Building a portfolio of projects that you care about seems like the best way to go.
Here's an old thread talking about side project ideas you may find useful:
Here's an old thread talking about side project ideas you may find useful:
So what would be the process here? I build up a portfolio of 2-3 projects, and then I link them on my resume. Would HR and recruiters bother to look through them? I guess I'm wondering what a company like Google would do considering they probably get 20,000 applications a week. Would their recruiter even take the time to click through my apps even though I have no industry experience?
- projects give you actual real world development experience, possibly with others, they provide a genuine validation of your skills, and (if built with others) give you a network of peers / mentors to work with
- HR and recruiters just filter out the obvious chaff so the person who is really going to hire you is not drowning.
Really do not expect HR to hire you, do not expect anyone to beat a path to your door because you built a better mousetrap - you must sell your mousetrap. (Which is considerably easier if you build really good mousetraps alongside well connected mousetrap builders )
The way to sell your services is to a) talk to people already working in the companies you want to be, b) Identify the companies you want to be hired by c) politely remind a) of b).