Disclaimer: I used AI to help draft and organize this post based on my own experiences and thoughts.
I've been working in DevOps for around 14 years, and I've also been teaching DevOps and Cloud subjects at universities for the last 4–5 years.
One thing I've noticed recently: getting your first DevOps job seems much harder than it was even 2–3 years ago.
A few years back, students and juniors would send me their CVs and I'd usually have something useful to suggest. Many of them would at least get interview opportunities.
Today, the market isn't great, and on top of that, everyone has access to AI-generated CVs, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and so on. When hundreds of applications all look polished, it becomes harder for recruiters to figure out who actually knows their stuff.
So here are a few things I keep telling my students.
1. Don't Choose DevOps Because You Think You Can Avoid Coding
I've heard this quite a few times:
"I'm not interested in coding, so I'm thinking of DevOps."
That's the wrong reason to get into DevOps.
You'll write scripts, automation, YAML, pipelines, Infrastructure as Code, debugging tools, and sometimes proper application code. More importantly, you need to enjoy investigating systems and figuring out why something isn't working.
If you hate both coding and troubleshooting systems, DevOps probably isn't the escape route you're looking for.
2. DevOps Comes With Responsibility
Remember Spider-Man?
"With great power comes great responsibility."
That applies surprisingly well to DevOps.
The infrastructure you're managing might be running someone's entire business. Sometimes you're having dinner with your family and an alert appears on your phone. Sometimes something breaks at an odd hour. Sometimes everyone else is enjoying a holiday while you're wondering why a production node suddenly decided it no longer wants to participate in society.
Not every DevOps job has terrible on-call expectations, of course. But ownership and accountability are part of the profession. Know what you're signing up for.
3. Build a GitHub History, Not Just a GitHub Account
When I started 13–14 years ago, having an impressive GitHub profile wasn't nearly as important for many infrastructure roles.
Today, if you're a student with no professional experience, your GitHub can become evidence that you actually build things.
Don't obsess over making every project impressive. First build the habit of creating things regularly.
- Write scripts
- Build Docker images
- Automate something with Python
- Create Terraform modules
- Write an Ansible role
- Deploy Kubernetes applications
- Build CI/CD pipelines
And commit your work.
I actually suggest turning this into a game.
When I was in school, some friends and I wanted to improve our English. We made a game where we had to speak English all the time — if someone caught you speaking another language, you lost points. We did this for years, and it genuinely helped.
Do something similar with GitHub.
Find a friend. Every day you commit something meaningful, you get a point. First person to 100 wins. Then reset and start again.
You'll miss days. You'll get bored. That's fine.
But after a year, compare your GitHub profile with the one you had before.
4. Stop Sending the Same Application to 500 Companies
AI has made mass-applying ridiculously easy — which also means everyone can do it.
I'd rather spend proper time on 10 jobs I genuinely want than blindly apply to hundreds with the exact same CV and a generic cover letter.
Read the job description. Understand what they're actually asking for. Then explain why your experience and projects match those specific requirements.
Quality over volume, every time.
5. Don't Just Ask AI to Write the Entire Cover Letter
Use AI to proofread it, improve it, or organize your thoughts if you want.
But put yourself into it.
Mention something specific from the job description. Explain a relevant project. Explain why you're interested in this particular role.
It's okay if your writing isn't perfect. I'd personally rather read something that sounds like a real person than another perfectly formatted:
"I am thrilled to apply for the exciting opportunity to leverage my passion for innovative cloud-native solutions..."
You know the type.
6. Add Something Human to Your Application
One thing worth experimenting with: a short Loom or video introduction.
Not 10 minutes. 60–120 seconds.
Something like: "I know you're probably reviewing a lot of applications, so instead of making you read another long introduction, here's a 90-second video about who I am, what I've built, and why I'm interested."
Whether recruiters watch it is another question. But at least you've given them another way to evaluate you — something that's genuinely hard to fake with AI.
7. Make It Clear You're Willing to Prove Your Skills
When appropriate, mention that you're happy to go through a technical evaluation or practical exercise if that's part of their process.
For someone without much professional experience, being able to show what you can do can be far more useful than another paragraph claiming you're "passionate about DevOps."
None of these are magic tricks.
They won't guarantee an interview, and they definitely won't guarantee a job.
But the way people apply for jobs has changed dramatically with AI. If everyone's CV looks good, simply having a good-looking CV isn't much of a differentiator anymore.
Build things. Show your work. Develop consistency. Personalize your applications. Give people evidence that there's an actual engineer behind the PDF.
Curious what others think — especially people involved in DevOps hiring.
Has the way you screen junior DevOps candidates changed over the last 2–3 years?