Taylor Desseyn breaks down what junior developers actually need to land jobs: proactiveness and the ability to explain your work like you're selling it. Hiring managers want to see confidence and clear communication about why you built something, not just that you built it.
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The one thing I hear from engineering leaders is that they don't have time to hold people's hands. So you come with 15 years of sales experience, like you're a professional. Like you don't need your hand held. Like you're a go-getter, right? And I think that's the biggest thing people want when they hire a junior developer. Yes. They want somebody who's asked questions, who like can go to them and be like, hey, before, you know, be proactive and not just sit there. Also communication skills are huge. Why did you build this is another really big reason in an interview that people want to see. Junior developers— I've talked to a lot of hiring managers about this. They say junior developers, when they ask them why they did that, they don't know how to answer it.