Foreword

It is a real pleasure for me to see this book come to light. Stuart and I have had numerous discussions over the last few years about the subject matter it addresses. Whether that be via Twitter, over drinks at a conference or elsewhere, the result is often the same – wishing digital engineers knew how to impress their potential employers. Stuart has to be given the utmost credit, for turning those thoughts and musings into the text you see before you.

If you’re looking for your first job as a software engineer, you would do very well to adhere to the advice presented.

Certainly, if you turned up to one of my interviews having done this level of homework I would be pleasantly surprised, and no doubt after collecting my gaping-jaw from the table, assuming your technical skills were also suitable, you’d likely be offered a post. For me, as an employer for the last thirteen years or so, just being technically good is not enough. The best digital engineers also have a well rounded set of professional and interpersonal skills that are needed to engage with clients and colleagues alike. The interview process is the first opportunity you have to prove you have those skills to your employer.

Whilst this e-book is pitched at those software developers approaching their first job interview after graduation, there is more than enough material in the book for those who have more experience, potentially a lot more, but who perhaps have not found interviews, and the whole application process, to be an easy one. I have been in the position of interviewer on many occasions throughout my own career both in IT related roles and in my former career within the NHS. If I had always seen candidates that had absorbed the approaches embodied in this text, it would have been a much harder experience to choose between them.

In my experience, the reality is that the vast majority of candidates who apply for job roles are ill-prepared and therefore fail to present themselves in the best light, even to the point of actively hurting their chances of employment. Taking into account, even some of, the advice given in this e-book will certainly help you to stand out in the increasingly competitive job market.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you, the reader, great success in your job hunting.

Jeremy Coates is a co-founder and current Managing Director of Magma Digital Ltd, a member of the governing council for the Manchester Digital Association – Manchester’s trade association for the Digital and Creative sector, a Zend Certified Engineer and the co-founder and organiser of the PHP North West Conference and User Group.

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