If you are very good with Python and now want to look for opportunities to get something in return for your programming skills with Python then here in this article I will walk you through some tips and steps needed to get your first job as a Python programmer.
Getting Your First Job as a Python Programmer
Choose a Path
When you apply for your first job as a python programmer or any job in the programming domain, you will need to know a particular set of technologies, depending on the field in which the position is located.
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While it’s great to be a general programmer who gets involved in everything while you learn to program and it is possible to get a job as a general programmer, you should probably focus on an area of programming that you love and become an expert in the matter. Focusing on a single programming path will make it easier to get your first job.
Web and mobile development are two of the most popular programming avenues. There are two specialities within them: the front end and the back end. The front-end of an application is the part that you can see, like the GUI of a web application. The back end is what you can’t see: the part that provides data to the front end.
Titles of open programming jobs will read something like “Python Backend Programmer,” which means they’re looking for someone who programs the backend of a website and is familiar with Python. The job description will list the technologies the ideal candidate will be familiar with, as well as any additional skills required.
Some companies have a team dedicated to the front-end and another to the back-end. Other companies only hire full-stack developers (programmers who can work both front and back), however, this only applies to companies that build websites or applications.
There are many other areas of programming you can work in, such as security, platform engineering, and data science. So the first thing that you need to get your first job as a python programmer is to choose a path that interests you.
Getting Initial Experience
Before you get hired for your first job as a python programmer, you will need some experience. Now in this situation, you can get involved in open source by starting an open-source project or contributing to the thousands of open source projects on a platform like GitHub.
Another option is to do self-employment. Start by creating a profile at Upwork or any alternative and start applying for small jobs based on python. I recommend finding someone you know who needs a programming job, have them sign up for an Upwork account and then officially hire you there so they can leave you a good review of your job.
Until you have at least one good review on a site like Upwork, it’s hard to get hired for jobs. Once people see that you have completed at least one job, it becomes easier to get hired because you have established some credibility.
Getting an Interview
Once you’ve gained some programming experience through open source or freelance work, it’s time to start interviewing to get your first job as a Python programmer. I have found that the most effective way to get an interview is to focus on LinkedIn. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, create one to start networking with potential employers. Write a summary about yourself at the top of your profile and be sure to highlight your programming skills.
For example, a lot of people say something like “Programming Languages: Python, JavaScript” at the top of their profile, which helps recruiters search for these keywords. Make sure to put your open source or freelance experience as your most recent job.
Once your profile is complete, start connecting with technical recruiters, there are a lot of technical recruiters on LinkedIn. They are always on the lookout for new talent and will be eager to connect with you. Once they have accepted your invitation, reach out to them and ask if they are hiring for any vacancies.
The Interview Process
If a recruiter thinks you’re a good fit for the role they’re recruiting for, they’ll send you a message on LinkedIn asking you to set up a phone screen. The phone screen will be with the recruiter, so it is usually not technical, although recruiters have asked me technical questions to which they memorized the answer during the first interviews.
The conversation is mostly about the technologies you are familiar with, your previous experience, and whether you fit into the corporate culture.
If you’re successful, you’ll advance to the second round – a tech phone screen – where you’ll talk to members of the engineering team. They will ask you the same questions from the first interview. However, this time the questions are accompanied by a technical test over the phone. Engineers will give you the address of a website they have posted programming questions to and ask you to resolve them.
If you go past the second round, you will usually have a third interview. The third interview usually takes place in person at the company office. Like the first two, you meet different engineers on the team. They ask questions about your skills and experience and administer more technical tests. Sometimes you stay for lunch to see how you interact with the team. It is in the third round that the famous whiteboard coding tests take place.
If the company you are interviewing for does whiteboarding, you will be asked to solve several programming issues. I recommend buying a whiteboard and practising beforehand because solving a programming problem on a whiteboard is much more difficult than solving it on a computer.
Cracking The Interview
The majority of programming interviews focus on two topics, data structures and algorithms. To be successful in your programming interview to get your first job as a Python programmer, you know exactly what you need to do, become very good at these two specific areas of Programming. Fortunately, this will help you become a better programmer.
You can narrow down the questions you want to focus on even more by thinking of the interview from the interviewer’s perspective. Think about the situation your interviewer finds himself in; they say software is never complete, and it is. Your interviewer probably has a lot of work and doesn’t want to spend a lot of time interviewing candidates.
Will they spend their valuable time finding original programming questions? Probably not. They go to Google “schedule interview questions” and ask one of the first they find. This causes the same interview questions to be asked over and over again.
I hope these all the steps and tips will help you to get your first job as a Python programmer. I hope you liked this article on how to get your first job as a Python Programmer. Feel free to ask your valuable questions in the comments section below.
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