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The IT industry is back on its feet and the job market has shifted to become a workers market. A good developer can almost pick and choose his job these days.

My responsibility as a hiring manager is to find the most qualified individual at a salary the company can afford! Typically the job market is paying 45-55K, 55-65K, 65K and up for entry, junior, and senior level developer positions respectively. Salary is also affected by experience, the company, and industry.

The past two years I've worked with many IT recruiters to fill entry, junior, and senior developer positions. I've interviewed at least 30 people and reviewed hundreds of resumes. I’ve interviewed some really good developers but they lacked the communication skills in the interview to give me the confidence to hire them on board. Here is some advice for your next interview.

1. Do your research

Research the company company’s industry, financial status, and the position you are applying for. This will come up in the interview. I get a lot of blank looks when I ask “what do you know about the company?” …

2. Keep up with latest trends

As a developer you must keep up with the latest trends in software, hardware, and programming methodologies. I spend 25% of my time investigating and experimenting with new technologies. Be prepared to discuss these findings. Practice with a friend.

3. Study basic interview questions

Study and practice basic interview questions such as "what are your strengths?", "what are your weaknesses?" It surprises me that interviewees are not prepared to answer these simple questions. This is a bad sign and they are immediately not considered for hire. Anticipate questions the hiring manager will be asking you. Prepare for those questions and be ready for anything.

4. Know your buzz words and programming fundamentals

In your interview make sure you throw in some industry buzz words. Know your acronyms and be sure you know what they mean! It would be quit embarrassing if you couldn't explain the word you just used.
Some easy ones you should know! FTP, SMTP, HTTP, XML, HTML, XLS
Refresh your self on programming fundamentals. Read up on data structures! If you are .NET developer you better know these: DataTable, DataSet, DataReader!
Object Oriented Programming is a term all managers throw around. Be sure you can clearly define OOP and are familiar with OOP objects. Class, struct, function, polymorphism, inheritance, namespace... you get the picture.

5. Be confident but not too confident
Hiring managers like to think they know more than the people they are interviewing. Make sure you answer the questions thoroughly but get to the point. Don’t get into a debate over technology with a manager. You’ll never get the job. But correct them nicely if you know they are wrong. I hired a person because she corrected me on the definition of an event handler.

6. Show interest and ask relevant questions

This can be accomplished by wearing the appropriate attire. Bring out your best suit! Ask important relevant questions that took you some time formulate. Let them know that you are a thinker. Don’t slouch during an interview and turn off your phone! Do I sound frustrated?

7. Shake with a firm grip

This is especially important for men. People are looking for high energy confident people. Not a limp noodle hand shaker.

8. What do you do outside of work?

A programmer I look for is someone whose hobby is programming. If you are technical hobbyist share with the manager what you’ve been working on.

9. Be a presenter

Be prepared to present, write, and explain code that you have written. Programmers should be see things as objects. It may also help to draw a diagram or something visual for the hiring manager.

10. Know your resume

When I interview someone, I go straight down the resume trying to find inconsistencies. If it’s on your resume, make sure you can explain it thoroughly. Not being able to do so is definitely a red flag.

Interviews are tough but with some practice and studying you can make it a whole lot easier. Be confident, be yourself, and know your material. Remember, the resume gets you in the door. The interview gets you the job. Good luck on your next interview!