Work if You’re Not Looking

While the job market may seem grim at the moment, all the developers I spoke with expressed their belief that patience and perseverance will eventually pay dividends and underlined the importance of job seekers continually working to improve their skills and expand their professional networks, both online and offline.

“The market has changed — there are not as many positions as there were during the pandemic period — but there are still many positions available for good developers,” said Peixoto. “If you have the skills and knowledge [employers are looking for] you will find that role.”