How To Get Hired as an iOS Developer

As we quickly approach that time of year when students look more heavily towards internships and seek to start their careers, I decided to do a little research. The idea was sparked by an article by Mugunth Kumar in which he discouraged companies from hiring an iOS developer based upon their portfolio. Kumar had a solid reason, in that looking at a portfolio tells you nothing about the behind-the-scenes capabilities of a developer when it comes to producing actual code. However, his alternative suggestion to companies of viewing open source contribution received a lot of flack from his readers as well. So how does a developer prepare to get a job?

Zoom In

Pick one area of development that interests you, and learn everything you can about that one area and how it integrates into the larger functionality of an application. Employers look for someone that knows their trade inside and out, so cater to that search by becoming an expert in...databases. Or security. Or game development (this is a beast of an entirely different color). This could even be a specific market, such as finance or productivity. Whatever subject you choose, get intimate with the specifics. 

Zoom Out

Once you have picked an area, put yourself out there to be found. Get LinkedIn, Plaxo, Twitter, Facebook, Ecademy, etc. accounts, and build your profile. But do more than just build your profile. Like good code, your profile should be maintained. Information should be kept relevant and up-to-date. Another fantastic way to demo your expertise is to create a technical blog. Regular updates will show your potential employers your ability to stick with a project while also showing off your passion and knowledge.

Publish
Ryan of Rooster Soft Studios suggests "...the best thing to show is at least one published and non-trivial app." Not only should you be able to show a completed project, it is absolutely pertinent you know your code. You should not be so reliant upon open source that you do not understand why your code does what it does. If you can, however, contribute to open source, as suggested by Kumar, this further demonstrates your in-depth knowledge.

Network
While an app written by a single developer is a good start, it is also a good idea to show collaborative work. There are two areas in which collaboration can be shown:

• Other Developers: In working on a large project, you often have to work with other developers. This is a special way to demo that area of expertise you have been preparing. 
• Graphic Designers: When you demo that app you have been working on so diligently, keep in-mind "You can never make a second first impression." You have made your code streamlined and commented, why would you not want graphics that look just as amazing!?

Unzip
When in doubt, show some skin. Works every time! ;)

I hope this helps you plan a path to employment! And to learn more about Scott Gruby's recommendations to employers for selecting a developer, visit this post.