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

Java Core, Spring, Hibernate, English: the list of requirements for Java juniors seems to be well known. However, technology changes every month, and with them 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 are the requirements for juniors in 2021 and how much these requirements have changed lately. Let's introduce the experts:

Technologies

What technologies does a Java junior need to master, besides Java EE knowledge, to get a job in your company? Why exactly them?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

For a transparent and correct perception, it is worth adding that our future juniors are graduates of the 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, HTML + CSS + Js basics, 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 of the categories.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

First of all, I want to note that WePlay Esports is not hiring Java juniors yet and does not plan to do so in the coming year. However, my answers may be useful to 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 for its processes. Java juniors should 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 knowledge of all 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 projects use different versions. An essential factor is the monolithic platforms that are used on a particular project. However, for those who study Java, we can recommend LTS (long term support) versions, such as 8 and 11 in studies, and for pet projects. But do not forget to experiment with the "features" of new versions - this is interesting and useful.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

Java 11.

For which projects do you usually look for Java developers?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

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

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

The WePlay Esports media holding has a microservice architecture, and there are a lot of projects that Java developers are working on. Grouped into categories, they are:

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

Experience

What is the minimum experience required for a junior to apply for a job at your company?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

We do not search for junior level specialists through recruiters. We educate motivated, talented people who are interested in developing in the field of IT 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 "no experience - no work, no work - no experience." After the successful completion of educational programs, the defense of the educational project and the appropriate interviews, successful candidates receive an offer to cooperate with the company.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

From zero to one year. However, for a junior, commercial experience is not the main criterion for hiring. 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 Java-developer, but, for example, for Python-developer), I often give the candidate tasks that he doesn’t know exactly, but I write down the starting conditions from which you can build on. I wonder how he will try to “twist” the problem in his head so that, without having enough experience, he will give 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 to develop the ability to take a comprehensive approach to solving problems, the skills to turn business logic into program code, and to 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 work 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 an interest in his field and tries to put into practice the knowledge that he received less than a year ago.

English language

What level of English should be 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 you to read technical documentation.

How the requirements for Java juniors have changed

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

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

The world of digital technologies is changing rapidly, and the requirements for specialists are also transforming accordingly. Knowledge of Java is the main skill, the so-called primary skill, but junior specialists will realize their own potential much more efficiently if they have knowledge from related areas. For example, Front-End, Systems Engineering, Big Data Processing or Cloud Computing.

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

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

Candidate Selection Stages

How many stages does a junior have to go through in your company to get an offer?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

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

1. Candidate's application for a specific specialization through the company's training portal training.epam.ua , an English 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 graded by trainers. During the training, students go through several slices of knowledge. As a rule, this part of the course ends with the final task - the development of 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 learning . Students of the company's training programs work in teams, often even international ones, on a training project. So they work out technical skills, as well as learn teamwork.
5. The final stage of educational programs is the defense of educational projects and the final technical interview. After that, successful candidates who want to join the work on the company's commercial projects are invited to an interview with the project team.

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

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

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

1. Screening with a recruiter.
2. Brief introduction to managers. Each meeting has two managers: a line manager (usually a product manager) and a functional manager. This stage is necessary to discuss the previous experience of the candidate 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 be in direct contact with the candidate in the course of work. For example, developers can be bar-raised by marketers and designers. The purpose of this stage is to check how the candidate corresponds to the values ​​of the company and will be able to adapt in the team.

All else being equal, which junior candidate would be preferred when hiring for a job at your company?

Ivan Mikheev, Lyubov Ivanova (EPAM):

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

Vitaly Fedorkovich (WePlay Esports):

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