Things You Must Do To Get A Junior Web Developer Job

#webdev #beginners #career #codenewbie

1. Build A Portfolio Site Full Of Relevant Work

Your portfolio is the first thing potential employers will look at when considering you for a junior web developer job, so your site needs to be a real reflection of your skills and personal brand.
But, before you can load up your portfolio, you need to code it, launch it, and make sure it stands out from other websites.
You’ll want to include any work you’ve done for companies or clients (with their permission) that you feel particularly good about, and remember to include projects that show your range as a design and developer. What’s important here is that you’re uploading strong, clean work that is indicative of both your skill level and brand.

A great way to get some work for your new junior web developer portfolio if you feel like it needs some beefing up is to seek out freelance clients.
Taking on projects as a freelancer will help you build business skills like negotiating, establish trustworthiness as a developer, and get you some up-to-date recommendations to show potential employers.
It'll also give you the chance to gain experience for full-time entry-level web developer jobs (if that's your goal) while building up your bank balance.

GitHub is the industry standard for version control, and many companies want to know that you have hands-on experience before extending an offer.
You can prove that and show off your best code by creating your own GitHub account and using it as a repository for your projects.
After you get an account set up, make regular contributions to GitHub. This shows potential employers that you're consistently working on your junior web developer skills, even if they're only for imaginary projects.

If most of your coding so far has been for classes, mock projects, or solo gigs, you can also increase your teamwork cred by getting involved in an open-source project.
Open source is the term for source code that's publicly available and can be modified by anyone.
Getting involved in open source projects are the route to becoming a junior web developer. It will strengthen your development skills, get you hands-on experience and help you meet and network with other developers.

You can't turn around nowadays without bumping into a hackathon!
They're fun and exciting ways to get to know tech people who share your interest, help tackle relevant problems, test your coding skills, learn from others, and maybe win prizes!
At a hackathon, you'll end up coding on a team, and if you've been learning to code on your own, proving you can hack it with a team of coders makes you a lot more appealing to hiring managers at web development agencies.

Hopefully, you'll gain contacts at hackathons, but don't let the networking stop there.
Keep reaching out to the people you meet, and learn more about the web development industry by talking online and in person.
The easiest way to do this is through tech meetup groups.
Almost every city has them, and if yours doesn't you can set up your own. Just pick the focus, find a place (even a coffee shop or local park will do!), and spread the word on social media, email, or in person.

Make a point to keep up with what's happening in tech - this is critical for both your first web developer job interview and all the small talk you'll be making with new tech friends.
You don't need to be an expert on every story or topic out there; just get to know what's hot and what's happening.
You can read blogs or tech news sites over breakfast, listen to podcasts when you're walking your dog, or scan Twitter lists while you're waiting in line at the store.

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