Programming Jobs: Job Search Tips

Despite a down economy, there are still a number of employment opportunities available in the field of information technology and programming. Though many areas of the business market seem to be failing and people are being downsized, the number of programming continues to increase. The good news is that it is expected that St. Louis programming jobs as well as programming jobs throughout the rest of the country will continue to increase for many years to come.

Not all programming jobs are the same, some are more exciting than others, some pay more than others, and some have a greater learning curve. Programming jobs can range from video game programming to financial software, and java architects. That means that there are quite a variety of programming jobs to choose from.

We know that there are programming jobs out there but just as not all programming jobs are the same, not all programmers are the same. Your interests and your technical skills may limit the types of jobs you can find.

Here are a few programming job search tips to help you find a job you will enjoy:

1. Get your resume in order. Be sure to include a list of programming languages that you are knowledgeable about, as well as specific technology projects that you have worked on which show off your skills. Proofread, proofread, proofread and then have someone else proofread too. There is no excuse for spelling or grammatical errors in a resume. If a company has 200 resumes sitting on the table to go through you can almost guarantee that any with mistakes will be thrown out first.


2. Stand out from the crowd. You can expect that most job openings will have several applicants. In order to stand out from the crowd you might consider creating a packet to go along with your resume, include a disk with a presentation of your work. Include screen shots of applications you have created, snippets of code etc. Highlight your best work in the presentation.


3. Start searching for job openings. Being in the field of technology, the internet is the best place to look. If there are specific companies you are interested in check their websites for job postings. You should also check job posting databases. Conventional media such as newspapers and trade magazines will publish job postings as well. Craigslist and freelance websites are good places to search for freelance programming jobs. Don't forget to use former colleagues, as well as former clients as potential resources.


4. Begin targeting jobs that you have the skill set to fill, that you are interested in and think might be a good challenge for you. Send these companies your resume and be sure to follow up with a phone call or email.


5. As interviews come up be prepared to explain the specifics of how you have used your skills. You need to prove to the interviewer that you have the skills and knowledge that it takes to fill the job opening. Be sure to show your eagerness to learn new skills and work on a number of different projects.


6. If you find that you have been working in a niche and aren't finding many job openings in that area you may need to take a course or two to brush up on some old skills or learn some new skills that will help you to fill a new position. The new skills that you gain can be added to your resume.


7. As you are contacting companies be sure to keep good records of when you sent the resume, if you received or done any follow up, names of people you have spoken with etc. When you speak with several companies it is easy to get confused about which company is which or which person was at which company. Take good notes to avoid confusion and possible embarrassments.

Searching for a Singapore job, you can always check out the latest jobs in Singapore WDA job bank where thousands of jobs are available.