[hank-biteline]

If you're not getting called back for interviews, you probably need to work on your resume / cover letter / personal site.

If I get an applicant that writes a competent cover letter they stand out significantly from others (who often don't even bother!).

On your resume try to minimize details that aren't relevant to software development - keep it focused on software-related education/experience, skills, and projects. If you have significant non-software related education or experience that's worth mentioning, keep it short, as a side note.

An applicant with a reasonable personal site also stands out (it doesn't have to be extraordinary, just something simple and aesthetic that serves up your resume, links to your projects, etc.)

As for the projects themselves, the best advice I can give is to demonstrate business value. Creating a game or some nifty 3D site is neat, but it could be hard for an employer to be confident that your portfolio can translate into what they are doing. So aim for "business-like" websites, with beautiful landing pages, and functionality like forms, buttons, modals, etc. If you can also brag about how fast you got your project(s) done, that might also catch an employer's eye.

[brailsafe]

I do tend to keep my software resume focused on software things and it's good advice for someone with software experience to show, but I think it's probably a big miss to ignore the value of skills developed in most other industries. Even a barista job has arguably more relevant skills to a software job than programming does. People would like to think programming is the core competency of a software developer, but probably it's the things that your manager defines as your job that actually keep you in it. Things like showing up on time, communication, being subordinate, writing skills, ability to do mindless repetitive assembly line bullshit work for extended periods, working with idiots, working for ladder chasers/idiots, etc..

[jterrys]

>If I get an applicant that writes a competent cover letter they stand out significantly from others (who often don't even bother!).

I'm really sorry to say this but you are an exception to the norm when it comes to cover letters. Most hiring managers really don't give a shit and from an applicant's perspective it becomes a waste of time, hence why you get some 'fuck it I'll submit it without a letter anyway' types.

Many places don't even have the decency to send out a nice rejection email, which feels all the more antagonistic when you get ghosted after spending significant (non-transferable) effort drafting the letter.