Hi guys, I am currently looking for a job as a front end or full stack developer to no avail. I know I do not have any professional experience, and it is going to be hard to get a job, but I feel like I am ready for a junior level job, and no one gives me a chance. I know there is a lot more I need to learn, and will continue to study and improve in the mean time. I would love to get some feedback on my resume and portfolio https://alesalsa10.github.io/portfolio/ . After seeing it, would you think I am ready for an entry level job? What could I improve. All feedback is appreciate it.
I am still a beginner ( 7 months ) but here is what I have observed from advice on the forum so far.
Covid has been tough for everyone to try and find jobs. So you are not alone.
I donât know how many jobs you have applied to or how you have been applying. But I heard the process for that first job isnât easy. So keep trying.
If you are only applying through traditional job sites, then you might not be passing some of the filters that have absolute requirements like a cs degree.
There are also some great articles on the job process that could help you out.
Good luck!
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After a quick glance thru your resume and portfolio this is my feedback:
Yes it looks like you would be a fit for an entry level job as a MERN developer but there isnât anything standout in your resume that would mean you get the job compared to someone else with a similar background (MERN developer)
The technologies listed are mostly limited to the MERN stack, and only the MERN stack. Again, this keeps you from standing out in a field that has a lot of MERN stack developers. Unless you have an amazing project to show off that has a bunch of bells and whistles to advertise you probably would not be considered of the next person simply due to everyone applying to the job having similar skills.
Iâd also consider condensing your project features, as currently your mostly just listing the requirements which is slightly redundant. For example, having âdynamic themesâ sounds better than âdark and light theme supportâ. It can also be assumed your TODO app lets you handle TODOâs, so listing how you can delete or mark them as complete also could be thrown out.
The main thing Iâd work on, is selling your projects rather than listing them. If your having a tough time âsellingâ it then its possible your projects arenât complex enough. One concern is if your projects all seem like âstudent projectsâ. Youâd want your project to seem like a professional did them. If they all seem like they cover the bare minimum requirements and not much else, they might be dismissed.
For example, if you combined the face recognition with your movie search app with your TODO app. You could create a âpicture trackerâ that groups user entered images based on the same face (similar to Google Photos). Throw in a public API, and or more features and you end up with something much more complex, and thus more professional.
If your applying to every job with this exact resume you might not get any bites if your resume doesnât match with the job requirements that you might even have. For example, if a job asks specifically for git skills, I assume youâd have experience with that tech, but its not on your resume. You might want to update your resume according to what your applying for, or at least have a few different versions of your resume for different types of jobs your applying for. If this resume covers 100% of all the skills, then I suggest to learn a few extra stuff so you can stand out more. (maybe another database technology?)
Finally, keep applying and getting feedback. The job hunt was hard enough before the pandemic, with the pandemic things have only gotten harder. Donât get discouraged, just keep improving your skills, your approach and your resume and youâll get the job in time 
So just as a review, having a more impressive project, less focus on listing what the project does and more on âsellingâ them, and keep applying and getting feedback.
Good luck, keep applying, keep building!
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Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate you going through all my projects and even giving me ideas. I am going to apply everything you mentioned and keep on improving. Thanks again
Reviewing your resume posted:
- A link to your LinkedIn profile is missing.
- The skills listed are unfortunately becoming increasingly common. Do you have anything else to differentiate you?
- All of your project âdescriptionsâ need to be totally revamped and written out as what sort of âbusiness problemâ they solve. I see way too many resumes written like this. Technical details are not important to the average person reading your resume (i.e. recruiters and HR personnel). Write 2 sentences maximum to describe each project on a high level.
- You donât need to list all of your projects either. Just the best one or two.
- Your Education section should be placed at the bottom, not the top.
- Your current work experience reads like itâs super boring to you. Describing your responsibilities and other menial tasks that you do is never a good idea. Think of this on a high level. What are you actually accomplishing in this job through the tasks that you describe? Write that instead.
On your website, donât call anything âWorkâ that should be âProjectsâ. Work implies something youâre paid for. Projects are not.
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As already mentioned,
your resume is written for devs.
But your resume will never reach a dev,
because recruiters and HR are sitting in front of devs and filter out the non-fitting people.
But the more important question:
Why do you think that your resume is the cause for not getting a chance?
The resume is never the first thing people see.
It always starts with your intro/motivational letter.
When you want to break into the industry without experience, the main thing you need is a cover letter that is well written. I would focus on job listings that match your experience, and tailor your cover letter accordingly. You also will want to target smaller companies where thereâs a higher chance that the in-house recruiter will read the cover letter. At larger companies, thereâs going to be algorithmic filtering happening.
you can buy yourself a few lines if you make the titles of your projects the website links and delete the redundant link âwebsiteâ for each project. 
Also you could format your links in the header to read as âGitHubâ. links are so fancy.
Also, you gotta get experience with a team and using git so you can flash it on your resume. Thats what makes you go from average pony, to prized pony. have you heard of chingu.io? Its a great collab platform
Im also self taught, and if you dont network like crazy hard, you will probably not get interviews. You gotta meet people who will vouch for you. Make friends with them, dont just shake their hand. The entry level expectation is atleast a boot camp now, so you gotta have someone going to their meetings everyday saying âhey did you guys interview alexander salsa10 yet?â Thats going to get you in there!
Alex I reached out to you on Linkedin. Happy to give you some thoughts on not only the resume, but also your Linkedin. And for others coming in here. Resumes are nice and you should have a great resume. But ALSO, your Linkedin and Developer Journey are critical to showcase.
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