When you are looking for new talent for your open programmer position, a quality job description will help you attract top-level candidates. You will want to be clear about what you expect from your new hires as well as what they can expect from you. Use this Programmer – Entry Level job description sample as a reference.
Programmer – Entry Level Job Summary
As an entry-level programmer, you will be responsible for translating program specifications into actionable computer code. You will further implement the code and resulting software into our client’s computer systems. Additionally, you will be responsible for unit testing and may be asked to help train clients in their customized programs.
Programmer – Entry Level Responsibilities and Duties
- Study program specifications to gain deeper understanding of performance expectations and coding requirements.
- Collaborate with Senior Programmers to plan for coding and overall program development.
- Research solutions to coding and performance issues.
- Regularly update project manger on progress and time estimations to ensure smooth daily operations and accurate planning.
- Translate program performance expectations documents into logical programming sequence and ultimately, into code.
- Perform trial runs in later coding stages and modify any existing and potential issues.
- Document control language for advanced troubleshooting reference documents.
- Advance professional development through active participation in industry organizations, reading programming publications and pursuing educational opportunities.
Qualifications and Skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in Compute Programming
- Less than 2 years of experience
- High attention to detail
- Persistent and positive attitude
- Full understanding of software fundamentals
- Creative problem solver
- Proficient with C
Company Profile
At Pop Apps Incorporated, we have a reputation for creating quality, viral applications for nearly every industry. We’ve developed a mobile application for nearly every niche and we specialize in shopping and gaming applications. When you walk aboard Pop Apps, you’ll meet a 10-year legacy of responsive app development. In the technological world, we’ve truly seen a millennium. Remember, when Facebook Tetris was your driving force for getting up in the morning? Yeah, we’ve been here through it all and the key to our survival is an adaptive team unafraid of excellence through change.
Our company started as three nerdy cousins trying to monetize their favorite hobby. Now, we have a team of designers, scriptwriters and programmers who are paid to keep up with pop culture and niche market trends alike. We are so adaptable not (just) because of our collective knowledge of random, useless facts but because each member of our team can do their specialization better than our competitors.
We have award winning writers and successful comic book artists just as completely off-the-cuff examples. Now, we are looking for talented programmers with the ability to grow into industry leaders. If you’re a tenacious and creative problem solver with a meticulous nature, we’ll be happy to have you aboard. If you haven’t won any cool awards yet, don’t worry. Your first app might just go viral. Apply below.
Best Practices for Writing a Job Description
- As you tailor the above guideline to match your needs, follow these best practices:
- Talk to your entry-level programmers. Ask them about their average day and why they might suggest for others to apply. If you are writing a job description for a job you’ve never had, talking with your staff will help you get insight into what to include in your description.
- Stay under 700 words. You want to keep your job description short and to the point. With 700 words, you’ll have plenty of space to have fun and show off your company culture while giving thorough detail. Any longer and you’ll run the risk of loosing your readers attention.
- Think like your ideal hire. What does that programmer want to hear? Try to think beyond benefits. Why do you enjoy working for your company? How would you pitch this position to a programmer you know?
- Skip menial tasks. Undoubtedly, programming requires tediously scanning lines of code to understand why something isn’t working, quickly followed with many attempts to solve the issue before arriving at the solution. However, you don’t need to write that. Talk about how you serve Kool-Aid on Fridays.
- Talk about value. Professionals want to feel their work is valued and they are contributing to a larger purpose. Focus on highlighting that element in your job description.
Entry Level Programmer Job Responsibilities
The responsibilities section of the job description should give potential candidates a comprehensive understanding of the duties they will perform if employed. Taking the time to make this section the longest and most detailed portion of an entry level programmer job description can help make sure only qualified professionals apply, possibly saving you the time and energy of having to sift through superfluous applications.
Specific formatting tips to follow when crafting entry level programmer job responsibilities include using bullet points to make it easy-to-read, starting each bullet with a compelling action verb and adding a wide-ranging variety of duties. Don’t try to include more than eight points, however; you want to keep an entry level programmer job description an acceptable length to impress candidates, not scare them away.
The following are some examples of job responsibilities
- Design, build and test functional applications to meet business needs
- Enhance existing applications by providing input during restructuring meetings
- Utilize strong communication and time management skills to complete tasks before deadline
- Apply programming principles of C#, JavaScript, ASP and SQL languages
- Work with minimal supervision to independently complete tasks
- Identify and rectify errors in coding quickly, showing initiative and a proactive approach
Entry Level Programmer Job Specifications
While it may seem like outlining the skills and qualifications needed for a job is stating the obvious, many candidates need to know the minimum requirements for a position, even if only to determine they shouldn’t apply. An entry level programmer job description should contain a brief yet detailed list of necessary education, technical skills and personality traits a candidate should possess.
To make sure your entry level programmer job description attracts an impressive pool of candidates, don’t make concessions when listing traits. For example, while you may think you’re being generous by stating you prefer applicants with bachelor’s degree but having one isn’t necessary, this might result in you sifting through too many deadbeat applicants. It might be you prefer to play hardball, and listing a requirement of several years in the field is the more appropriate move to make.
There are many common entry level programmer job specifications used in this industry. These examples might prove to be useful:
Strong written and verbal communication skills Ability to work independently and within a team Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field At least one year of experience in several programming languages, including SQL and JavaScript Ability to problem solve well under pressure and brainstorm with colleagues