.NET developer doesn't say much about the job! An essay on the .Net Framework.

I used to be a .NET developer. That was 8 years ago. In 2022, I'm still receiving jobs for .NET roles.

The conversation with a recruiter

Here is a conversation with a technical recruiter I had a few years ago:

The recruiter: My client is looking for a .NET developer for an FT role in London.

Me: Interesting, could you tell me more? What do they build? Is It a web or a desktop application? Which problems do they try to solve?

The recruiter: It is a bank. The programming language is .NET. They are building an internal tool to support the back office of a trading floor. Here is a list of other technologies they use: F#, WPF, Team Foundation Server, SQL Server, Multi-Threading.

With your experience in programming in .NET, you should be a great fit! Experience with WPF is mandatory.

Me: This is a great opportunity. However, .NET isn't a programming language. F# is the language. I don't have experience using F# but C#. I would love to learn it though. Moreover, I don't have experience with WPF.

The recruiter: .Net is the main language they use. WPF is actually mandatory. Send me your resume and I'll check with my client.

I sent him the resume and never heard back from him.

.NET is a Framework and a .NET developer isn't clear enough as a description

As the title says, .NET is not a programming language. It is a framework.

Actually, It is a framework that contains other frameworks. Think of it as a giant toolbox that is composed of other small dedicated toolboxes.

Within the .NET framework, you can find the following frameworks:

• ASP.NET, a framework used to build Web applications

• WPF, Windows Forms and UWP are frameworks for building Desktop applications

• Xamarin for building mobile applications

• Unity for building games

There are way more frameworks than the ones listed above.

Understanding this is fundamental in creating a meaningful connection with your clients, your candidates and hiring managers.

These frameworks could be used with C# or any programming language that's part of the .NET platform.

Takeaways

That recruiter didn't have a good understanding of the technologies required for this role. He used a set of keywords. Here is how I would have phrased it If I were that recruiter:

The recruiter: It's for a bank on their trading floor. They are building a multi-threaded desktop application with WPF and F#. It will be used to support the back office of the trading floor. As you can see, It is a .NET environment with SQL Server as a database.

I hope you see the use of the tech stack not as a list but as a way to describe the environment in which the candidate would perform.

What do you think of it? Please, share your feedback in the comments.

That was .NET is not a programming language.

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