How does one sell his talent when job searching?

Question

• I am a developer in a region that is not exactly a hot spot for IT.
• I have an Associates degree from a community college and
• I have over 7 years experience programming.

So, this leads to the core of the question...

What are some keys to selling your talents when you only a resume and if fortunate, an hour of someone's time to sell them?

Also, are there ideas for compensating for last of higher degree?

A related question: Should A Programmer Go Back To School If He/She Doesn't Have A Degree

Answer 1

Developing a robust portfolio of at least dummy-apps similar to your client-list-needs. For instance, when I am going to pitch a project to a large potential client, I first research their current solution and then develop somewhat detailed mock ups of how I could improve on their solution. It's good NOT to criticize their solution, but to address it as a stepping-stone to a better option, the one you're selling.

I do not have a degree, but I do have several years of professional experience. Due to this, I rely heavily on solid examples of work, and recommendations from friends/past clients. Fortunately the degree issue is not as bad today as it likely was in the past. Many companies today have no problem hiring you if you have no degree, or no advanced degrees. I've had no problem keeping steady work.

Again, I think it comes down to a sturdy portfolio, great examples of work, and plenty of recommendation.

Answer 2

Here's what works for me. I don't think there's any trickery:

• I spend a lot of time on my CV, and try to get it down to two pages (three is acceptable).
• I spend a lot of time on the language any time I write prose on my CV. This is particularly necessary if you have a tight space requirement.
• The tight space constraint makes me think about formatting and design of the document - e.g. how much information can sensibly put in the header?

Now, you may write all of this off as unnecessary frippery. You are likely to be in a market where there are more people chasing fewer jobs. Consider this:

• the presentation of a resume gets it read.
• the function of the resume is to get you an interview.
• the resume is a talking point to start your first interview.

Each stage is to encourage the screener/interviewer to find out more about you.

If you can, I would consider linking to something like Coder's CV to present an online version of your resume.

Again, if you can, consider linking to some of your achievements. This may be:

• web applications, but this can be little more than name dropping if you're linking to a large organization website.
• an open source project, particularly if it is a membership page showing how many commits you've made.
• a website hosting screencasts of things you have built (particularly good if the product is not publicly accessible).

Good luck.

Answer 3

Experience is far more valuable than pretty much any qualification except perhaps a relevant PHD. You need to be able to express clearly what your experience is and how it could be relevant to the company who are interviewing you.

You also need to know your chosen technologies inside-out and be able to explain them to someone with less expertise than you. It's all very well saying you can do things, but most companies will expect to see evidence so make sure you have the skills to back up the things you say. If you don't know about something, say so at the outset, otherwise there is a very good chance you will get caught out. If you acknowledge a lack of experience with a technology then show how you have picked up other new technologies quickly and effectively in the past it will look a lot better.

Think of it as a sales job with you as the product that you need to sell. Be confident, be cheerful and outgoing and make a memorable impression.

Answer 4

People who want to hire you are not necessarily interested in your talent(*) (unless you are a singer / actor perhaps, in which case your gullibility would probably also be a strong selling point). What they will ask themselves and possibly (in a more subtle way) you, is:

• what can this guy/gal do for us?

So the key to selling your talent may be to ask yourself how your talents can be useful to the company you are talking to and explain it to the recruiter in a clear, concise way. Give examples of your previous work and how the company can benefit from it / use something similar etc.

(*) well Google used to hire "talent" at a whim, but these times are over I reckon...