The continuing shift in demand toward senior developers, combined with the rise in new bootcamp and university grads, has created a challenging job market for entry-level developers.

In fact, the demand for engineers with zero to four years’ experience dropped to 8 percent in 2023, offset by a bigger demand for engineers with six or more years’ experience, according to Hired’s 2023 State of Software Engineers report.

With fewer jobs to go around, entry-level developers need to focus on separating themselves from others with similar skills and experience, both during the hiring process and when they ultimately land a new position.

What do high potential developers do differently? Here are some ways to stand out and excel in what has become a tougher, more competitive marketplace for entry-level talent.

Balance Self-Sufficiency with Realizing When to Ask for Help

The first thing that shows high potential in a junior developer is how they approach a task or problem they’ve never seen before, explained Dave Anderson, former Amazon GM and tech director, now author of the Scarlet Ink Newsletter.

When you’re stumped, what’s important is to show your commitment to figuring it out. “The best junior developers don’t want to be spoon fed,” Anderson noted. They are driven toward improving themselves and take the initiative to learn on their own or from senior team members.

Having said that, however, you don’t want to spend two weeks working on a task that should take two hours or that can be resolved with a simple solution from a senior team member.

The attitude you want to project, either in an interview or on the job, is: “I may not know that now, but I will soon.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Dumb Questions

Many new developers struggle to ask questions or keep to themselves for fear that they may seem weak or unknowledgeable. But the junior developers who are viewed as “good hires” aren’t afraid to speak up in meetings or seek advice from senior team members.

There are plenty of resources out there to help—you just need to tap into them. Therefore, knowing how to ask for help professionally is a differentiator.

If you ask for help from a senior team member, explain everything you’ve done to find the solution to a problem, then ask for advice or if they can point you in the right direction.

Keep Your Boss in the Loop

Never surprise the boss, particularly on important tasks that could impact the project's timeline, budget, or performance. If they don’t hear from you, they assume that you have things under control.

Instill confidence in your boss and team members by providing proactive updates on the status of the tasks that have been assigned to you.

Understand Your Customers and Their Needs

Understanding the customer's needs makes a huge difference, noted Gregory Witek, engineering manager at Booking.com and tech career coach.

Many junior-level developers want to learn as many technologies as possible and they ignore everything else. Showing interest in the problems that the company solves goes a long way toward separating yourself and will help you grow as an engineer.

Get Useful Experience

Along those same lines, acquiring relevant, meaningful work experience is the best way to stand out in the hiring process and get off to a fast start in a new role.

“Don’t just iterate on meaningless side projects to put on your resume, because that won’t move the needle,” advised Erik Andersen, software engineer and content creator.

Witek agrees: “I’ve seen ‘a movie recommendation app’ in so many resumes that I rarely even look at them anymore, they’re all the same.”

Get experience that matters by executing a complete project for a small business and delivering a solution that solves a real problem. If possible, try to work as part of a team by partnering with an entrepreneur. Having a small portfolio of projects that are documented, tested and that actually have users is better than having the same, limited experience as everyone else.

Stretch Yourself

Most developers eventually specialize in one or two areas, but before you head down that road, you need to have a basic understanding of other domains. To that end, don’t be afraid to take on challenges that are completely unfamiliar to you; just make sure your manager knows you’ll need help with it.

Also, interacting with people outside of the tech department can help you understand how the business works and what the company’s products should look like in the future.

People often focus on where they are now and what they are doing at the moment, Witek noted. But broadening your perspective and understanding ways that the company can use technology to achieve its goals can help you evolve and even participate in helping to set the company’s technical direction. Remember, a great developer is inherently a problem-solver, a technical visionary who can create digital solutions. The sooner you acquire those abilities, the more you will stand out.

Be Congenial

Have you ever wondered why managers sometimes retain average performers and let the higher performers go when they need to cut headcount?

Very few junior developers are fired because of their technical skills; they assume you can learn those, Anderson said. They’re fired because they have personality issues or because they don’t have a good relationship with others or because they don’t follow up with their boss and teammates.

Sometimes being likeable and easy to work with beats being better.