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There are a number of coding practice websites that allow users to solve coding challenges.

E.g., Excersim, Codeleet, BeeCrowd, etc.

Suppose, I have profiles on those sites and I provide links in my CV.

If I show the employers that I solved a lot of problems of various kinds and I have a pretty solid reputation on those sites, will the employers be attracted?

If not, How can I get calls for the interview without experience?

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    VTC as opinion based. And my opinion is that no one will even look at it once.
    – Aida Paul
    Commented Jun 19, 2023 at 17:02
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    References >> actual experience >>>>> reading tea leaves. More or less that's it.
    – Aida Paul
    Commented Jun 19, 2023 at 17:14
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    This is offtopic, but if you have no experience but lots of time and want to get into software dev, it was never easier than it is now - simply contribute meaningfully to open source. That's how you gain both reference and experience.
    – Aida Paul
    Commented Jun 19, 2023 at 17:16
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    It's doubtful to me that anyone on the front lines of reviewing candidates would look at those sites and it's even more doubtful to me that they would give them any serious weight and consideration if they did look at them.
    – joeqwerty
    Commented Jun 19, 2023 at 18:04
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    I always find it weird when people suggest that beginners should contribute to open source. Writing open source code is hard. And since the team is doing it for free, they usually don't have time to mentor/handhold beginners. I've never heard of a beginner that successfully contributed to an open source project (via coding).
    – Dimitar Spasovski
    Commented Jun 20, 2023 at 7:44

3 Answers 3

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Coders do a lot more than solve coding problems.

They need to be aware of the industry in which they are working, they need to be aware of the quirks and benefits of the specific technologies being used on their project.

They need to understand how to turn requirements into algorithms and how to test those algorithms, where are the edge-cases etc. And all this while coding within an architecture and code-base that is already in place.

Good team members need to be able to work with their colleagues, day after day, often in high-stress situations and maintain their motivation to get the product delivered.

When I'm reading through CVs, even for the most junior positions, I'm looking for signs that the candidate can develop to a stage where they can do all of the stuff above: can they keep down a job, can they work with other people, can they learn the technologies and industry domain?

My advice is:

  • Focus on the employer's business. Understand that what employers are looking for is someone who can help to ship a product so that they can make a profit.
  • Do something that involves working with other people; team sports, voluntary work etc. or open source projects - Dimitar Spasovski makes a good point about beginners contributing to open source coding projects, but I bet there are lots that are crying out for testers documenation writers etc.
  • Keep on with the coding problems; they will improve your skills.
  • Get a nine-to-five job, any job, to show that you can be relied on to turn up (I'm guessing that your PhD work will make this difficult).
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How can I get calls for the interview without experience?

Apply for jobs that specify "No experience necessary" or at least apply for entry-level jobs.

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    This. Apply for jobs that expect to hire recent graduates and are only looking for the level of experience you actually have. If you think you can do better, convince them if that once you have your foot in the door. Start building the job history.
    – keshlam
    Commented Jun 20, 2023 at 15:03
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This is often a chicken-and-egg scenario for many people new to the employment world.

How much stock a hiring manager will put in coding test sites is such a wild variable that it almost makes this question un-answerable (see the calls for 'too opinion based')

For me, I would consider those coding sites - but I'd put more stock in say whether you had a part-time job.

I care more about your work ethic than your skills and experience - because as an entry level worker (even if you have a degree) as far as I'm concerned, you have none.

Things you can do though, if you can't get an interview - look at places like Fivver (I think) where people submit requests for work, with a dollar value. Now, I've not used it and from what I understand there is a lot of shall we say 'low-balling' - but a completed, delivered coding project for a paying customer is worth 20 times what a code challenge website is worth to me.

Internship at a company - even an unpaid one, "I'm looking for work experience as a Software Dev" - some companies might have some odd-job code projects that they don't have the manpower to deal with at a full Software Dev rate, but a recent graduate could probably tackle. Even better if it is a paid internship with the possibility of a full-time role after completion.

I trust this gives some ideas - essentially, when you have no experience - what I want to know is that you will work hard and have a willingness to learn. Everything else happens with time.

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    @user366312 - because you are a Dime-a-dozen with nothing that demonstrates to an employer that you are worth investing my time and my money into. I've been in your position, despite being as white as they come, in a majority white country. It's not racism. Do you have a part-time job? Do you engage in any volunteer work? Are you doing something that shows me you have a good work ethic and are likely to be a wise investment for my company? If not, then I'll move onto someone who is. This may come across as Harsh, but it's the reality of work.
    – TheDemonLord
    Commented Jun 19, 2023 at 20:09
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    How the hell did racism came into this ?
    – Itération 122442
    Commented Jun 20, 2023 at 6:03
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    @Itération122442 - I suspect that the OP thought that his not getting any call backs was due to his Race - however as per my comment, it can easily be explained by his position, without race being a factor.
    – TheDemonLord
    Commented Jun 20, 2023 at 6:32
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    @user366312 - That's often cited as 'Racism' - my experience is more to do with cultural issues. I'm not justifying it, I'm just saying I dispute it's due to 'race' specifically.
    – TheDemonLord
    Commented Jun 20, 2023 at 9:32
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    Could be coincidence. Could be prejudice. Could be because you aren't making it clear that you are already living in and able to work in the country where the job is. (If you aren't, then you're unlikely to be considered at this skill level.)
    – keshlam
    Commented Jun 20, 2023 at 9:32

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