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Weekly Recap
FORGET The Generic Resume Fluff! Focus On Impact As A Developer!
Is this resume a bit too fluffy? Let's see if we can identify some opportunities for this senior software engineer to REALLY showcase all of the awesome impactful work that they've done!
Does This Developer Intern Resume Stand A Chance?!
So you're a software developer student trying to land an internship position? What the heck should you be putting on your resume?!
Let's review this resume that was submitted!
Software Engineering, Big Tech, and Agile - Interview With Jade Wilson
I was joined by Jade Wilson in this video interview! Jade is not only a senior software engineer at Microsoft, but a successful content creator. When we got to talking, it was really cool to hear that we have very different experiences with how our teams approach building software:
- My teams go through a pseudo-agile / waterfall hybrid (i.e. we try to be agile but commitments are done on larger horizons)
- Jade gets to work DIRECTLY with customers quite regularly
A huge takeaway from Jade in this video was that it's *NOT* just about picking Scrum or Kanban... The entire point is to find things that work well for your team. Copy+pasting some process and blindly following it without adapting things is probably not going to be ideal.
Thanks for the awesome chat, Jade!
Software Engineers Need...BRANDING! Interview With Anna Miller
I bet you never thought as a software engineer you were going to hear that branding was important, right?! After all, isn't that what the marketing team is for? Isn't that kind of a \"salesy\" thing?
And you're exactly right -- as a software engineer, your brand and the branding that you create can be immensely valuable for the relationships you form inside AND outside of work. In this video, I speak with Anna Miller and we get to hear all of her awesome perspectives on branding for software engineers.
Engineer to Manager and Back Again: Interview With Lee McKeeman
He's worked at Amazon, Meta, and Google... But that's not what I found most interesting about Lee McKeeman!
While Lee has lots of awesome experiences (in AND outside of work), one of them that really got me interested was becoming an engineering manager and transitioning back to a software engineer. It's not that this is unheard of, but it's not a common one that I get to talk to others about!
Lee shares some of his ups and downs on his extensive career journey, and I'm super thankful that I had the opportunity to chat with him!
NO Professional Experience: First Developer Job Resume Review
A common situation for MANY developers: how to get that first job when you don't have any professional experience to include on your resume.
Let's discuss and review a submitted resume!
Unlock Your Engineering Confidence - Interview With Maria Glazunova
I've said it a million times and I'll say it a million more: Communication is a critical skill for software engineers. And if you don't want to listen to me, listen to Maria Glazunova who I had the pleasure of interviewing in this video!
Maria coaches many software engineers and tech professionals on how to improve their communication skills. Many of these people have English as their second (or third) language -- but the fundamentals of what we discuss regarding communication apply to EVERYONE.
Thanks for the awesome chat, Maria!
Build Software To Get Good As Software - Interview With John Crickett
You need to code to get better at coding -- That's something you'll hear me say all of the time. But my guest today, John Crickett, has taken this to a WHOLE new level! John is the author of the extremely popular newsletter called Coding Challenges. He's created this to give software developers the focus that many of them need to go practice building things.
This was an AWESOME interview and I was excited to hear all about John's career. He shares information about jumping between different programming languages and even going back and forth between roles. I think John has a ton of wisdom that you can learn from so I hope that you enjoy!
Can I Break Into Tech As A Developer With This Resume?
It can be really tricky to craft a meaningful resume without prior work experience. How might you approach this if you're trying to break into your first developer job?
Let's discuss and review a submitted resume!
How to Structure to Data with AI: Interview With Kirk Marple of Graphlit
I sat down with Kirk Marple of Graphlit to talk about his career journey and the awesome AI platform that he's building.
One of the things I thought was awesome was the fact that they \"dogfood\" their platform by building solutions on top of it -- one of the BEST ways to know the ins and outs is to use it yourself!
Huge thanks to Kirk for sharing his insights and I'm very excited to see the future of Graphlit!
Should You Build Side Projects To Have Complex Things For Your Resume?
From ExperiencedDevs, this Redditor wanted to know if they should build side projects to show complexity on their resume. Well... Kinda sorta. Let's discuss!
Senior to Principal Engineer in Big Tech - Interview With Bhavana Hindupur
In this interview, Bhavana Hindupur enlightened me with some different perspectives about the challenges going through tech. She explained how cultural background and expectations from society can create additional barriers when navigating how to progress in the workplace.
One of the great points that Bhavana brought up was about her turning point in her career going from senior to principal level -- You need to be the one driving the change!
Thanks for the awesome chat, Bhavana!
What Makes a Senior Software Engineer Resume Stand Out?
A senior software engineer sent in their resume to be reviewed but... does it make the cut? Let's see what they nailed and what areas they could improve on their resume.
Dealing With BRAIN FOG As A Software Developer
From ExperiencedDevs subreddit, this Redditor wanted to know if and how others deal with brain fog as developers. I share some of my thoughts on how to keep your mind FRESH!
Imposter Syndrome and YOU - Interview With Julia Hohenadel
Imposter syndrome is something that affects many people -- especially software engineers! But imposter syndrome is not just limited to aspiring programmers or junior software engineers... In fact, the more success you have, often the more imposter syndrome that you encounter.
In this video, I was joined by a previous intern of mine (Woohoo Magnet Forensics!), Julia Hohenadel, who knows allllll about imposter syndrome. Julia is a great speaker on imposter syndrome, and I've even had her come to speak at Microsoft for us!
Thanks for the awesome chat, Julia!
WHO CARES About All These Numbers On Resumes?! (Hint: YOU Should)
From ExperiencedDevs subreddit, this Redditor wanted to know why all these resumes have numbers and impact statements. Surely it's just junk, right? Let's talk it through...
Side Projects That Stand Out?! - Intern Resume Review
So you're a software developer student trying to land an internship position? Do you have projects that help you stand out against the competition? Let's see!
How To Setup Claude Flow To Run Agent Swarms! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!
This tutorial provides instructions on setting up Claude Flow, an agentic swarm layer built on top of Claude Code, on a Windows machine using PowerShell. And I honestly can't believe the hive mind built this application on the first try.
How to Survive The Sprint - Principal Engineering Manager AMA
What happens when your sprints turn into a repeat situation of you not being able to meet deliverables? What are your options as a developer?
As with all livestreams, I'm looking forward to answering YOUR questions! So join me live and ask in the chat, or you can comment now and I can try to get it answered while I stream.
Should You Join A Coding Bootcamp? - Interview With Brooke Sweedar
My journey through software engineering was pretty traditional: go to college/university directly after high school to study... then go into the workforce. But it's important that we keep an open mind about the different paths that aspiring software engineers can take to get into the industry.
In this video, I was joined by Brooke Sweedar who shared with me her journey through coding Bootcamp. It's great to hear about her successes going through such a program and understanding what made this such a valuable experience for her.
Thanks for the awesome chat, Brooke!
Too Late For This Developer? Let's Review Their Resume!
A resume submission for a self-proclaimed late starter! This individual has returned to finish their post-secondary education, and they're wrapping up their final year.
Does their resume have what it takes to secure their first job? Let's check it out!
This Bot Tricked Me Into A Video Response on Resumes...
I've had to ban this bot from commenting on my channels, BUT... Before I caught on, I made this video response on using AI to generate resume content. So enjoy!
Keep Your Mind HUNGRY - Interview With Alex Zajac
Fuel that brain with interesting topics to stay on top of! And that's exactly what Alex Zajac does with his approach for Hungry Minds!
I had the pleasure to sit down with Alex and hear his story about how he found an interest for coding. He was able to take that interest and transform it into starting his career at Amazon with some of his close friends.
Not only that!
Alex is a successful content creator focusing on software engineering and artificial intelligence! He's been doing an awesome job with his newsletter, Hungry Minds, so make sure you check it out!
Thanks for the talk, Alex!
Does This Data Engineer's Resume Have What It Takes？
While it's not a software engineering resume, there are some GREAT focus areas on this data engineer's resume!
What stands out? What can be improved?
Let's check it out together!
From Spanish Teacher to GREAT Software Engineer - Interview With David Weiss
Spanish teacher?! Yeah, my guest today is a career-switcher coming over to software engineering from being a Spanish teacher!
David Weiss is an awesome guy to know with a great story about making a career switch into software development. I thoroughly enjoy his software engineering content online, and it was great to chat with him about how content creation helps him have a bigger impact in the developer space.
Thanks SO much for the chat, David!
Data Driven Approach to Software Engineering - Interview With John Vandivier
Yeah, you read it right on the thumbnail. A freakin' PhD! I was fortunate to sit down with John Vandivier of Ladderly.io to talk about his approach to helping guide software engineers to employment.
This conversation was awesome because you're going to hear some cool perspectives from John (many of which I strongly align with) but... He can back them up with data. That's what makes this so awesome -- it's not just a \"Source - Trust me, bro\".
Thanks for the awesome chat, John!
NAILED IT! What Makes This Software Engineer's Resume Stand Out？
This resume is SOLID -- great work by this software developer! But what makes it so good, and what can you learn from it to apply to your own?
Let's see what they did well and if there's still any room for improvements!
Up Level Your Software Engineering Mindset! - Interview With Richard Donovan
In this video, I was joined by Richard Donovan who shared his interesting career journey and transition to focusing on mindset! One of the key takeaways that I had from this discussion was that it takes a level of self-awareness and reflection to realize that shifting your mindset can drive positive change.
Rich shares some of his ups and downs in his career, the different changes he pursued, and the realization that he had to change things about himself in order to grow. Turns out, having the right mindset and focus on mindset allowed him to do just that.
Thanks for the awesome chat, Rich!
Success From Software Engineering Failures - Interview With Alex Lau
In this video, I got to sit down with Alex Lau to discuss his book, his almost-accidental success in public speaking, and how he continues to grow from his failures in software engineering.
On failures, most people shy away from them. We keep them secret. Failing is bad. Except... failing is one of the very best ways that we can learn and improve -- and Alex has set out to help others know that they can learn from failures.
And on public speaking -- you know I always say how important communication is in software engineering! Let Alex also remind you!
Thanks for the chat, Alex!
It's An 🛸Alien Invasion🛸 In Blazor! - Interview With Mohamad Dbouk
Don't worry though -- the aliens won't hurt you. I confirmed this with Mohamad Dbouk when we sat down to discuss his journey in software engineering and he surprised me with an awesome little demo of a Blazor game!
Not only was this the very first show-and-tell code we got to see from a guest on the channel, but Mohamad had other very insightful things to share.
One of my biggest takeaways?
You can have an amazing and fulfilling career without having to chase down higher and higher levels. In fact, by being honest with yourself about where your passion is and how skilled you feel you are, you can have an excellent trajectory AND have a very rewarding career.
Thank you so much for the chat, Mohamad!
Remote Work And Being A Better Dev - Interview With Eric Roby
There's one thing for sure that I know about Eric Roby.
This guy knows how to do remote work.
He also:
Understands how to navigate customer interactions
Knows the benefits of soft skills for developers
Has success with digital courses
Is an awesome content creator
Has my next haircut
Eric was an absolute pleasure to talk to in this interview, and I'm sure you'll learn a lot from his experiences. Many engineers go most if not all of their careers without ever having to directly interact with customers.
It's a shame.
You can hear first-hand from Eric what these experiences are like along with all of his great advice!
Does This Azure Developer Have What It Takes?!
This senior software engineer has loads of experience building in the Azure tech stack -- but do they have what it takes?!
Let's review what makes this resume stand out, the opportunities for improvement, and how they might apply to YOUR resume!
If we only code 20% of the time, how do we get better?
An interesting question from the comments! Let's discuss how time is spent in software engineering and how we can work on our craft.
Becoming The Interview Champion - Interview With Dynamic Singh
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Bhupinder Singh, popularly known as Dynamic Singh, to discuss his journey in turning his interview problems... into one of his greatest strengths!
In our conversation, we discussed that it's not just about copying some steps and hoping you land the job -- truly, you need to become the person that you're aspiring to be.
And guess what that means?
You have to put in the time, and the effort, and the practice to become someone who is great at interviewing. It's all a mindset shift!
What Is The Best Way To Get Up To Speed On A New Project As A Senior Developer?
A great question from the comments! Let's discuss how to approach getting up to speed on a new project or a new team as a senior software engineer.
Your Career Will Mean NOTHING Without This - Interview With William Ray
I had the pleasure to sit down with William Ray and hear about his career journey so far.
It's not what you'd expect.
And that's what makes it so great to hear about -- because there are so many different avenues to getting into software engineering.
Will shares with us his struggles before finding success in healthcare and how that was something that eventually wasn't aligned with his passion. The result is that he needed to pivot and stumbling upon coding is what changed his life once again.
Thanks for the conversation, Will!
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