Skills You Can Develop Quickly To Stand Out When Applying for Your First Software Engineering Job

Juhan Aasaru Author

Jan 17, 2025 |

Learn key skills beyond coding to impress employers, boost efficiency & showcase your talent.

So, you're about to dive headfirst into the exciting world of software engineering? Congratulations! It's a challenging but rewarding career path; with the proper preparation, you'll be well on your way to success.

While the skill to write code in your primary programming language is crucial, many aspiring engineers are struggling to stand out. Here's a breakdown of some quickly obtainable key areas to focus on. Once you get to a basic level with these skills, you can use them to shine on the job interview and differentiate yourself from the others in the communication.

1. Communication is Key:

Think coding is all about staring at a screen in silence? Think again! Effective communication is vital in the workplace. You'll need to clearly articulate your ideas, collaborate with colleagues, and explain technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.

2. Become a Command Line Maestro:

Mastering Unix and command line/Bash scripting can significantly boost your efficiency and problem-solving abilities. This fundamental skill set is a must-have for any aspiring software engineer.

3. Showcase Your Work with a Portfolio Website:

In today's competitive job market, a strong online presence is important. Creating a portfolio website on GitHub Pages allows you to showcase your projects and skills to potential employers. Automated builds will streamline the process. During the technical job interview, mention that you have set up CI/CD for your website.

4. Write Clean, Readable Code:

Clean code isn't just about functionality; it's about writing code that is easy to understand, maintain, and collaborate on. Treat your code like a piece of literature – aim for clarity, conciseness, and elegance. Presenting your coding assignment crafted in clean code will make you perceived as a professional.

5. Embrace the Power of Debugging:

Bugs are an inevitable part of the software development process. Using a debugger effectively will save you countless hours of frustration and help you quickly identify and resolve issues. This way, you can complete any coding assignments faster and with better quality.

6. Become an Organisational Whiz:

Large-scale software projects can be overwhelming. Utilising tools like Trello to break down tasks, organise your workflow, and track progress will help you stay on top of your work and ensure your projects are on track. When solving a take-home assignment, you can create a little Trello board with a few tasks to demonstrate that you broke down the assignment into individual tasks.

7. Maximise Your IDE:

Your Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is your digital workspace. Mastering its features and functionalities can significantly enhance productivity and streamline workflow. If you know your tools, you will complete the take-home assignments faster.

Focusing on these essential skills will increase your chances of landing that dream software engineering role and set you up for a successful and fulfilling career. Good luck!

☝️ Next week, I will start a course called "Level Up Your Skills to Succeed in a Software Engineer Role," where I will review each skill weekly and give you ideas on what to learn and how to demonstrate it in a job interview.