Application development is currently a multi-billion dollar global industry. Apple, for example, is estimated to have earned about $3.2 billion in app revenue from its app store content alone. Finding new applications and writing software is one of the few industries that is currently working at full capacity. Microsoft is racing to fill its app store with products.
Given this virtual gold rush, it is to be expected that app developers will be interested in finding and hiring bright young software engineers. Even more surprising is to find in a LinkedIn group dedicated to Windows Phone development a chorus of complaints from talented developers about their inability to find work.
Thomas Mullen is an experienced Windows Phone and Windows 8 app developer who has started his own software business in Los Angeles. Despite his own success, Mullen publicly asked, “How many Windows Phone developers have put apps on the market, but continue to get turned down for jobs?”
‘When I wrote the question,’ Thomas says, ‘I wanted to know if other people were getting the same answers from employers as I was. I wanted to know if any companies were listening and could give their opinion on whether I should focus my efforts on building my portfolio or just meet as many people as I can and maybe someone can recommend me for the job. In this “WorkNumber” era, 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 show I make highlighting a specific aspect of Windows Phone or a technology.’
Thomas’s question elicited a number 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 a WP contract job, you are expected to have at least one app in the Store. Most of my WP work has been done as a freelancer. My last contract involved some WP prototyping, but nothing that went into production.’
‘Today’s WP market reminds me of ASP development in the 90’s. Many of the people involved are creative and looking for someone to do the technical work. My interviews have been weird, like low-level, obscure technical questions that really have nothing to do with phone development. Which makes me think the approach is “We’ll ask the hardest questions we can find…that will do it.” Which does not guarantee that you are a good phone developer.
Interestingly, many of the respondents have developed more than one Windows Phone app, but on their own time and out of love for it rather than under contract. Jeremiah Medina is a mobile developer in Denver. He says: ‘The problem in my neck of the woods is a lack of roles that need WP skills. WP is something I do in my spare time and really enjoy. My day to day is a mobile web developer so in terms of finding work no problem, but I would love to work on WP full time. I have three apps in the market and planning a fourth so that a lack of roles that need WP skills doesn’t stop 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 that is pretentious enough to require a college degree before even talking to me is a company I wouldn’t want to work for anyway.’
What does Thomas Mullen do with the answers to his question?
‘When it comes down to it,’ he says, ‘what does it take to break into this market? They all ask what version control system you used or basic C++ questions that haven’t been used on Windows Phone. It’s almost like they have no idea about people who haven’t worked on big projects or know the platform they’re interviewing a candidate for.’
“I understand that many companies have existing products on iOS and Android and want people who can read code and quickly translate code into another language. But when you’re 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 skills.
‘Employers, from what I’ve experienced, aren’t looking for a title, qualifications or even what you’ve achieved on your own. From what I have been asked in interviews, I can tell you that people are looking for “what they have learned from other companies that they 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 look for in the interview.’
