During a recent Naspers Tech Talent Thursdays session, Adriaan Venter, Senior Operations Manager at OfferZen, shared practical insights on how early-career developers can get noticed, what companies really look for, and how to turn coding skills into real career momentum.
🎥 Watch the full conversation:
The challenge: Everyone’s learning to code — but few are learning how to stand out
Every week, hundreds of new developers graduate from bootcamps, universities and digital skills programmes. But many still face the same roadblock: they’re qualified, but invisible.
As Adriaan Venter puts it:
“The real challenge isn’t learning to code — it’s learning to communicate your value as an engineer who can solve problems with code.”
The skills market has shifted. The opportunities are still there, but how you present yourself determines whether you get noticed.
Here’s his advice:
1. Don’t wait for perfect, ship something
“Perfection is the enemy of progress. The biggest mistake people make is waiting until something is perfect before they share it.”
Hiring managers don’t need polished portfolios, they need proof of initiative.
“You can’t prove you can drive a car if you’ve never driven one. Show that you’ve actually built something.”
What matters most is showing you can take an idea and make it real.
✅ How to put it into practice:
- Build something small that solves a real problem for you.
- Document the problem, your approach, and what you learned.
- Share it, even if it’s unfinished. Iteration beats invisibility.
“A project you’ve built says more about you than any certificate. It tells me you’ve identified a problem, solved it, and followed through.”
2. Treat communication like a technical skill
Adriaan’s seen a clear pattern across hundreds of hiring journeys: the developers who progress fastest aren’t just technically sharp — they can communicate clearly.
“A lot of people think, ‘I’ll just code quietly in the corner.’ But the developers who really stand out are the ones who can explain how their work adds value to a business.”
Good communication isn’t about being charismatic, it’s about clarity:
- Explain your projects like you’d explain code: with context, precision, and purpose.
- On your CV or OfferZen profile, write about why you built something, not just what you built.
- In interviews, connect your skills to real-world impact.
“Your profile or CV isn’t an achievement list — it’s an advert for a conversation.”
3. Use AI as an accelerator, not a crutch
AI tools have changed the entry point to coding, but not what makes developers valuable.
“You don’t need to know how to code to ship code anymore. But you do need to understand it,” says Adriaan. “If you can’t debug your own thinking, you’ll get stuck.”
The best developers now use AI to extend their skills, not replace them:
- Automate boilerplate work.
- Let AI handle testing and syntax.
- Spend your energy on creativity, design, and product thinking.
The result: you’ll build faster and demonstrate higher-order problem-solving, the thing companies actually pay for.
4. Proof beats pedigree
Whether you’ve studied at a university or learned on YouTube, what matters is evidence.
“Degrees are less important than people think. What employers want is confidence that you can do the thing you say you can do.”
That confidence comes from proof of work, the trail you leave behind online:
- A live demo, repo or personal site.
- Documentation that shows how you think.
- Community engagement (sharing learnings, open-source contributions).
Short courses and bootcamps still matter, but mostly because they show initiative.
“A certificate shows you closed a gap you identified. That’s what impresses employers.”
5. Take action, not notes
In a crowded market, waiting is the biggest risk.
“Be clear about what you want,” says Adriaan. “Then do one small thing today that moves you closer — build a project, tweak your CV, reach out to someone on LinkedIn.”
“We live in a world where you can just do things. Most people don’t. If you do, you’re already ahead.”
✨ TL;DR — How to get noticed
✅ Ship early, not perfectly: Evidence matters more than polish.
💬 Show your thinking: Communication is a skill, not a soft skill.
🧠 Use AI wisely: Understand before you automate.
📂 Prove, don’t tell: Projects > certificates.
⚡ Act now: Every small action compounds into momentum.
🔗 Start building your visibility
Create your OfferZen profile and get seen by companies who are hiring: 👉 www.offerzen.com/candidate/signup