Requirements for Java juniors in 2021: what you need to be able to do to get your first job in IT

Java Core, Spring, Hibernate, English: the list of requirements for Java engineers seems to be well known. However, with each passing month, technology changes, and with it, the requirements to enter the world of development. We decided not to analyze the vacancies of companies that are looking for Java developers, but to ask specialists from service and product companies directly: what requirements are being put forward for Junes in 2021 and how much these requirements have changed recently. Let's introduce the experts:

Technologies

What technologies should a Java junior master, besides knowledge of Java EE, to get a job in your company? Why them?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

For a transparent and correct perception, it is worth adding that our future juniors are graduates of EPAM University Programs laboratories. The company does not cooperate with juniors from the labor market. It is very difficult to answer this question unambiguously. The technology stack can vary significantly depending on the project. However, the generally accepted set is Java Core, Spring Framework, Hibernate, SQL, the basics of HTML + CSS + Js, plus fundamental concepts - algorithms and their complexity, sorting and searching algorithms, data structures and the like. Now the EPAM Java community is preparing a unified competency matrix for future juniors, which will include specific topics regarding Java development and a certain level of knowledge and skills of future juniors for each category.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

First of all, I would like to note that WePlay Esports is not yet hiring Java juniors and does not plan to do so in the coming year. However, my answers may be useful for candidates in the future. It is also important to understand that we cannot analyze the market as a whole, because each company puts forward its own unique requirements for candidates and prioritizes exactly those skills that are necessary specifically for its processes. Java juniors must understand what Spring is, understand how to work with SQL databases, know the difference between API, REST API, Restful API. It is clear that no one will expect a high level of proficiency in all of the listed technologies from a junior, simply because a Java junior is a specialist who is just starting his career.

What version of Java does your company use?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

Different versions are used on different projects. A significant factor is the monolithic platforms that are used on a particular project. However, for those who are learning Java, we can recommend LTS (long term support) versions, such as 8 and 11 for study, and for pet projects. But don’t forget to experiment with the “features” of new versions - it’s interesting and useful.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

Java 11.

What projects do you usually look for Java developers for?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

We attract developers to collaborate on enterprise-level projects (ERP).

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

The WePlay Esports media holding has a microservice architecture, and there are many projects that Java developers are working on. If we group them into categories, then they are:

1. The WePlay Esports core team supercodes everything related to authorization, user information, security, and works on the core of WePlay Esports services.
2. Back-end team of the WePlay tournament platform (a product that allows you to conduct automated tournaments in Dota 2, CS: GO). The back-end is written in Java, which is responsible for building networks, automatic user flow, automating the user’s business flow, registration in a tournament, and obtaining results for a specific match.

Experience

What minimum experience should a junior have to apply for a job in your company?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

We do not search for junior-level specialists through recruiters. We train motivated, talented people who are interested in development in the IT field through our own educational programs . Students of the company's programs go through several stages of training, in particular, they gain practical experience in team work on educational projects. Thus, we break the vicious circle of “no experience - no work, no work - no experience.” After successful completion of educational programs, defense of an educational project and relevant interviews, successful candidates receive an offer to cooperate with the company.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

Zero to one year. However, for a junior, commercial experience is not the main criterion for hiring. What is more important is the way of thinking, how quickly a person learns, works with new information and finds solutions to problems. We pay attention to how interested the candidate is in the field in which he plans to work, and what he does for his own development. When I conduct interviews for juniors (not for a Java developer, but, for example, for a Python developer), I often give the candidate tasks that he does not know exactly, but I outline the starting conditions from which he can build. I wonder how he will try to “twist” the problem in his head so that, without having sufficient experience, he will produce at least some result.

Pet project

Should a junior's portfolio include a pet project? Why?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

The implementation of pet projects helps develop the ability to take an integrated approach to solving problems, the skills to turn business logic into program code, and understand the interaction between certain components. That is why in EPAM educational programs we pay significant attention to project-based learning. Typically, junior-level specialists who are involved in working on company projects have 2-3 projects in their portfolio.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

This is not mandatory, but having a pet project is a big plus for a specialist of any level. When a junior comes with a pet project, he thus demonstrates interest in his field and tries to put into practice the knowledge he received less than a year ago.

English language

What level of English should you have at the start?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

Not lower than B1 - Pre-Intermediate.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

I believe that a junior specialist should speak English at a level that allows him to read technical documentation.

How the requirements for Java juniors have changed

Have the requirements for Java juniors in your company changed over the past few years?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

The world of digital technologies is changing rapidly, and accordingly, the requirements for specialists are also transforming. Knowledge of Java is a basic skill, the so-called primary skill, but junior specialists will realize their own potential much more effectively if they have knowledge from related areas. For example, Front-End, systems engineering, big data processing or cloud computing.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

We are not hiring Java juniors yet, but if we talk about the general approach to hiring juniors, there are changes. In 2018, we required candidates to have more general theoretical knowledge and asked a lot of questions about syntax, features of the language and framework. Today, knowledge of general programming principles, the ability to quickly learn and perceive information, and problem-solving skills are more important.

Stages of candidate selection

How many stages in your company must a junior go through to receive an offer?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

Since we train junior-level specialists in our own training programs, students have several options for developing a career path. The process can be reduced to the following components:

1. A candidate’s application for a specific specialization through the company’s training portal training.epam.ua , an English language proficiency test, a technical test and an interview with a recruiter.
2. The first stage of training is external training , which combines theoretical and practical training. Students learn theory and complete tasks that are reviewed, commented on, and evaluated by trainers. During the course of training, students undergo several layers of knowledge. As a rule, this part of the course ends with the final task - developing a web application on a given topic.
3. Internal training , during which candidates who have successfully completed the first stage continue to study the material in depth and work with mentors.
4. One of the most important and interesting stages is project-based learning . Students of the company's training programs work in teams, often even international ones, on a training project. This way they practice technical skills and also learn teamwork.
5. The final stage of educational programs is the defense of educational projects and the final technical interview. Successful candidates who wish to join the company's commercial projects are then invited to an interview with the project team.

It is worth noting that students’ progress is constantly monitored by more experienced colleagues, so the most motivated and successful students sometimes receive an offer to join work on a company project even before the completion of the educational process.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

Regardless of the level for which the interview is conducted, the candidate goes through four selection stages:

1. Screening with a recruiter.
2. Brief introduction to managers. At each meeting there are two managers: a line manager (usually a product manager) and a functional manager. This stage is necessary to discuss the candidate’s previous experience and get to know each other better.
3. Interview with a technical specialist.
4. Barraising is a meeting with a company representative who will not have direct contact with the candidate during the work process. For example, marketers and designers can barraise developers. The purpose of this stage is to check how well the candidate corresponds to the company’s values ​​and will be able to adapt to the team.

All other things being equal, which junior candidate will be preferred when hired for a job at your company?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

All other things being equal, motivation plays a big role. Therefore, we pay attention to whether the candidate’s eyes “burn” for writing code.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

If two candidates with the same experience come to us, we will pay more attention to their problem-solving skills and evaluate how capable each candidate is of making decisions independently. An important factor is the acceptability of WePlay Esports values ​​for a person (barraising stage). There were cases when a candidate passed all the previous stages of the interview, but did not pass the barraising, and we did not hire him. We will also look at the availability and quality of the pet projects they provide.