12 Must-Dos to Land Your First Web Developer Job in [2024]

Are you looking to launch a career as a web developer in 2024? With more businesses relying on websites and web apps, demand for developers continues rising. And that means potentially lucrative opportunities for aspiring coders.

But how do you go from beginner to employed web dev? This comprehensive guide covers 12 key steps to prepare for junior web developer jobs.

Discover what skills employers want, build an impressive portfolio, and land interviews. Let's dive in!

Craft an Eye-Catching Developer Portfolio

Your portfolio showcases your abilities better than any resume. It's likely the first thing potential employers will review. So you'll want to invest serious time into building a stellar site.

Code a Custom Portfolio Website

Use your web dev skills to create a personal portfolio site from scratch. HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript give you the tools to craft a custom, professional site highlighting your brand.

Structure content with HTML5 semantic markup. Style pages with CSS for visual appeal. And add interactivity with JavaScript.

This proves to employers you can code a functional, good-looking website.

Showcase Your Best Projects

Include 3-5 solid web development projects in your portfolio. These should demonstrate proficiency with key languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery.

For instance, you might feature:

• A responsive landing page
• An interactive web app
• Improved UI/UX for an existing site

Having multiple quality projects exhibits your range as a developer. It also gives concrete samples of your work.

Display Client and Freelance Work

Any web development work for actual companies or clients is prime portfolio material. Real-world experience, even volunteering, carries weight with tech recruiters.

Did you overhaul a local business's site? Or perhaps you built a web app for a nonprofit. Display this work prominently in your portfolio.

Links to live sites illustrate your ability to solve problems for organizations with web technologies.

Gain Hands-On Coding Experience

While your portfolio reveals your development skills, companies still want to see you actively using them. Here are three impactful ways to build more coding experience outside of portfolio projects.

Contribute to Open Source Software

Open source software has publicly viewable code anyone can improve. There are over 2,100 open source GitHub projects with 291,000 contributors.

Making contributions—even small ones—displays coding ability and collaboration skills. All attractive to recruiters.

You might fix software bugs, improve documentation, or add a new feature. Start small by tackling beginner-friendly issues to build confidence.

Just making one meaningful contribution gives you tangible experience to talk about during job interviews.

Participate in Hackathons

Hackathons are invention marathons where developers collaborate intensively over days to build projects. They're exciting ways to test your skills and meet other coders.

At a hackathon, you'll work alongside experienced developers, using various tools to rapidly create web apps. This shows you can code quality products in short time frames.

Many sponsors recruit talent directly from hackathons too. So participating raises both your skills and visibility to potential employers.

Do Freelance Web Development Gigs

Paid freelance web development work truly prepares you for employment. You get real-world experience, earn income, and can secure client testimonials.

Even basic projects for local companies, like improving website navigation or designing email newsletters, are great portfolio additions.

Start small while building confidence and your client roster. Over time raise rates and graduate to larger web development projects.

This freelance work directly exhibits ability to handle web projects for businesses. And it generates professional references to include with job applications.

Expand Your Network to Unlock Opportunities

Web development is an interconnected community. Networking introduces you to key players who can aid your career. But first you need to plug into the community both locally and online.

Get Involved Locally

See if your city has web developer meetup groups. These regularly bring together programmers to learn new skills and technologies.

Consistently participating expands your local network while revealing real web developers' tools and priorities. You'll gain insider knowledge of employer needs even before applying.

And when sharing your job search aims, group members may connect you with companies they know are hiring.

Build Your Online Presence

Beyond in-person meetings, actively engage in digital forums like Stack Overflow and the WordPress.org plugin forums.

Help answer questions related to web dev topics you know. Comment on relevant Twitter threads and LinkedIn posts too. This positions you as knowledgeable and gets your (future) name circulating.

As your involvement grows, more opportunities—like beta testing gigs, code reviews, or job openings—may come your way.

Master New Skills & Tools for Junior Web Developer Roles

While HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery open doors, the web dev landscape changes quickly. Employers seek candidates proficient in the latest and greatest tools.

Fortune favors the self-directed learner here. Consume web development news and tutorials constantly upskill outside of work.

Below we cover specific lucrative skills for aspiring developers to pick up.

Dive Into Sought-After JavaScript Frameworks

JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue are very popular now. Master one framework to tap into in-demand jobs.

React currently has the most market share. Its declarative programming paradigm also promotes code reusability across projects. Consider starting there.

But check job postings in your area for other frameworks employers request. Expand into another once comfortable with React.

Learn WordPress Development

Knowing WordPress—used by over 41% of all websites—makes you an asset for web agencies and companies with sites.

Study how to build custom WordPress themes and plugins. Then create your own portfolio theme and plugins to exhibit these skills.

Having WordPress development abilities combined with broader web dev skills expands your job eligibility into more specialty roles.

Explore Ruby on Rails

The Ruby on Rails (or Rails) framework produces high-quality web apps quickly. Startups love Rails for fast prototyping and testing product ideas.

Walk through online Rails tutorials covering topics like:

• Ruby programming basics
• MVC architecture
• Active Record and migrations
• REST APIs
• Authentication

With market demand rising for people who can build MVPs, Rails skills accentuate your employability, especially with startups aiming to scale.

Actively Prepare for Job Applications

When ready to start applying for junior developer roles, ensure your application materials make you stand out amongst competition.

Optimize Your Resume for Applicant Tracking Systems

Leverage resume templates tailored for software developers to correctly structure your experience for resume-scanning software.

Include targeted keywords from each job's description in your resume to get flagged as a potential match. But avoid keyword stuffing that feels unnatural.

Highlight all technical abilities, software contributions, and coding projects you've worked on. Quantify achievements with numbers and data to demonstrate value.

Systematically Search Online Developer Job Boards

While networking can surface unlisted opportunities, you should still monitor open job postings.

Set up search alerts on major tech job boards using variants of "junior web developer" or "entry level frontend developer".

Bookmark promising listings to apply. Analyze each carefully to ascertain required qualifications before submitting an application.

Pro tip: Bluehost, WP Engine, and InVision all have remote entry-level web developer roles perfect for career switchers.

Prepare to Stand Out During Interviews

Finally, prep to ace developer job interviews by practicing questions and exercises.

Common prompts assess technical knowledge, problem decomposition abilities, communication clarity, and task prioritization.

Recruiters may also ask you to analyze real code samples and improve them during the interview.

Study up on algorithms, data structures, and design patterns which companies test during code challenges too.

The more interviews you practice, the faster you improve. So attend them even if you don't feel 100% ready yet.

Keep Learning to Get Hired Faster

Remember too that often getting a developer job requires patience and perseverance. You likely won't land interviews—let alone job offers—for every application.

But use rejections as fuel to keep honing your skills and portfolio.

Stay persistent and focused. With consistent effort, you'll get that career-changing call sooner than you think!

Junior Web Developer Salary Expectations

Wondering what junior web developer pay looks like? According to Indeed, the average entry-level front end developer salary is $63,890 per year. Those with over 3 years of experience then earn $104,670 annually on average.

Beyond base pay, many companies offer stocks, bonuses, medical insurance, paid time off, retirement plans, gym memberships, and more.

So junior developer salaries set you up well financially while opening doors to higher lifetime earnings down the road.

Conclusion

Launching a web development career brings ripe opportunities today. But you must stand out from the applicant pool with proven skills and work samples.

This 12-step guide outlined key areas to focus time preparing for junior web developer roles.

Polish your resume, grow your network, master essential tools, and continuously improve through self-initiated projects.

By investing consistent effort over time, you can develop exactly the abilities employers desire in web developers. So arm yourself with patience and get learning!

Excited about making an impact through code? Take our quick career quiz to discover which tech careers best fit your strengths and interests!