Don the Developer interview with Ludo Fourrage, Nucamp CEO

On episode #31 of Campfire, Don the Developer coaches three Nucamp graduates in their job search.

Don the Developer is known in the development community for his unique reviews of coding bootcamps and helping those struggling to break into the tech industry.

The first job after graduating is known for being the hardest to get, so we invited three Nucamp Full Stack Bootcamp graduates–Alex, Kristen, and Gus—to be coached by Don in their job search.

Alex asked specifically with help on landing a remote job.

Since Alex lives in Alaska there aren't a lot of local opportunities and he was having a hard time finding an entry-level remote position that didn't require years of experience.

Don reminded Alex that most don't meet every single job requirement when they land a job, and that it is really hard to get a remote position, especially as a first development job.

For entry-level positions, companies focus heavily on matching candidates with their company culture, so how you present yourself online and in interviews is critical.

For example you can show your personality on LinkedIn by making posts and engaging boldy with others in the industry.

This will make a company way more inclined to take a chance on you since most candidates don't leverage their personal online presence as they should.

Kristen and Gus were both looking for similar advice on getting past timed technical interview projects.

Don's advice on getting past technical interviews was that most companies aren't necessarily worried about the solution and are mainly interested in the implementation.

"I find that people usually do better than they think they do. You have to realize hundreds of people apply for the same positions. I think it's really important to recognize when you tackle these challenges and you don't get that callback, it doesn't necessarily mean you don't have the skill level that companies are looking for. Companies are more specific and targeted since they have to weed through so many applicants. You have to be able to assess if you are growing as an engineer." -Don the Developer

Watch the full episode: