How to market yourself as a software developer?

Question

I have noticed that this is a frequent issue among younglings from technical areas such as ours.

In the beginning of our careers we simply don't know how to sell ourselves to our employers, and random guy #57 (who is a programmer, but not as good as you - technically) ends up getting a raise or a promotion because he knows how to communicate and market himself better than you. Many have probably seen this happen in the past, and most certainly many more will in the future.

What kind of skill/ability (either technical, or of other nature) do you think is relevant to point out when doing a job interview or asking for a raise, besides listing all the programming languages and libraries you know?

There are 2 pages that I think everyone should read: http://www.ofb.net/~niniane/resume_howto.html and http://www.ofb.net/~niniane/interview_howto.html — karlphillip, Jun 08 '11 at 01:25

J.K. · Answer 1 · 2011-03-04T22:19:50.957

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Get things done.

The people that have the power to promote you will only be impressed when they see results. Simply learning many libraries won't be enough to gain you any sort of promotion. It probably will, however, gain you respect from those immediately working with you.

Also, don't think of it as 'selling' yourself. It's a case of showing that you're worth your weight in gold; this can be done by making it obvious to the higher-ups that you accomplish great work and that you're capable of achieving many things.

edited Mar 04 '11 at 22:19

answered Mar 04 '11 at 00:26

J.K.

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Because it ain't what you know it's who knows what you know. – JeffO Mar 04 '11 at 00:52
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It's always great advice to just go and get stuff done. So don't take this as a criticism. But, from experience I have not seen a high correlation between that and the guys who "get the credit". I've known some guys that are so humble that the boss doesn't even know all the stuff they actually did. In programming it's easy for your work to go unseen. – Nicole Mar 04 '11 at 05:01
Yeah! Make it **safe** to work with you. – Mar 04 '11 at 06:37
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Renesis hit the nail squarely on the head. Working hard and getting things done only guarantees that one will be assigned more work. It does not guarantee that one will receive raises or promotions. There is a direct correlation between the raises that one receives and the pain that one's manager would experience if one left the organization; therefore, one needs to tie one's manager's success to that of his/her own. – bit-twiddler Mar 04 '11 at 14:52
@Renesis, @bit: Thanks for the feedback. My last sentence was meant to address that ('**showing**' was in bold). I'll edit though, as it seems to be conveying another message. – J.K. Mar 04 '11 at 22:15
Great answer...but get what done? Does creating a program that you finished but nobody uses worth anything? So you created an online marketplace framework, but it's horrible. But you finished it...worth anything? I'd assume yes but would like others input on this. – ShrimpCrackers Mar 19 '11 at 06:43
@Shrimp: The concept here is for an software engineer (employee) to *show* his worth to management. In this case, I assume that the work has already been decided and that it is not up to the software engineer to come up with a spanky new project himself. So even if the management-decided project does fail, *showing* that you fulfilled your role is still very important. – J.K. Mar 19 '11 at 07:21
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Getting things done with quality you might say. Getting things done is not enough, if your output is of poor quality. – setzamora Mar 24 '11 at 09:17
Always remember that the instant you ask for a raise, your manager's very next thought is "What will happen if I don't give him a raise?" If he answers his question with "Probably nothing", then you will get no raise. Management can sense a good or bad bargaining position in your tone of voice and body language. If instead you have a job offer for more money and are willing to take it if management turn down your raise, then you hold the cards. – user21007 Mar 25 '11 at 14:03
I would like to add that getting things done in the best possible and reliable way. I mean don't get things that work now but it will break lately. Quality quality quality. – Chiron Apr 24 '11 at 21:38

score 52 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 04 '11 at 01:58

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Besides actually being good at what you do, you'll need to do two other things:

Prove that you actually have teh skillz

Your manager won't recognize this directly. Earn the respect of your co-workers by showing them that you know what you're doing. In an interview, provide skill references.
Tutor/teach/instruct those around you/beginners on the team. List these activities on your resume.
Contribute to open source projects, where people who evaluate you can go and see exactly what you know
Have extra curricular activities which produce interesting results, that you can talk about with your peers, boss, or interviewers

Tell the people about your skillz

Start a blog. Write up the problems you're faced with at work, and how you've resolved them.
At work, start a technical wiki. Or, contribute to it regularly if it already exists
Write legible documentation
Regularly, spend a bit of time hanging out with the support crew. Help them fix problems
Follow twitter feeds/news-groups/discussion groups/stackexchange sites related to your field. Make valid/useful contributions
Network. Networking means hanging out with people who you may not normally hang out with, who you may find it difficult to communicate with (at first). It means going out to lunch with the sales people. Or with your boss. Having drinks with one of your clients.
Help your mother with her computer problems. And your neighbor. Help your brothers' fiancee's mother get rid of her virus problem.
Volunteer. Contribute to open source projects; help a local hospital with their technical problems; go to the old-folks' home down the street, install Chrome and then teach them how to use it.

answered Mar 04 '11 at 01:58

blueberryfields

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+1 For networking. Many "typical" programmers I know find that kind of thing completely useless, but this is exactly the reason they don't get recognized. – Nicole Mar 04 '11 at 05:38
Good way to get recognized, but don't hope for any form of life outside your career-related social work... – Alexis Dufrenoy Apr 21 '11 at 10:34
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@Traroth make sure you work with people you like hanging out with. – blueberryfields Apr 21 '11 at 18:25
@blueberryfields: that's an additional challenge, then... – Alexis Dufrenoy Apr 21 '11 at 21:20
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@Traroth it's relevant, but too generic and self evident to make it into this answer, I think. No matter what you do with your life, make sure you work with people you like, doing things you enjoy, and have a lifestyle that agrees with you – blueberryfields Apr 21 '11 at 21:31
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+1 *Write legible documentation.* If other people can understand it, then you already know how to explain what you have contributed. – Kit Z. Fox Jun 21 '11 at 00:18
+1 and don't forget to add these under the "Skillz" section on your resume. – T. Webster Jul 17 '11 at 06:09
I like "help people with their computer problems." Not the route for everybody, but I know the people who _can_ casually help out on stuff like this come out looking very good and capable. So deliberately doing that is a cool idea. Kind of the reverse of "my programming knowledge does not mean I can solve your MS Word problems" approach. – Standback Dec 27 '11 at 17:50

score 42 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 19 '11 at 06:16

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When most people write a resume, they concentrate on their 'features'. This is ineffective marketing. People don't buy features, they buy benefits. I don't want a drill, I want a hole!

So, craft your resume - and your attitude - to show how your skills and responsibilities led to a benefit for the client, user, and/or employer, as appropriate.

Bad Example [just feature]: 2009-2010 coded a fubar system in python on linux

Good Example [feature + benefit]: 2009-2010 designed and developed a fubar system in 3 months which reduced order turnaround time by 75% and added $3M to gross revenues in the first six months after deployment, using Python on Linux.

answered Mar 19 '11 at 06:16

Steven A. Lowe

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+1 for numbers. Talk to your current managers to get details on systems you built. Being able to give a future employer hard facts about what they could get if they hire you is gold. – David Harkness Mar 21 '11 at 02:48
How do you avoid the "boasting attitude" that usually comes with handing out numbers? – Shawn Sep 06 '11 at 03:55
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@Shawn: you _don't_. there is an appropriate time and place for boasting, and **this is it** – Steven A. Lowe Sep 07 '11 at 05:51

score 18 · Answer 4 · edited Jun 16 '20 at 10:01

Show that you are getting things done

I have seen a good many developers who get great things done, which go completely unnoticed by their higher-ups. In regards to marketing oneself, its important for a developer to develop "The art of subtly conveying his accomplishments", as and when the situation presents itself. It is a constant process which should be actively sought out and carefully without appearing to be a show off.

When it matters, prove that you actually have the skills

The emphasis is on when. It depends on a lot of factors, which you must determine based on your situation. Trying to do this too often will actually be counterproductive to you and your team-office dynamic.

Mentor only when really required

This would save your productive time and theirs thereby increase the value of mentoring.

Increase Your professional network

This would work on so many levels. For example, your increased network might be the key to your organization filling a key position with a good candidate from your valuable referral.

Show genuine interest in building relations with colleagues

People can easily spot a fake-poser. When the correct opportunity-need arises, going out of your way to assist a colleague with them being actively aware of your special-extra efforts.

Increase your online technical portfolio

This is a primary area which needs to be regularly worked upon keeping up with the current market trends, popular requirements: developer blogs, SO reputation, online apps,code samples,techical forums,articles.You know it,The whole shebang.

Making the right people passively aware (emphasis on passively) of this. Who encompass higher-ups, network, peer group, potential future prospects.

Evaluate and accept opportunities with forethought

Don't hesitate in putting effort

Lastly, but most importantly, remember

The golden, time tested facts of How to win Friends and influence people apply to ALL domains.

can you believe that 'How to win Friends and influence people' i start reading on google books today — Anirudha Gupta, Apr 24 '11 at 17:18

score 9 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 28 '12 at 08:40

When distinguishing yourself for a job outside your current position:

Network locally to meet people at other companies
Network at national events if you get the chance
Do presentations
Write a blog
Contribute to an Open Source project
Publish a book
Answer questions on a site like this one
Show accomplishments on your resume in business terms (what problems did you solve, how much money did you save the company, etc.)

Internally the dynamics are a bit different.

First you have to get a reputation as a person who knows his stuff, who can produce good quality work under deadline stress and who can solve problems. You also often need a reputation as a team player (which means something different to managers than low level employees, more on that below).

But not only do you have to do these things, you have to make sure the people above you know you did them. So make sure to mention the things you do in team meetings, forward any emails that praise your work to your boss. If someone praises you in a conversation, ask them to tell your boss. If you have a bulletin board at work where employees praise is posted, make sure that you get on it. Make sure to introduce yourself to senior managers whenever you get the chance. Promotions are often decided at a higher level than your boss - make sure those people have heard your name in positive way. If you have a something like Yammer at work where employees can discuss business or personal related things and the whole company can join in, stick to business issues and make sure to write some interesting things that may get the attention of senior managers. They use these tools to look for talent to promote.

Be someone they can trust to deliver. Don't disappear in your cubicle dark hole and only come out when something is done. Give progress reports; bring it up as soon as possible when there is a possible delaying factor or show stopper. Admit mistakes and when you do go in with a plan to fix the problem. Find some work-related problems and go to your boss with a suggestion as to how to fix it. Be the go-to guy when everyone else is stuck.

Be a team player. This isn't just helping others on your team and mentoring although that certainly doesn't hurt. But managers expect you to support them and to support company policies in public. NEVER let your boss get blindsided by a problem you knew about. If you disagree with something (and it's not a brainstorming meeting where you are expected to discuss the pros and cons), then talk to your boss in private. And the time to disagree on a technical issue is before the decision has been made. Bringing up an issue that has been decided repeatedly (especially in public) or worse, ignoring the decision to do what you wanted to do anyway will put you on the fast track to the bottom of the promotion list.

If you have a chance to interface directly with users grab it. Those users that geeks write off as stupid often have the ear of the senior managers and impressing them can be good for your career. If you have the chance to do a special project that may involve something other than coding, grab that too. Successful special projects are a good way for senior managers to get to know your name.

+1 This is the kind of answer I've been looking for when I posted the question. — karlphillip, Mar 22 '12 at 20:47

score 4 · Answer 6 · answered Mar 04 '11 at 00:51

These are the factors to be aware of:

What your company can afford.
Other offers that are are available to you.
Other areas that are part of you position: perks, benefits, nature of the work, your immediate supervisor, time expectations, etc.

Strategy:

Try to get a number or at least a salary range before you tell them what you are asking for.
Determine what their criteria is for determining salary: years of experience, title/skill set, education, certification, etc.
Communicate your opinion of how you fit in this selection process - negotiate.

Example: a Junior position is determined by years of experience and you are fresh out of school. You could 'argue' (maybe discuss?) the amount of time spent on an open source project or what you did during an internship is directly related (built a site with php) and should count for experience eventhough it was not a real job. Since they want to make sure you are a good fit, maybe you can take a lesser salary, but have a one month evaluation to see if they can justify a higher salary with a proven worker.

You have to be realistic or you'll just kill any negotiation. That's why it is important to know the going rate in your area. Try to be flexible and work for compensation in other areas because sometimes if all you talk about is salary, you could be considered too greedy.

Remember, the person you may be asking for a raise has no authority, so you need to make sure they are willing to defend your request. This is why I never worry about my boss taking any credit for my work. I want them to depend on me, so when I ask for a raise, they make sure they do what they can to keep me. Yes, you could work for an idiot that thinks they can take advantage of you, but that's why you consider other offer. Always be considering other offers, but never use that as a ploy for new money - it will backfire.

@Jeff, *"Yes, you could work for an idiot that thinks they can take advantage of you"* i hope your boss wont read this — Shaheer, Feb 24 '12 at 05:19

score 4 · Answer 7 · answered Mar 04 '11 at 03:34

We can discuss "soft skills" until we are blue in the face; however, nothing keeps the raises coming more steadily than the fear of having to replace a highly productive software developer. Granted, one has to reasonable about one's demands, but one should never, and I mean never let one's employer believe that one is in it for the long haul, especially when one is younger than thirty-five.

With the above said, nothing will kill a career faster than arrogance. Contrary to what most young developers may believe, they do not know more than their senior colleagues. A young developer may know more about the minutia of his/her current development platform, but the average older practitioner's overall skill set usually dwarfs that of his/her younger colleagues. Plus, the older practitioner has developed a few critical skills that all young practitioners lack; namely, patience and the ability to navigate corporate politics. Developing good software is not a technical exercise--it is a people-oriented political exercise!

Finally, there will come a day when the raises stop and one's pay stagnates or goes backwards. There is little that one can do about it except start one’s own software development firm or consultancy. It's the nature of a working in a youth-focused industry.

*"one should never [...] let one's employer believe that one is in it for the long haul"* - I disagree with that in general. It is true with *some* employers, but luckily not all (IMHO far from it)! But then again, I am over 35 :-) — Péter Török, Mar 04 '11 at 08:26
I am over fifty; therefore, I have been in this game for a long time. The number one career killer for a young person is complacency. While I do not condone job hopping, experience has taught me that employers tend to reserve the best pay raises for employees that they are afraid of losing to the competition. Furthermore, the reason why I chose 35 as the cutoff is because that is the age at which one must start to demonstrate loyalty to an organization or risk facing permanent unemployment. It is also the age at which technical careers tend to stagnate in a corporate environment. — bit-twiddler, Mar 04 '11 at 14:39
*"It's the nature of a working in a youth-focused industry."* I wonder how much longer it's gonna be youth focussed. — Nav, Apr 27 '11 at 04:25

score 4 · Answer 8 · answered Apr 27 '11 at 11:28

As a manager of a pretty gifted team I would say that the one thing that makes the stars truly stand out is there willingness to step out of the hardcore coding aspect of the job. Sure, we all love to write code; who doesn't? However, there is so much more to being a good developer than just being a rock star coder. Domain knowledge is key, as well as the ability and willingness to get in the trenches with the users. It's not always pleasant to have to spend time with users working through their issues but at the end of the day they're the ones that we have to keep happy. I believe this is how I was able to rise up through the ranks more so than my peers. I wasn't afraid to communicate with everyone involved in a project and I spent a lot of time really digging into the domain where I worked.

You should be an expert in the business that you are solving problems for, only then can you really write great solutions and also have the confidence to communicate with managers, make suggestions, get the creative juices flowing. Most good managers really love people who think about things and try to come up with creative solutions to hard problems. So, while it's important to have that technical depth in your technology stack and basic CS skills its just as important to have the drive to understand the business and be willing to communicate often. After awhile you will stand apart from the crowd of drone coders.

abhi · Answer 9 · 2011-05-05T05:03:51.510

I have managed few programmers directly in last seven years. I get most comfort from a programmer who owns up the work and thus the responsibility. I don't have to follow up with for status. She can directly communicate with client. She provides intelligent alternatives to client when client is not providing right requirements or is confuse. Tries to achieve things in time by flexing the scope (and of course taking client into confidence).

Well I have not met a programmer yet who has all the above qualities but even few of them would be most comforting.

score 2 · Answer 10 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 16:35

I think that you have to approach the job interview differently than you would asking for a raise.

Make each resume specific to the company you are sending it to.

List the skills as usual as this will get you pulled up by the recruiters doing the targeted searches. That said they are just a checklist item.

To get noticed for a job list out your projects and your involvement in them. This is more critical for sticking out from the other resumes dropped on the desk of the hiring manager. What makes you different? Why are you qualified?

Raises are another story:

First step is to change your mindset: You are not "entitled" to a raise.

Next step is to fully understand what is required of the next level. Always find tasks that match the description of the next level up. It is a good way of letting your boss know that you are looking to the next step by asking for the job description. Which is much more tactful then saying "Hey - when are you going to promote me?"

Make sure your boss knows what your long term plans are. If they are not a jerk they will help you get assignments that will help you get there. If they are a jerk you need to find a new job anyways - life is too short.

score 2 · Answer 11 · answered Jun 22 '11 at 14:40

One of the biggest things I learned (which relates more to applying for a job than getting a raise or anything else) was Choose your skills carefully!

It's a common mistake to put everything you think you can do on your CV and send that out to as many employers as possible trying to get a job. Even if you can do all the things you say you can do, if you list proficiencies in very different areas you might end up doing more harm than good.

If you tailor your CV to the specific role or set of roles you are applying for - be it Java based roles, or .NET based roles, or web development roles - you will get a much better response than if you list every technology you ever worked with and hope they don't dismiss you as dabbling in everything and understanding little.

score 1 · Answer 12 · answered Jan 26 '12 at 08:53

I actually just wrote a marketing plan for myself, this alone is a good exercise as it make you think it all out and figure out what things you want to do and what you don't.

The Major points I came up with were the following:

Keep publishing Books and work with my publisher to promote myself
Give talks at local user groups around TA
Attend Conferences if possible, give talks
Appear on various Podcasts about development
Start up a Podcast on Web Development with a friend

Of course your list will look different but that is what I came up with. And of course you want to spend some time on it every day.

score 1 · Answer 13 · answered Feb 24 '12 at 03:38

This is the 16th answer to this question, so I won't rehash. I will add one simple observation:

Be random guy #57 by investing in your communications skills. Join a Toastmasters club (or start one - even at work) and leverage it to grow your communication skills, confidence, and leadership.

Try www.toastmasters.org (or google) to learn more and find a club, but here's the gist:

regular meetings where you practice speaking
well defined goals to gradually enhance communication skills
gain insight thru candid, positive feedback (giving and receiving)
multiple scenarios such as prepared speeches vs off the cuff speaking
meet other like-minded people and have fun
inexpensive, but work may even pick up the tab

score 1 · Answer 14 · answered Mar 21 '11 at 09:35

do you really know your market value?

This is essential, b/c when you 'ask' for a raise or perform an interview then your counterpart has to feel that you know it and that you won't settle for anything below, but that you will just move on. Do you have that confidence? Or are you afraid to lose your job or end up unemployed?

And the rest is all about women. Men who sell themselves properly get along well with women. And getting good with women is easier then getting good at job interviews, b/c women are everywhere.

Practical advices:

Approach at least five women sober
during daytime and ask them out - do that for at least a month.
Attend a(n) (improvisational) theatre workshop to deal with stage fright.
Apply for other jobs and see if they are willing to pay more. If yes take the offer or take that opportuinity
to ask for a raise. If no ... wash
rinse repeat.

And just what are married men and women supposed to do? – HLGEM Mar 22 '12 at 19:52 — HLGEM, Mar 22 '12 at 19:52
improvisational theatre workshops ... :) – Raffael Mar 23 '12 at 08:32 — Raffael, Mar 23 '12 at 08:32

score 1 · Answer 15 · answered Apr 29 '11 at 21:12

Of course get things done as mentioned in the other questions.

Though I think other things are at least as important as get things done:

try to think from a business point of view, be at the forefront of solving problems that might be show stoppers
if you have valid criticism, express it, but do it at the right place and the right time, otherwise it may become annoying or even insulting

I guess being a good coder is one thing but being a good employee that inspires your co-workers and pushes the projects you're working on is another thing. It doesn't help anyone if you get your things done and half a year later you are not able to fix any bug within less than one month...

These qualities helped me getting raises without asking and also with getting job offers after interviews. Yeah, guess what: Employers seem to enjoy it when their employees tell them if everything is ok or not in their point of view. And yes, most companies are familiar with the problem of unmaintainable code...

Probably you should try to understand what your strengths are that differentiate you from others and improve and advertise these.

score 0 · Answer 16 · answered Mar 04 '11 at 08:57

read this book How to win Friends and influence people

the techniques in there are really valueable in any kind of negotiations. For example you won't gain anything from arguing, nothing from pointing fingers at others. In contrary, having the ability to get another viewpoint - and I mean a genuine one - is invaluable in determining what the other party (e.g. your new boss) really wants to hear, needs you to do for example.