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Looking for a Job as a Programmer Is Exhausting
In this life, there’s only one thing harder than finding your soulmate on Tinder: landing a job as a programmer.
Job hunting in tech has turned into a massive fishing expedition that reminds me more and more of dating apps. I “like” every job listing that comes my way because, at best, I’ll get one interview for every ten resumes I send out.
The first screening of resumes is often done by HR people who couldn’t tell Java from JavaScript. It doesn’t matter if your profile is a perfect match for the job. These enlightened beings wouldn’t know the difference between a fresh graduate and Steve Wozniak in his prime.
I’m Carlos Sala, a software developer, and here’s why job hunting as a programmer is as unfair and frustrating as waiting for your crush to finally notice you.
The Sea Is Too Plenty of Fish
In recent years, the number of programmers worldwide has skyrocketed.
Naturally, word has spread about the great perks of working in tech, and more and more people are training to become software developers. And if you don’t like coding? Don’t worry! You might start enjoying it when you see all those zeros on your first paycheck.
On the one hand, this is a good thing. Competition pushes us to be our best and stand out. But on the other, it creates an overcrowded job market where recruiters and candidates alike struggle to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Job Listings Get Too Many “Likes”
From a recruiter’s perspective, job postings receive way too many applications. Just like a popular girl on Tinder with an inbox full of matches.
Faced with an avalanche of resumes, HR departments introduce filters that often have little to do with actual programming skills. There simply isn’t enough time to interview the hundreds (or even thousands) of applicants for a single position.
Here are some of the criteria companies use to find their “perfect match”:
- Keyword filtering for required technologies.
- Checking if the candidate has a Computer Science degree.
- Prioritizing candidates with more years of experience.
- Reviewing applications in the order they were received.
- And, unfortunately, sometimes even irrelevant factors like age or gender.
I don’t blame companies for using these filters. Without them, hiring would take forever. But when you mix these arbitrary filters with the fact that most recruiters have zero programming knowledge, getting a first-round interview feels like pure luck.
Developers Swipe Right on Everything
On our side, developers have also contributed to turning job hunting into a 4 AM nightclub free-for-all.
The problem? We “like” every job listing we see:
- Full-stack devs apply for frontend and backend roles too, because, well, they can do a bit of everything.
- With remote work, a local job posting now attracts candidates from all over the world. Some willing to work for less than you.
- Others apply despite meeting none of the requirements, hoping to slip in like a Trojan horse.
There are too many candidates and too few companies. This creates a vicious cycle: knowing this, developers mass-apply to dozens or even hundreds of jobs, fully aware that most of their resumes won’t even be read. It’s like tossing a message in a bottle into the ocean.
So how do we catch the attention of the one company we actually want, when a hundred other candidates have already beaten us to it?
Prepackaged Programmers and Superficiality
Just like on dating apps, where your profile picture and a two-line bio define your entire personality, job hunting as a programmer is all about managing your image.
As my first boss used to say, “It’s not enough to be good, you also have to look the part.” What a charming guy.
Companies are looking for the “perfect candidate” as if they came out of a factory mold: someone with exactly five years of React experience, who also knows backend, has worked with AWS, holds a university degree, speaks fluent English, and, of course, is happy to work for peanuts. If you don’t check every single box, you’re out.
Your Resume Is Your Tinder Profile
Enter the prepackaged programmers – people who, instead of focusing on becoming excellent and productive developers, optimize their profiles to game the hiring algorithms.
It doesn’t matter if someone can actually design a solid architecture, solve complex problems, or contribute to open-source projects. What matters is whether their résumé has the right buzzwords in bold and ALL CAPS.
It’s the same strategy some people use on Tinder: posing with luxury cars they don’t own, copying deep philosophical quotes from the internet, or staring dramatically into the distance. In the dev world, this translates to keyword-stuffed resumes, stacking up bootcamps and quick certifications, and branding yourself on LinkedIn as a “JavaScript Ninja” or “AI Evangelist.” Nothing but cheap lipstick on a pig.
Recruiters fall for it. They hire candidates with spotless resumes who, in reality, can’t even write a Hello, World! without Googling. And, of course, eventually, the truth comes out. The prince was a frog all along, while the truly skilled programmers got discarded because no one bothered to look past the surface.
Polish Your Image, but Don’t Fake It
First impressions matter a lot. I’m convinced that if you’re good-looking, you’ll have an easier time getting hired than someone whose parents are siblings. But that doesn’t mean you should lie your way in.
Landing a job you’re not qualified for is a problem for you more than anyone else. If you manage to slip through the interviews (which isn’t always hard if a company is desperate), you’ll struggle with your daily tasks, frustrate your teammates, and eventually, they’ll figure you out.
Of course, we should refine our image but without building an unsustainable lie. The key isn’t pretending to be someone we’re not, but rather highlighting the best of what we already are. Instead of inflating our resumes with skills we don’t have, we should learn to sell the ones we do master.
And if you really want to boost your chances, there’s something far more effective than lying: personal connections.
Your Network and Recommendations
What if I told you there’s a way to skip the line? A way to get straight to the job interview without having to send smoke signals?
Just like on dating apps, where the fastest way to stand out is paying for a premium membership, in the job market, there’s an equally effective shortcut to grab a company’s attention: your professional network. And the best part? It’s completely free.
The Power of Connections
You’ve probably heard that professional networking is important, but have you ever stopped to think how important?
I’ve used it myself. The best job opportunities I’ve had came through recommendations from former bosses who were satisfied with my work after our professional relationship ended.
Put yourself in the employer’s shoes: If you were looking for a new hire and a trusted colleague recommended someone, vouching for their skills and professionalism, wouldn’t you prefer to give them a shot over a random stranger?
When a company hires the wrong candidate, they lose thousands of euros in training, low productivity, and potential severance pay when they eventually fire them.
Companies want to avoid that risk. And that’s where you come in by asking for a recommendation from professionals you’ve met at university, the gym, or previous jobs.
Build Your Network
Staying on good terms with your ex is never easy. Sometimes things end on a bad note, and what’s left is just a mess of resentment. But in the professional world, you have to make an effort.
How can you expect people to vouch for you if you don’t maintain good relationships with the people you’ve met along the way?
In both university and the workplace, two things are essential to maintaining good relationships:
- Doing your job well.
- Being pleasant to work with.
And you need both.
It doesn’t matter how great your work is if you can’t get along with your teammates. I learned this the hard way: I used to complain about my colleagues’ work, which led to unnecessary conflicts. But work (and university) is a long-term game. Some days we’ll be more productive than others, sometimes we’ll break someone else’s code, and other times personal issues will get in the way. So try not to judge your coworkers’ performance too harshly. Even when they make it difficult.
On the other hand, don’t be the person who just smiles at everyone but never delivers results. Remember, companies pay you to solve problems and generate profits. If your performance doesn’t justify your salary, they’ll eventually do the math and show you the door.
Don’t be the bad boy or the overly romantic one. Be the reliable worker who earns trust and inspires others to improve.
How to Ask for a Recommendation
Some people think recommendations are just cronyism: a way to cheat the system. But it would be foolish not to take advantage of them if you have the chance. Like makeup for women or a beard for bald guys.
Recommendations come in many forms, but the most effective one is when your contact hands your resume directly to the hiring manager. With this type of referral, you don’t just get into the hiring process. You go straight to the technical interview with the advantage of already being seen as a strong candidate.
From my personal experience, direct recommendations have an extremely high success rate. I’ve landed nearly every job where I had a referral. My profile matched the role, but the recommendation made me stand out. Without it, they could have just picked someone else.
So don’t be shy. If someone you know has a connection at a company you’re interested in, ask for that recommendation. It’s a common practice in the job market, and who knows? One day, you might be the one helping someone else land their dream job.
Life isn’t fair. Neither is programming.
Landing a job as a programmer has turned into an obstacle course where the best doesn’t always win. It’s the smartest, the one who knows how to play their cards right. The competition is fierce, hiring filters can be unfair, and appearances sometimes matter more than actual coding skills.
However, there are ways to stand out without fooling anyone. Taking care of our professional image and learning how to sell our strengths honestly is key. But if there’s one shortcut that truly works, it’s building a network and getting direct recommendations. At the end of the day, being a great programmer isn’t enough. You also have to look like one and, most importantly, know the right people.
Getting hired as a programmer might not be fair. But then again, neither is life. As a wise man once said: “You can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig”.
