Application development is a multi-billion dollar global industry today. Apple, for example, is estimated to have made around $ 3.2 billion in app revenue from its app store content alone. Finding new applications and writing the software is one of the few industries currently in full swing. Microsoft is rushing to fill its app store with products.
Given this virtual gold rush, hopefully application developers will be interested in finding and hiring bright young software engineers. It’s even more surprising to find a chorus of complaints from talented developers about their inability to find work in a LinkedIn group dedicated to Windows Phone development.
Thomas Mullen is an experienced Windows Phone and Windows 8 application developer who has started his own software business in Los Angeles. Despite his own success, Mullen publicly asked, “How many Windows Phone developers have published applications on the market, but are still being rejected for positions?”
‘When I wrote the question,’ says Thomas, ‘I wanted to know if other people were getting the same responses from employers as I was. I wanted to know if any companies were listening and could you give feedback on whether I should focus my efforts on developing my portfolio or should I just meet as many people as I can and maybe someone can recommend me for the job. In this era of “WorkNumber”, most companies frown on personal / professional references and will only verify that you worked for a company. So that’s why I’ve built my portfolio around every program I run, highlighting a specific aspect of Windows Phone or a technology. ‘
Thomas’s question prompted a host of responses from the developer community, many of whom agreed with him.
Ron Gramann is a software engineer from the UK. Ron comments: ‘Here in the UK when applying for contract work from WP you are expected to have at least one app in the Store. Most of my WP work has been done independently. My last contract involved some WP prototypes, but nothing that went into production. ‘
“Today’s WP market reminds me of the development of ASP in the 1990s. Many of the people involved are creative and are looking for someone to do the technical work. My interviews have been weird, like obscure low-level technical questions that really have nothing to do with the development of the phone. What makes me think that the focus is “We will ask the hardest questions we can find … that will be enough.” Which does not guarantee that he is a good phone developer. ‘
Interestingly, many of the respondents have developed more than one Windows Phone app, but in their own time and out of love for it rather than by contract. Jeremiah Medina is a mobile device developer in Denver. He says: ‘The problem in my danger zone is the lack of roles that need WP skills. WP is something I do in my spare time and I really enjoy. My day-to-day is a mobile web developer, so in terms of simply finding work there is no problem, but I would love to work in WP full time. I have three apps on the market and I plan on a fourth, so the lack of roles that need WP skills doesn’t deter me from doing what I enjoy and love. ‘
Jason Barkley is a senior software developer in Fort Worth. He echoes Thomas Mullen’s complaint: “I had a situation with a WP7 opportunity where I didn’t even get an interview because I didn’t have a college degree. Of course, my philosophy on this is that any company this pretentious that requires a college degree before even talking to me is a company I wouldn’t enjoy working for anyway. ‘
What does Thomas Mullen think of the answers to your question?
‘When it comes down to it,’ he says, ‘what do you need to get into this market? Everyone asks what version control system you used, or basic C ++ questions that haven’t been used on Windows Phone. It is almost as if they have no idea of the people who have not worked on big projects or know the platform for which they are interviewing a candidate ”.
‘I understand that many companies have existing products on iOS and Android and want people who can read the code and quickly translate it into another language. But when you are hiring for a position that has the primary role of being in C # and WPF, the knowledge of that should be expert and recent, while the knowledge of Android and iOS (C) should be secondary. ‘
‘Employers, from what I have experienced, are not looking for a degree, qualifications or even what you have accomplished on your own. From what they have asked me in interviews, I can tell you that people are looking for “what have they learned from other companies that can contribute to us”. It’s good to look for this as an added bonus in an employee, but it shouldn’t be the main thing you’re looking for in the interview. ‘