5 Tips for Landing a Programming Job

1 Get a Recruiter

Technology recruiters are everywhere and they do not cost you a dime. Its a free service to you. Recruiters charge the employer for the service of finding the right talent to fit their organization. Many employers do not desire or do not have the time and energy it takes to find a candidate for the hiring process.  In fact many companies do not consider candidates outside of a recruiter. If a recruiter wants to charge you money do find you a job then it is a scam, run away.
Recruiters are also great information sources for the market place. They can tell you if your asking price is too high or why you were turned down for a job. They can also tell you what technologies are hot and are more likely to hire.

2 Participate in a User Group

Look for a user group in your area and join. You should find user groups that meet about the technologies you want to get hired for. User Groups are a great place to network with other developers and project managers. Its a good way to get your foot in the door and actually find employers that are looking. You can also put it on your resume that you regularly attend a user group for say Visual Studio or MS SharePoint.

3 Throw a Large Net

Throw a large net means you need to get your resume out as many places as you can. Give it to your friends that are already hired. Look for job postings on company websites. Post your resume on Monster.com etc. I once landed a job that was only listed on Craigslist. The more companies that get your resume the more likely you are to get an interview. But do not apply for jobs that you clearly do not qualify for or that do not make a good fit for you.

4 Research the Employer

Research and be able to discuss the company that your are interviewing for.  When you get the interview spend a good amount of time researching the company that you want to work for. Learning the technology they use is important but make sure that you know something about what they are doing. Do some reading on Wiki and pick up some books about the industry. Study the company website and know what its business goals are.
Are they making an inventory system? Find some literature about inventory management. Employers are guaranteed to ask you non-programming industry specific questions and how well you answer these questions is guaranteed to set you apart from the other candidates.
 

5 Tell them You Want the Job

If you can communicate to the employer that you want the job then it will no doubt increase your chances of getting hired. You may be putting non-verbal signals that you are not interested in the position or you may not seem to be excited about the position. Often when you are nervous your body is sending signals that you do not intend to send. The best way to offset this is to be prepared to tell them how much you are excited about the job. "I am very excited about the position its exactly what I am looking for." or "I have really been wanting to get into custom web design." are good examples. This is especially important in small companies. Start-ups are more likely to seek out candidates based on their drive and interest over pure technical skills.