Over the abyss in IT

2024 draws us a cruel curve with the volume of candidates in IT. But we have smoothed it out a little and will try to figure out – who, what, where, where? The purpose of the analysis was to find out in which of the five directions (iOS, Android, Frontend, QA, Backend) the least competition and the greatest chances for Junior developers to successfully start their careers.

First of all, a disclaimer – “We do not disclose the candidates' data, we do not seek to offend anyone, and, even more so, we do not intend to give false hope to the Junior specialists who responded for the sake of this publication. On the contrary, we selectively conducted more than 20 interviews with junior specialists, assessed their knowledge, helped improve the quality of their resumes and cover letters. Some of the juniors are already getting their first commercial experience.”

In IT and get out…

You can endlessly watch three things: how fire burns, how water flows, and how bloggers on YouTube try to answer the same question every year – 'How to enter IT (insert the current year)?'. But we decided to approach this from a different angle, why don't you make a choice yourself – is it worth entering IT at all, to what extent are they waiting for you here and what to choose in favor of, so as not to make a mistake?

Those who want to enter IT need to understand that this is not just a door that can be easily opened. Now these are the doors of a popular establishment, to which a crowd has lined up and everyone is trying to get past the evil facer. The competition is huge, and even entry-level positions are claimed by people with experience. Therefore, if you decide to go this way, it is important not only to study, but to actively stand out: upgrade software, improve your resume, build up networking and be ready for even the most difficult questions at a higher level. This is a difficult path, but if you are serious, there is always a chance.

To help you understand where these chances are higher, we decided to conduct an analysis. We chose the areas that usually generate the greatest interest among beginner developers: iOS, Android, Frontend, QA and Backend. We posted vacancies on XEHE to study the dynamics of responses, conduct several screenings, and help some at the initial stage.

Frontend (859 responses) and QA (508 responses)

Posting jobs for Frontend and QA seemed like a shot in the knee at first, but there are no impossible tasks — unless it's the traveling salesman problem. Some HRs from our circle complain about both positions due to the unimaginably large number of candidates, poor quality profiles, lack of cover letters and soft skills.

But let's move directly to the statistics:

Frontend

• Total number of resumes on XEHE – 37006

• There are approximately 1 vacancy per 28 resume

• Quality Cover Letters – 52

• Poor quality cover letters – 314

• Accompanying documents that meet our requirements – 24

• Candidates with higher education – 301

• Average fork based on accompanying – 28000₽

QA

• Total number of resumes on XEHE – 37288

• There are approximately 1 vacancy per 19 resume

• Quality Cover Letters – 41

• Poor quality cover letters – 163

• Accompanying documents that meet our requirements – 27

• Candidates with higher education – 184

• Average fork based on accompanying – 34000₽

During the Frontend and QA interviews, candidates coped well with technical and practical tasks, had no problem engaging in dialogue, and demonstrated excellent soft skills.

A little bit about mobile development:

iOS (260 responses) and Android (342 responses)

Competition and the entry threshold into mobile development are growing, and interviews for Junior developers are now increasingly asking technical questions that the default newbie has not yet encountered. Companies are increasingly implementing live coding to test the level of knowledge of candidates, and sometimes an important factor is the presence of published projects in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Catch the statistics:

iOS

• Total number of resumes on XEHE – 9091

• There are approximately 1 vacancy per 31 resume

• Quality Cover Letters – 37

• Poor quality cover letters – 83

• Accompanying documents that meet our requirements – 13

• Candidates with higher education – 158

• Average fork based on accompanying – 58000₽

Android

• Total number of resumes on XEHE – 18556

• There are approximately 1 vacancy per 47 resume

• Quality Cover Letters – 49

• Poor quality cover letters – 93

• Accompanying documents that meet our requirements – 19

• Candidates with higher education – 151

• Average fork based on accompanying – 55000₽

Interestingly, when interviewing mobile developers, we noticed that candidates were good at answering technical questions. However, when it came to practical tasks and working with code, their level of knowledge dropped off sharply.

And for dessert:

Backend (251 responses)

This is still one of the areas with the highest entry barriers, where not everyone will dare to enter without serious preparation. The demand for specialists is huge, and it only grows every year. There will always be work, because interfaces are becoming more complex, and architectures are becoming more large-scale. Every new technology or trend, be it microservices, cloud computing or AI, requires new solutions from the Backend, which means the need for qualified developers will never fade.

From words to statistics:

• Total number of resumes on XEHE – 27860

• There are approximately 1 vacancy per 8 resume

• Quality Cover Letters – 29

• Poor quality cover letters – 54

• Accompanying documents that meet our requirements – 20

• Candidates with higher education – 118

• Average fork based on accompanying – 83000₽

During interviews, candidates behaved confidently in the technical and practical parts. In terms of soft skills, there was a slight tension, candidates rarely entered into open dialogues and tried to finish the interview.

6 years experience == Junior?

First of all, we noticed how many candidates with existing commercial experience or place of work respond to Junior positions and we clearly indicated this in the title, in the description and set “No experience” as the required experience. Until now, such a move was not clear, and we tried to collect feedback from the candidates themselves.

This is what came out of it:

I didn’t see it, I responded to almost everything.

I was counting on you having a vacancy for a higher position. I was throwing out a fishing rod for the future, maybe you'll need me.

I consider it as a second job, remotely.

And what was especially striking was that almost all the developers with experience who responded to Junior positions, the cover letters indicated salary expectations of 200 thousand rubles and higher. This was clearly outside the normal framework for entry-level specialists. A logical question arises: “You see what position you are responding to – Where do such expectations come from?”

Of course, there are filters that allow you to sort out candidates with experience, but some juniors still indicate their previous experience, even if it is not related to IT. They do this more out of ignorance than with the goal of increasing their visibility in the search. On the other hand, those who already have real commercial experience also respond to Junior positions, thereby trying to compete with newcomers.

The question arises: who should we make claims against? To juniors who indicate their past experience without understanding its impact on sorting, or to more experienced candidates who are striving to take Junior positions? This is a question that is difficult to answer unequivocally, and naturally, it is not so easy to get rid of such “marriage” in the selection process.

Cover letters

Many people still underestimate the importance of cover letters, but for HR, it is a key indicator of your effectiveness. If you spend a little time writing them, learn how to do it right, and put at least a little effort into the letter, this can significantly increase your chances. A correctly written cover letter not only helps in sorting candidates, but also eliminates the risk that your response will simply be ignored. Yes, this may seem illogical, but we ourselves faced the problem of misunderstanding on the part of some candidates. It would seem, why would an ML engineer respond to a QA position? Or what are the motives of a candidate with 5+ years of experience to go for a Junior position?

Some might think, “Okay, I'll just generate the text via GPT and it'll be done.” But such letters are usually easy to recognize, they are bulky and unreadable. If the candidate himself won't read it, then why should HR do it? They certainly won't frame such a letter as an example of the ideal and enthusiastically offer you an offer.

Conclusion

Where is the competition higher?

• Frontend: Leads in the number of responses and resumes, but at the same time the competition here is the toughest. There are about 28 resumes per vacancy, which makes the task difficult for beginners. High-quality cover letters and confident soft skills can significantly increase your chances.

• QA: The situation is a little better in this area. Although the competition is also high (approximately 19 resumes per vacancy), candidates demonstrate good knowledge of theory and soft skills. However, it is worth working hard on technical skills and the quality of cover letters.

• Backend: One of the most difficult areas, but also one of the most promising. There are about 8 resumes per vacancy. This area requires more serious preparation, and candidates who are confident in their technical and practical knowledge have a good chance of success.

• iOS and Android: Competition in mobile development is also high, especially on Android, where there are up to 47 resumes per vacancy. But if you are confident in your technical skills and are willing to improve your practical skills, this path may be for you. Pay special attention to the presence of published pet projects and working with code during interviews.

What to look for?

1. Cover letters: Underestimating their importance is one of the most common mistakes. A carefully composed cover letter is your chance to stand out. Keep in mind that it is the letter that can become the decisive factor for HR when selecting candidates.

2. Soft skills: Regardless of the direction, many candidates experience difficulties in this area. Working on communication, teamwork, and readiness for open dialogue are important aspects that can prove decisive.

3. Technical skills and practical tasks: Knowledge is good, but practice is more important. Be prepared for the fact that during interviews you will be asked not only to talk about your skills, but also to show them in action. Pay attention to live coding and working with real projects.

Summary

Some on YouTube will continue to bait juniors with takes, saying that “the bubble has burst”, “you have no business here”, “they don't want you here” and will try to convince them to go into IT in every possible way. But there is always a chance, as Nietzsche said: “If you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will begin to gaze into you”.

We wish everyone not to give up and go to the end.

Of course, we understand that there are other important specialties, such as Data Science, Cross-platform, PM, UX/UI designers, GameDev, etc. However, in this article, we focused on the most voluminous and discussed areas among those who are just getting acquainted with the industry. A little later, we will try to discuss the other areas.

This article does not contain all the data that we managed to collect! With more detailed dashboards and posted vacancies you can see it in our TG channelIn the future, dashboards will be updated and vacancies will be added.