DEV Community: Fastlane

Add A Project To Your Portfolio And 3 🔥 Bullets To Your Resume In 3 Hours!

Fastlane — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 00:05:03 +0000

Do you feel like you don't have enough good projects in your portfolio to demonstrate your skills and launch your coding career?

Here's a quick idea - and I mean 3 hours to do - QUICK.

But not only that. It will be such a 🔥 project that you'll add 3 🔥 bullet points to your resume when you're done.

So, now you're probably wondering:

How Can You Add A Good Project To Your Portfolio In 3 Hours?

Here's what you do:

1. Pick something you really like:

Your favorite author or book
Your favorite musician or artist
Your favorite restaurants in your city
Your favorite tv show or movie

Just make sure you pick something you can come up with content for quickly. Look it up on Wikipedia, Yelp, IMDB, etc.

2. Make a static site that:

Uses semantic HTML & modern CSS, like grid and flexbox
Still looks good when you squish the browser width
Doesn't load much JS, and doesn't run any JS on page load.

Remember, we care more about the basics and going deeper into that than showing off that you know the hot new framework of the month.

🚫 Don't use a static site generator or someone else's theme.

✅ Do keep it simple and get inspiration from gallery site's like One Page Love

3. Validate the HTML and CSS and make it accessible

Run your code through W3C Markup Validation tools, and make the recommended changes. Then check out A11y Project's Accessibility Checklist. Google anything you haven't heard of and make the site accessible. You can test the site's accessibility using WebAim's Wave tool.

4. Increase your Google PageSpeed Score

Run a performance test using Google PageSpeed Insights. Look at the opportunities to increase performance. Screenshot the metrics, before and after you make all of the suggested changes.

How Do You Write Good Resume Bullets For A Simple Static Website?

I know it might sound far fetched considering how hard you have to work on most projects, but trust me on this. This project has plenty going for it and it gives you more than enough to brag about on a junior resume.

Now, let's add those 3 🔥 bullet points to add to your resume:

Reduced Largest Contentful Paint by X% and decreased overall page loading time by X seconds running web performance tests to identify opportunities to speed up the site.
Built site following web standards and accessibility best practices, achieving valid HTML and CSS in W3C Validator, and perfect accessibility scores in WebAim Wave.
Optimized site for all screen sizes, achieving a fully responsive site using CSS grid, flexbox, and media queries.

I'd pick these over resume bullets that superficially describe a CRUD app, or all of the bootcamp portfolios I review that have the same old tutorial projects I can spot a mile away.

Leave a comment below if you get stuck on any of these steps, and please share a link to your site or portfolio if you want any feedback

How To Get Job Referrals From Other Engineers [6 Ways That Work]

Fastlane — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 18:38:50 +0000

There is usually not much of a shortcut with referrals because it takes time, determination, and hard work to build a great network.

But, once you have that network it really does start to feel like you're getting the VIP treatment - while everyone else needs to grind apply for 100s of jobs.

How do you find software engineers to ask for referrals?

Join open source project and help with tech debt or bugs, like this one: https://github.com/MunGell/awesome-for-beginners
Join a local meetup in your area that gives back to the community.
Join a data structures & algorithms study group, like Jonathan Watson's.
Join an alumni group from your bootcamp or university.
Find a mentor who will help you on your job hunt and advocate for you, like, Jayme Edwards or me 👋
Identify other devs on LinkedIn and send them emails to connect (Check out the Austin Belcak method to see how it's done)

Even if you're not in the market for a job right now, I recommend you get started. Trying any of the 6 ideas above will only make it that much easier for you to get referrals when you need them.

And most seasoned devs will tell you as their careers advance, most opportunities tend to come to them from their network.

These ideas were some of the most valuable given to me when I was starting out, so please comment down below with any other actionable ideas for finding referrals take that I didn't cover here.

Don't Sweat It - You Got This! 5 Repos To Prepare You For Technical Interviews

Fastlane — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 19:27:51 +0000

Hello, job searchers!

Here are some GitHub repos to improve your technical interviewing skills:

Front-End
https://github.com/dexteryy/spellbook-of-modern-webdev
https://github.com/yangshun/front-end-interview-handbook

ReactJS
https://github.com/sudheerj/reactjs-interview-questions

JavaScript Algorithms
https://github.com/trekhleb/javascript-algorithms

Python Algorithms
https://github.com/TheAlgorithms/Python

With so many of us in the industry looking for new jobs and going through tough interviews right now, please consider leaving a comment with a link to your favorite resources.

We're all in this together and I guarantee you can help at least 1 other person.

Help Everyone Learn JavaScript [Support Kyle Simpson's You Don't Know JS Yet Kickstarter]

Fastlane — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 17:44:50 +0000

Like many of JavaScript engineers, the book series You Don't Know JS was pivotal in my career. I've been taking advantage of its wealth of insights since I first picked it up.

Now we have a chance to help the person that helped me and so many other JS developers take that next step and become solid professional programmers, and I am honored to do my part.

Today is the last day to back Kyle Simpson's You Don't Know JS Yet Kickstarter. Click here to support the cause.

I know that so many of you have benefited from these books, and if we can get enough donations to hit Kyle's stretch goals we can ensure the books are published as beautifully illustrated hard copies.

Not only that.

If we hit the highest stretch goal, the books will always remain available to everyone for free!

Coding Career Fastlane has pledged $2500, which makes us a Flagship Sponsor. This means we get three 2-hour Zoom calls with Kyle.

If you donate even just $1 via our link you will get access to attend those Zoom calls and ask Kyle anything you've ever wanted to know about topics like JS, becoming an author, and dedicating your career to the education side of the industry.

If you are a professional JavaScript developer, please consider donating what you can to Kyle Simpson's Kickstarter, You Don't Know JS Yet, so future generations can learn JavaScript the right way and have the awesome careers that they want.

If you can't support monetarily, no worries!

Please share the message and help get the word out.

There's only one day left to support the Kickstarter!

You can also show your support plus get a serious discount on the first 2 books in the You Don't Know JS Yet series, and another great book by Kyle that you may have missed, called Functional-Light JavaScript.

Get them for $10 each with the following links:

You Don't Know JS Yet: Get Started

You Don't Know JS Yet: Scope & Closures

Functional-Light JavaScript

Stop Selling Other Candidates On Your LinkedIn Profile [Turn It Off In 15 Seconds]

Fastlane — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 22:11:13 +0000

Did you know that your LinkedIn Profile is recommending other people to recruiters and hiring managers?

Some of those profiles could be competing for the same opportunities as you, so showing them right on the sidebar next to your accomplishments and work history doesn't make any sense.

It's great to help other people, I do it all the time, but this doesn't make sense if you're trying to create the ideal recruiter funnel and get the most out of you time on the platform.

All you have to do to stop competing with other developers on your own LinkedIn profile is turn off one single setting in your preferences.

Watch the video learn how, and check out our latest blog post for more LinkedIn profile best practices.

How Much Salary Do Junior Software Engineers Really Earn With An Entry Level Job?

Fastlane — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 16:05:19 +0000

If you have any questions about using data to discover your fair market rate salary and negotiating based on your actual worth reach out to us on LinkedIn or leave a comment below.

Video Summary

Depending which bootcamp you ask, the average salary for a programmer who is just starting their coding career is between $65,000 and $75,000.
Most entry-level software engineers in the United States are paid in the range of $52,500 and $79,500 per year.
But junior developers working in certain industries, including health and fintech, could earn as much as $90,000 to $100,000 per year.

Bonus Pro Tip

Don't listen to anyone who tells you it's impossible to earn great money on your first engineering job.

How To Crack The Coding Interview With Little Or No Experience

Fastlane — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 13:28:14 +0000

Today's video covers the following aspects of the coding interview and applies to beginners and early-career engineers. We'll be going over:

How to do the right research before an interview
How to practice the right way before the interview
How to go about writing your code during the interview
And how to deal with failure during the interview

If you're struggling to get enough interviews, find us on LinkedIn where we help software engineers launch amazing careers every day.

1-Hour Video Interview with Kyle Simpson - Help The Kickstarter! [You Don't Know JS Yet]

Fastlane — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 15:34:32 +0000

Join Kyle Simpson's You Don't Know JS Yet Kickstarter Campaign to help this great mentor succeed in his dream to bring a wealth of knowledge to all of us on our journey to become JS Masters.

There are 2 types of mentors that come to mind when I reflect on those who helped to mold and shape me into the excellent developer that I am today. I gained physical mentors that were in person with me and able to guide me on a daily basis.

I rarely discuss the other type of mentor that greatly influenced my life, the mentor who was in the shadows, thousands of miles away, and still made a profound impact on my career. Kyle Simpson was one of those “mentors from afar” as I call it.

On my quest to sharpen my skills, way back in 2013, I happened to attend an Angular conference where Kyle Simpson was one of the headliners.

That 3-day training was so impactful that his book series became the air I breathed while I sharpened my skills over the following 8 years.

To this day I can recite helpful content from memory for all of my students.

One of the great things about Kyle is that he always operates in the mindset of keeping students and learners first. He wants to continue publishing his essential JS content so all of us will be able to crush their career goals.

In addition to pledging your support on Kickstarter, you can also show your support and get a serious discount on the first 2 books in the You Don't Know JS Yet series and his essential yet practical Functional-Light JavaScript book via the following links:

You Don't Know JS Yet: Get Started

You Don't Know JS Yet: Scope & Closures

Functional-Light JavaScript

Meet My Mentor: Kyle Simpson, Author "You Don't Know JS"

Fastlane — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 20:06:55 +0000

When I was a junior developer totally new to the industry, I didn’t have the advantage of extensive project and internship opportunities to sharpen my skills and foster a true understanding of JavaScript.

Kyle Simpson (aka @getify ) and his You Don't Know JS book series accelerated my career trajectory and so many other successful engineers in the industry.

I’d love for you to join me in helping him accelerate the trajectory his goal to publish the remaining books and his mission to keep his content free for ever.

Join the Kickstarter Campaign and help my mentor succeed in his dream to bring a wealth of knowledge to those eager to become JS Masters.

You can also show your support and get a serious discount on the first 2 books in the You Don't Know JS Yet series and his essential yet practical Functional-Light JavaScript book through the following links:

You Don't Know JS Yet: Get Started

You Don't Know JS Yet: Scope & Closures

Functional-Light JavaScript

When Should You Give An Employer Your Social Security Number?

Fastlane — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 17:34:21 +0000

After helping bootcamp grads and junior software engineers get their first jobs and launch coding careers for almost a decade, you see certain timeless questions again and again.

This one comes up all the time - up about once or twice a month, and it can be a real show stopper.

Imagine, someone's been on the job search for months and they're finally faced with the opportunity they've been preparing and sacrificing for.

They make it through a phone screen and a couple of grueling interviews. It's in reach! They got this.

They still have an interview or two left to go, and they reach out to the recruiter, who's been super cool and helpful every step of the way so far - just innocently asking a question about next steps.

The recruiter messages them back, maybe a little too quickly, and they see the words "before we can proceed."

Those dreaded words are followed by them asking for a bunch of - what would legally be defined as - Personal Identifiable Information (PII).

What would you do?

Many people have told me they've given out their social security number before it felt right. They ask, "Did I have to do that?" 😱

The answer is almost always, "No."

You don't have to give anyone your social security number during a job search. While it may be legal for them to ask, you can politely decline until accepting an offer.

Whether they want you to sign a PDF contract or fill out a secure online form, it doesn't matter. You don't have to give out your social security number "before we proceed." You should only provide it once they're done with the hiring process, you are the chosen one, you've accepted the job offer, and basically all other details and negotiations have been ironed out.

If they insist on getting your SSN before all of that you should consider it a major red flag, for the recruiter and the company they're representing.

If they won't back down or continue to bring it up throughout the process, feel free to end all communication with them.

If you do accidentally give out your social security number to someone who might be a scammer, or a company that may be mishandling your PII, you can file an official report to get ahead of any headaches they may try to cause you.

Why isn't your resume getting results, no matter how many times you apply? [VIDEO]

Fastlane — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 18:24:06 +0000

When it comes to what developers can include on their resume, and what they could potentially learn next to improve their chances of success in a job search - it may seem like there are an infinite number of possibilities.

Is your resume missing something that's been deemed important by the hiring manager? Or, did you simply try to get a little creative with your resume format?

That is all that it takes for The ATS (or Applicant Tracking System) to reject you, every single time.

How do you figure out what you're doing wrong and if you need to add something or change something crucial about your resume?

A little research can kick start your job search.

Before adding more tools to your dev toolbox or hiring a UX designer to take a look at your resume, you should know that you’re much better off putting your focus on figuring out what companies are actually saying they're looking for in job listings.

If you're looking for a new dev job, the next thing you need to do is perform a Job Market Analysis.

Negotiation Tip: Stop Rounding Up

Fastlane — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 18:12:54 +0000

When you're negotiating your salary at a new job or asking for a raise, do your homework and ask for a specific number.

Candidates who research their market value before negotiating for more money have been shown to fare better in negotiation.

According to research done at Columbia University and published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology, even if you haven't done your homework, it's always a better idea to give an exact number vs rounding to the nearest thousand.

Here are some of their findings:

Recipients of precise opening offers made more conciliatory counter-offers.
This effect carried through to final settlements.
Precise first offers were seen as more informed, prompting smaller adjustments.

A number like $109,750 rather than $110,000 will give employers the perception that you must know something they don't, and they will assume the number is based on your actual worth.

If you're having trouble coming up with your market value, comment below 🤑