Dragos Nedelcu — Software Developer & Trainer at CodeWithDragos

Struggling To Land Technical Interviews? Get Your Feet Through The Door In 3 Simple Steps

Dragos Nedelcu
3 min readJun 2, 2021

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Starring at an empty inbox?

You are not alone.

These days, many developers struggle to get interviews. They optimize their CV meticulously and write lengthy cover letters. They apply to everything coming their way. And yet after hundreds of applications, they still get nothing. No call, no invitations, … nada. The lucky ones get back a lovely machine-generated answer.

The common advice does not work.

Here come the gurus: hey you should use a two pages CV. Hey, you should put all your projects there. What do you mean all? Some of them don’t even look that good. Fixing them will take hours; they were learning projects anyway…

There is a better way.

At this stage, I suppose you are already comfortable with the technical skills relevant to the position you are applying for (if not, make sure to check my other post ).

Here are 3 steps that consistently deliver results for our clients:

1.) Research like a mad scientist

This is the critical step that will ensure the success of the later ones. Pick around 10 offers of the jobs you aim for. Please read them and run a quick keyword analysis. What are they looking for? What do they have in common? How do they refer to technical skills and positions? Do they require generalist skills or more specialized ones? (AWS v.s Azure for example) You need to understand exactly what companies are looking for in this position and how do they describe it.

By the end of this phase, you should have a very solid feeling of the technologies and abilities required.

2.) Optimize your professional image with surgical precision

Now that you know the exact keywords and have a gut feeling about the skills required for that position, you can go back to your CV and LinkedIn profile and add them. Make sure to give enough context, to include them in your impact and contribution. Please don’t overdo it, bloated profiles and CVs reflect unprofessionalism and decrease trust.

Again, focus on your tech and your specialization (you are not a wizard, aren't you?). Add one or two technology-agnostic skills, and you are good to go.

3.) Apply “massively” and follow up

This one can be tricky. When I say mass-applying, I don’t mean click the apply button a hundred times a day. What I mean however is applying to more jobs that you are comfortable with. If you aim for 10 a day, do 15. And from those 15, pick 2–3 that are most promising and follow through sending short personalized messages to recruiters.

In a matter of days, your CV will get “circulation” and will be seen by dozens of hiring managers looking for developers just like you.

There you have it.

Follow the three steps above, and tech interviews will literally fall on your lap. No more aimless efforts. No more waiting, hoping and guessing to get disappointed in the end.

But, what about the cover letter?

Don’t spend any minute on it. Yes, I know some companies might require it but think in big numbers. It is a waste of your precious time. If they really insist on bringing one, use the executive summary on your LinkedIn profile to save time. You will need that precious time to build specialized software development skills (more on that in another post).

Are truly interested in realizing the full potential of your developer career?

Then click the link below and schedule a FREE consultation call with me. I will personally consult you and together we will build a step-by-step plan to help you to get technical interviews with ease and also pass them.

The only thing you have to do is click the link below and apply.

You can learn more here.

Together we will analyze your situation and build a step-by-step plan to help you get that developer job you dream of.

We usually get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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Dragos Nedelcu

I help JavaScript Developers Get To Senior Level Without Endless Online Courses, Side Projects Or Burning Out By Mastering The Fundamentals.