I was basically inspired by my own self-reflection about something that’s been dominating my thoughts lately. See, I have been actively applying for jobs related to being a “Senior Frontend Developer”. According to the recent trends of the industry, it appears that many hirers are now looking for professionals with knowledge/experience in ReactJS. It’s basically a JavaScript framework that can be used for coding the frontend UI of web applications/websites.
In all of my applications so far, I have been very transparent and honest about the fact that I didn’t have any working experience with React. In fact, it wasn’t until during the early months of the pandemic that I started to pick up on ReactJS and to learn a new skill (on top of all of the frontend dev skills I’ve acquired in the years prior).
So far, my applications haven’t yield the results that I have been hoping for yet. But I didn’t want to let that tempt me, or influence me into lying about my working experience on my job application. Sticking to my personal vow to remain authentic (both in-person and online), I want to continue being honest about myself. It’s far better to set the right expectations going into a job than to start it off on a lie.
The old me certainly wouldn’t have done this. I used to lie on my applications quite a bit. Nothing too big, just small enough to pass off as “real”. But I must admit, I always knew I was lying and it never felt good. I hated that I had to lie in order to get a job.
You see, I’ve been a generalist for most of my tech career. And by being a generalist, it tends to be rather unfavorable to a lot of hirers. The only time I ever felt like I belonged, and didn’t need to lie about who I am, was when I landed my first dream job at Progress as a Senior Pre-sales Engineer + Telerik Evangelist.
So in recent years, after becoming more aware of how I used to approach job interviews and applications, I’ve decided that one of those thing I will stop doing is lie about who I am on a job application. Regardless of what happens, I will remain genuine. That way, I know I’ll be able to always live with myself.
Freelancing – that’s how I found working experience for many of the skills and programming languages.
Being an enthusiast and someone who enjoys tinkering and self-learning new things, I’ve taken pride (now a #braggingright) in knowing that I’m one of those folks that have managed to pick up nearly every single modern-day programming languages and frameworks. I might not be an expert at any of them, but over the years, thanks to the working experience and exposure, I have managed to become pretty good at some of them.
So that answers the question that other generalist developers have asked me at some point in the past, “How did you get really good at all the different skills? Your working experience on LinkedIn only shows that you’re focused on .NET (ASP.NET and C#).”
That’s the thing about job resumes and working history isn’t it? It’s just a tiny piece of paper that doesn’t quite tell the whole story about a candidate and what they might be truly capable of. We only see a small side of who they are and what they are capable of. And we (hirers in general) rely on that piece of paper to decide if someone is really suitable for a particular role/opening.
Personally, I do not agree with that way of vetting candidates. I feel that it’s an outdated practice that should be done with in 2022. I mean, we need to learn to look past a person’s job history and educational qualifications and see them for who they truly are and what they can be potentially capable of.
A majority of my skills (those that aren’t apparently clear on my job resume) that I have managed to become really good at, is only possible because I was constantly seeking out freelance gigs so that I can put those self-taught skills into practice. I am constantly looking for opportunities to apply what I have learned. If my day job doesn’t provide me with the opportunity, I’ll look elsewhere.
Sure, I’ve had some successes and failures through the years. Not every single freelance gig that I worked on turned out to be a success. Some went well, some went badly, and some went over-the-top excellent too. But one thing is consistent. Every time I get to practice and apply my skills to solving a potentially real-world problem, I get better at those skills.
I guess one of the best selling points of myself [professionally speaking] is that when I get the chance to apply something I have just learned, it usually only takes me 1-2 years to get to a 80-90% level proficiency. I mean, I could’ve started with 0 working experience, but in 1-2 years, I could become a pro. That’s one of the best aspects of what I am capable as a professional. Something that I am proud of and not afraid to put out there.
Sure, there will always be more to learn. And I love that there is always more to learn. And this is something that I might continue doing into the future. Freelance gigs isn’t something that I consistently take on though. If my history has shown me anything, is that I usually partake in freelancing on a more seasonal basis. I may spend a few months/years freelancing and then after that I could stop for a few years, and the cycle seems to repeat itself. So, you get the picture. I’m not quite sure if I’m in one of those seasons right now…maybe…I’m not quite sure yet. I’ve been having those thoughts though. But my main priority is clear though, my top priority right now is securing a full-time gig. The rest is secondary in my view.
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