Remi Andre

Times are tough all around, and even those of us who are still fortunate enough to enjoy steady employment over the past ten years aren’t safe. It sucks, but that’s life.

I have been on a few hiring committees over the years, and am kind of surprised how ill-prepared job seekers are, even during the best of times. Here are four quick tips of what at least I would look for in a Web developer.

• Have a personal web site. Just like this — kind of a portfolio Web site. Show that you have enough interest in what you do for it to be more than just a job.
• Let the site speak for itself. Sure, link to some of your work from the site, but remember the site is also your work. In fact, it is the probably the first work a potential employer would see, so put some effort into it.
• Be part of social networks. Twitter has been around for a long time, but it has really only recently taken off into the mainstream. To me it probably should be the social network of choice for most web developers now, seeing that it’s the buzz-kid on the block  (with all respect to 97bottles!) sort of like what Facebook was a year ago.
• Tout the aforementioned. A potential employer shouldn’t have to Google you to find you. Tout your website; show that you have a true passion for web development.

Just a few friendly tips from me to you there!