How to find a job in IT without experience: a guide for aspiring programmers

"Nothing is impossible in programming, it's just that some things are harder than others." - François Morisse.

In this guide, we have compiled information to help those who want to start coding, understand the market and stand out. By following this plan with due diligence, you can open the door to the IT world and subsequently establish yourself by carving out a niche for yourself.

IT market: overview and entry points

The year 2024 in IT promises extreme growth in both new professionals and job openings for them. Everything is digitalising by the day, increasing demand. Employment will soar, especially for coders, data analysts and digital security specialists. According to Bureau of Labour Stats, the average cheque for IT services will rise significantly in the western market.

For a newcomer who doesn't know how to enter IT without experience, entry points are internships, junior positions and freelancing with the opportunity to start without broad experience. Once you've made the choice to go into IT, you need to have a clear understanding of exactly what the field looks like, what jobs are on the market, and which ones are the most in-demand/popular/money-making. A great way to get the information you need is to do a little market research. Blogs of famous programmers and IT communities are good for this (see Table 1 for more details).

When choosing your first IT job, make a list of jobs that interest you: network engineer or web developer? Clarify your preferences by organisation and job title. This will help narrow your search for a job as a programmer with no experience and help you learn the professional vocabulary. If you don't know where to start, check out common IT jobs or explore career paths in this field.

Training and courses: Skill development and acquisition

Specific skills can vary greatly depending on the desired position. For example, a web developer will need to know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and work with frameworks like React or Angular. A mobile developer will have to master Swift or Kotlin for iOS and Android. For Data Science, it's Python, knowledge of SQL, and experience with Pandas and NumPy libraries. 

To understand what skills you will need specifically for a job in IT without experience, recertify current vacancies. Thus, among the basic skills, the most common are:

• OS Knowledge. Good knowledge of popular operating systems gives the ability to work successfully with different devices and offer a greater range of services.
• Safety. Firewalls and encryption need to be understood at least in a basic way, even if your core business is not related to them. 
• Networks. Knowing the basics, such as network access and IP services, can help you get a job opening.
• Soft Skills. You may not be a super-specialist, but communication skills are crucial. Development is mostly a team game, where hard skills sometimes just don't come through because of problems in mutual understanding. 

So how can you validate the skills you already have to get your first programming job? Certificates, various online courses and offline training are great for this. 

Certificates are a valuable way to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers. These qualifications usually require an exam and are recognised in the industry. These can range from basic programming certifications to more specialised certifications in Data Scientist, Java, etc.

Gaining practical experience and developing a portfolio

Building a portfolio is an essential step in presenting your capabilities to potential employers. Personal projects - from a simple application to an injection of strength into open source - are not just code, but a demonstration of skills that an employer can put into practice. The question remains - where to get experience as a programmer? Such experience for a portfolio can be gathered in several ways:

• Coursework. Doing practical tasks and projects as part of some training will already allow you to show a range of skills. For example, you can use official courses from Google or any other courses. On our website you can find all the current courses available courses for IT specialists in Moldova. 
• Personal projects. Don't know where to get work experience as a programmer? Try to create a programme or a website yourself, do some tasks for a friend, take a feasible TOR from the public domain (for example, do a freelance project for yourself). 
• Internship. Many companies are looking for assistant programmers, this is an opportunity to gain experience, albeit for free. An internship will not only allow you to consolidate your skills, but will also show you the kitchen from the inside. 
• Volunteering. Another good way to try your hand at practical work. You can offer your services to volunteer organisations, thus doing a good job and getting some work in your portfolio.

By using one or more of these methods, you'll be able to build up a basic portfolio quickly enough that you won't go to an employer empty-handed.

Networking

Networking is a powerful tool in the process of finding a job and making new connections, as well as one of the answers to the question of how to find a job in IT without experience. Basically, you can do the following and it will already be a lot:

• GitHub. Create a stylish profile on GitHub, post your projects. Subscribe to interesting repositories.
• LinkedIn. Optimise your profile, highlight your key skills. Join groups and participate in discussions.
• Online events and webinars. Register for technical events, actively participate in discussions and ask questions.
• Meetups and hackathons. Join local mitaps and hackathons, meet new people and share your projects. On our website, you can find all the current IT Communities of Moldova and IT events in Moldova (offline and online) to keep up to date with what's going on. 
• Tech blogs and podcasts. Keep up to date with current news and technology, comment and discuss content.

Approach networking as knowledge sharing, be open to new acquaintances and opportunities. Don't be afraid to initiate contact. We also recommend preparing a speech in which you can briefly and without stuttering present your experience and goals. Before you know it, you'll be working in IT with no experience.

Writing a CV

Just 9 seconds - that's how long it takes on average for a recruiter to read a CV. A CV and cover letter are the first impression on potential employers. It is important to tailor these documents to the job description, emphasise skills and outline projects. Read on for a number of tips to help make your CV better and therefore tell you how to find your first job in IT:

1. Analysing previous experience. Stress resistance, teamwork, customer focus, creativity and much more. You don't need to write down all the skills - the key ones are enough. You can also add specifics: not just working in a team, but working in a team of 15 people. 
2. Brevity. For professionals who do not know how to find a job in IT without experience, a one-page CV will be enough, there is no point in writing two pages. Limit yourself to the basic information without going into details. In too much data, important achievements can go unnoticed. If you have professional pages, you can include links to them in your CV.
3. Flexibility. Change your CV depending on the job, focusing on the skills that the employer wants. You can even make several separate CVs for the most popular areas.
4. Arrangement. Headings, fonts, lists, absence of errors are all important. But don't go overboard to keep the document readable. If you decide to add a photo, opt for a formal business portrait. 

Resumes can be compiled either on your own or you can use numerous online constructors, which are a great help to those who do not know how to find a job as a programmer without experience. You can also use special services to check spelling. 

Job search methods

When determining how to find a job for a programmer with no experience, it's best to focus on entry-level positions. These are any Junior positions, IT Assistant, System Administrator, Computer Support Specialist, etc. You can use the following ways to search for job openings:

1. Job aggregators. These are special services where you can look for a job for a novice programmer, you can look there to start with. We recommend not only browsing job vacancies, but also creating your own profile with a CV.
2. Recruiters. For example, you can create a profile on LinkedIn and search for Eichars there. It is this social network that is considered the most successful for job hunting. Even if you don't get a job, you can find out if they will recruit newcomers and how to get a job as a programmer without experience in the future. 
3. Websites of companies, agencies. Many companies publish vacancies directly on their website and also offer a variety of internships and training. You can simply use a search engine or go to a site with a rating of companies in their field of activity. For example, this is how you can find the best agencies.
4. Specialised chat rooms and channels. This can already be safely attributed to networking. There are a lot of chat rooms in various messengers where programmers communicate with each other. There you will be given some sound advice on how to find a job as a novice programmer, other recommendations, and may even be hired as an assistant. 

In addition to actively seeking an answer to the question of how to get a job as a junior programmer without experience, we recommend that you rely on networking. The more you build up connections in the niche, the more credibility you gain and the more likely you are to get a job or a part-time job from your colleagues. 

Preparing for IT interviews

To understand how to get into IT without experience, if you are a beginner, it is worth taking interviews seriously. Prepare for the conversation: research what the company you have been invited to join does. Come up with answers to typical questions, such as why you chose IT, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and how you see your career.

In addition to theoretical talks, there will be communication with a technical expert who will test your existing knowledge. Prepare for the theoretical questions and possibly for writing code. You can train on AlgoExpert, Leetcode, HackerRank.

Don't forget to prepare questions for the employer. It is important not only to find out where and how to find a job as a junior programmer, but also to decide if this place is suitable for you. Ask about salary, responsibilities, working conditions.

Conclusion

Your first priority that needs to be addressed is where to look for a job as a programmer with no experience. The key steps are diligence, strategic planning, and training. A focus on skills, networking, and practice will help you stand out as a strong candidate for entry-level jobs. Adapt your CV, prepare for interviews, and be sure to keep learning to succeed in IT.