How to Increase Your Chances of Getting a Programmer Job

In the previous part of my blog series “How to Become a Programmer?”, I wrote about how to choose your first job. But choosing your dream company is only half the challenge — the real test, especially today when there are far fewer junior and entry-level positions, is actually getting hired. When employers consider beginners, they rarely focus only on technical skills, which most newcomers naturally lack. Instead, they pay attention to attitude, values, and how a person approaches challenges. So how can you stand out among many other candidates? What should you include in your CV, what mistakes should you avoid, and what knowledge should you gain before applying?

What No Longer Impresses Employers

I’ve been involved in recruitment for more than ten years, and quite actively for the last five. I’ve seen every kind of message and CV, from the first contact emails to initial interviews. It has become almost standard for candidates to attach code samples right from the first message. However, these samples are often very small — projects created in just a few hours — and such work doesn’t show much more than the fact that you have used Git once or twice. While this is certainly a useful skill, it’s no longer something that sets you apart when every second candidate can do the same.

It’s also increasingly common to see personal portfolio websites used as introductions. That’s already a step beyond a simple project list, but many of those sites remain basic and unimpressive. Today, with the help of AI tools, anyone can generate something similar within minutes. As a result, what once demonstrated initiative no longer guarantees attention

How to Truly Stand Out to a Hiring Manager

From my experience, the best way to stand out is not by pretending or following templates, but by genuinely engaging in meaningful IT-related activity. In my company’s history series, I shared how my own career started with blogging. Through that community, opportunities appeared naturally because I was active, curious, and eager to grow.

Blogging may no longer be trendy, but creating content on YouTube, maintaining an active profile on Facebook or X (Twitter), or writing short reflections on IT topics can serve the same purpose. It’s a great way to show your curiosity, ambition, and real motivation to learn. Think about your hobbies — even if they aren’t related to IT, maybe you can use technology to improve them. For example, you could build a simple accounting system for your family’s farm, a self-service portal for your car lease, or a website for a local group helping homeless animals. A real, functioning, and useful project will always tell more about you than a university lab assignment ever could.

What to Emphasize in Your Project Examples

Of course, not everyone has a hobby or an idea that can turn into a project, and that’s fine. If you can’t think of something useful to build, focus on presenting polished examples of your work. Too often, I see code repositories that feel unfinished — just pieces of student homework rather than well-prepared, representative projects. If a project is meant to represent you, make sure it’s complete, readable, and professionally presented.

It’s no longer enough to simply show that you tried. Explain what kind of architectural decisions you made, highlight how you approached and solved a problem, and provide short documentation. Present your project instead of just sending a raw Git link. Recruitment specialists often review dozens of CVs a day, and the first screening is rarely technical. A non-technical HR professional won’t necessarily understand your code without a clear explanation, so your responsibility is to help them see the value of what you’ve built.

Join Communities and Hackathons

Until recently, hackathons — short, one- or two-day events — brought together professionals of different levels to build prototypes, sometimes even for public institutions. These events are great opportunities not only to apply your skills but also to meet like-minded people and learn from others. With the rise of artificial intelligence, the number of community events and meetups has grown significantly. Such activities allow you to gain new knowledge, expand your network, and see how others work in real projects.

From my perspective, participation in these events says a lot about a person. It shows that you are open, communicative, ambitious, and not afraid of new challenges. Even if it doesn’t directly prove your technical expertise, it helps create a positive impression of your mindset and approach — qualities that many employers value even more than technical perfection. Such experience on your CV will especially attract recruiters in startups or fast-growing tech companies, where independence and initiative are key.

Final Thoughts

If you lack strong technical skills but want to apply for a programming job, you essentially have two paths: present yourself as a beginner with potential and growing technical skills, or as a fast learner with curiosity, adaptability, and the right mindset. As the job market evolves, personal qualities such as teamwork, positivity, communication, and empathy are becoming just as important as coding ability.

A CV is not just a list of bullet points — it’s a story about who you are and how you approach your career. To stand out, you must help recruiters see you clearly. Describe your completed projects, provide short explanations of your decisions, and highlight the activities that show your initiative and enthusiasm for learning. The right mix of personal qualities, curiosity, and well-presented work will do far more for your career than a few lines of code ever could.