What do software development companies look for from a graduate?
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Boo! You're no fun any more. :laugh:
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khuzwayom wrote:
What are the key things that software development companies look for from a graduate?
I know that the company that I work for looks for candidates that have a strong skill set in a few languages/concepts. We go by the addage "A Jack of all trades and master of none." You should try to master at least 2-3 core languages/concepts. --My 2 cents.
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Hi All I have always found help here on Code Project, thank you for all the assistance all these years. Please help me again by answering this question. What are the key things that software development companies look for from a graduate? Ideally, things that can distinguish the graduate from the rest. Thank you in advanced for your contribution.
MP
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khuzwayom wrote:
What are the key things that software development companies look for from a graduate?
I know that the company that I work for looks for candidates that have a strong skill set in a few languages/concepts. We go by the addage "A Jack of all trades and master of none." You should try to master at least 2-3 core languages/concepts. --My 2 cents.
If the question is what software dev companies look from a graduate just of college, then I strongly believe that he/she cannot master 2-3 core languages. Concepts, yes. Algorithms, Data structures, C, C++, Operating systems etc. Languages come and go, concepts stay.
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Hi All I have always found help here on Code Project, thank you for all the assistance all these years. Please help me again by answering this question. What are the key things that software development companies look for from a graduate? Ideally, things that can distinguish the graduate from the rest. Thank you in advanced for your contribution.
MP
When I am interviewing, I want to hear you did something besides just the class assignments. I want to know what personal project you worked on and how you solved the problems it presented. That skill matches more of what you will need besides being able to rattle off by rote the meanings of polymorphism, etc...
Psychosis at 10 Film at 11
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Hi All I have always found help here on Code Project, thank you for all the assistance all these years. Please help me again by answering this question. What are the key things that software development companies look for from a graduate? Ideally, things that can distinguish the graduate from the rest. Thank you in advanced for your contribution.
MP
A School degree proves that you have some initiative and enough debt to be motivated to be a dedicated employee. What I've found is that they want someone who has a good foundation in technology but even more... a willingness... no, a strong drive... no, a lifestyle of learning. A degree only gets you some attention because the foundation is set. If a company is going to hire a new graduate what they are after is molding you into the developer they want you to be. Get them excited about you by asking them questions about their corporate and IT/IS culture. Then, talk about how excited you would be to work with them and that you're willing to learn anything and take some ownership to see them/the company succeed.
Joel Palmer Data Integration Engineer
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Hi All I have always found help here on Code Project, thank you for all the assistance all these years. Please help me again by answering this question. What are the key things that software development companies look for from a graduate? Ideally, things that can distinguish the graduate from the rest. Thank you in advanced for your contribution.
MP
Optimally, they need someone who is relatively clever, eager to learn, and humble. The cleverness aspect is a no brainer - you don't want someone who just doesn't get it. Someone that is eager to learn, is someone who wants to better themselves. Those who wants to better themselves also wants to make the product(s) better. Humbleness is also very important, so that he or she can work with other people. You don't want one individual that is impossible to work with. The best thing one can do when you feel that something is on the wrong track is to humbly show why it is on the wrong track. Someone who's just pointing fingers and declaring the others stupid, eventhough they might be the brightest on the planet, is just going to be ignored and quite possibly shunned. If I were to have an interview with a graduate, and he or she showed me intelligence, a humble attitude, and that he or she doesn't really know anything despite their good grades, I would hire on the spot.
-- Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit
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Hi All I have always found help here on Code Project, thank you for all the assistance all these years. Please help me again by answering this question. What are the key things that software development companies look for from a graduate? Ideally, things that can distinguish the graduate from the rest. Thank you in advanced for your contribution.
MP
1. College degree in CS or CSE, or math or EE if they're older. Yeah, there's a few very smart self taught folks. But mostly the guys I've had in who didn't have degrees turned out to be people who couldn't focus or sit still for any goal that took more than two weeks to achieve. Not good choices. 2. They can spell and proofread their resumes. Your resume is an advertisement, that if I like, I'm going to pay you enough to buy a condo, every year. I immediately bin any resume with spelling or grammar errors or messy formatting (unless it's one of those ASCII-only horrors you get from monster). Anyone who can't produce a tidy resume cannot possibly produce working code, and demonstrably can't produce documentation. 3. Relevant experience OK, this is obvious, but if I'm hiring a C++ guy, I don't bring in a python guy. And if I'm hiring a C++ guy and a VB guy applies, I assume they just can't read or don't care, and bin their resume. 4. Evidence of thinking Did the candidate work on hard stuff or just 100 add/change/delete screens. Did they sound like they were proud of the work they did. Did they pick their jobs or just take what came by. Did they pick my company or just send everyone and their dog a resume. Then we get into the interview...
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Hi All I have always found help here on Code Project, thank you for all the assistance all these years. Please help me again by answering this question. What are the key things that software development companies look for from a graduate? Ideally, things that can distinguish the graduate from the rest. Thank you in advanced for your contribution.
MP
When I used to hire raw graduates, what made the differences between 2 similarly qualified candidates were their 1) extra-curricular knowledge: hobbies (electronics, knitting), clubs (motor-racing, night) 2) Attitude: (Manners, civility, HUMILITY) 3) How well they looked after themselves (grooming, hygiene) 4) Problem-solving intelligence 5) Any unexpected thing that they bring to the meeting that surprises me in a positive manner. It is my company, and they are my rules!
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Hi All I have always found help here on Code Project, thank you for all the assistance all these years. Please help me again by answering this question. What are the key things that software development companies look for from a graduate? Ideally, things that can distinguish the graduate from the rest. Thank you in advanced for your contribution.
MP
Experience: projects, volunteer work, extracurricular programming, work on open source projects, top coder compititions. These show interest in programming beyond a pay check. Don't see many grads with certs (which is great for those that do), but that would be a big plus, MS certs show a fair degree of knowledge beyond just the syntax that you get in into to C# programming. I would not pay the big bucks for classes, I would more respect for those who bought the self study books and did it on their own. Best wishes, Dennis
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Thank you to everyone who took their time and answered the question. And for the laugh among the comments.
MP
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If the question is what software dev companies look from a graduate just of college, then I strongly believe that he/she cannot master 2-3 core languages. Concepts, yes. Algorithms, Data structures, C, C++, Operating systems etc. Languages come and go, concepts stay.
Raghuveer D wrote:
Concepts, yes. ... Languages come and go, concepts stay.
Concepts are good, but the language counts as much, if not more, toward getting that first job. Companies don't want to hire someone who will need a significant amount of time to climb the learning curve before contributing to the company. Especially if that new hire hasn't already demonstrated that they will even be able to teach themselves new things such as languages.
Raghuveer D wrote:
I strongly believe that he/she cannot master 2-3 core languages.
I'm not sure I accept this. Anyone who has done real world projects with a language that are larger than toy scope, will have a lot more mastery than someone who has only taken classes. As a college student, if you spent all your free time doing such real world projects in different languages, then it is possible to have significant mastery of multiple languages. It might not provide as deep of mastery as doing all the projects in a single language, but certainly mastery enough to be able to start immediately contributing to a new employeer.
patbob