Landing Your Next Gig: Learn What Software Engineer Recruiters are Looking For

You've updated your resume, got a fresh haircut, and your suit makes you look like James Bond. You're ready to land your next software engineering job.

The missing piece? Your inbox is empty. Where are all of these recruiters who were supposed to be flocking to you?

Here's the thing: software engineering is a constantly evolving field, which means that the things recruiters look for also evolve.

So how can you make sure you're staying on top of the times?

By using our handy guide, that's how.

Let's look into the top things that software engineer recruiters are looking for right now.

What do Software Engineer Recruiters Want?

We've broken down the top qualities you need to have so you don't have to do the legwork yourself.

Let's get into it.

Online Presence

No, we're not talking about your sweet YouTube food reviewing channel.

Most people use social media for fun without thinking about the myriad ways they can be used to network.

For example, Twitter and LinkedIn are great ways of connecting with professionals in your field and showing your interest in their craft. And who knows? Maybe they'll mention your name to a recruiter.

Portfolio

It's also incredibly important to both have and maintain an up-to-date portfolio of your work. While your resume and cover letter say a lot about you, your work is ultimately what a company will care about.

Too many projects under NDA? It's an unfortunate reality, but one that can be sidestepped by doing some open source work.

Remember: anything can be in a portfolio so long as it demonstrates the creativity and competency of your code.

Personal Qualities

No, we're not talking about "willingness to buy your boss a coffee every morning."

While your work does speak volumes about you, that doesn't absolve you of needing solid personal qualities as well.

Here are some of the biggest personality traits software engineer recruiters look for:

• Ability (and willingness) to communicate
• Hobbies (believe it or not)
• Learning-centric frame of mind
• Enthusiasm

Don't panic if this isn't a descriptive list of your personality. Ultimately, software engineer recruiters want to know who you are, so find ways to demonstrate the positive qualities in your unique personality.

Constant Learning

We mentioned learning already, but we're going to double-mention it because it's so important.

Technology moves quickly - you know this - which means that just as a certain language or style becomes popular, it's on its way out the door.

This means that your learning process needs to be continuous. Software engineer recruiters want to see people who have spent time honing their craft and learning new things.

After all, it takes about 500 - 1,500 hours to become fluent in a coding language. Why not start now?

What's Next?

Now that you know what software engineer recruiters desire, you're ready to get out there and land that next gig.

Want to learn more? Check out our other informative blog topics, like how to prep for your next software engineer interview.