How to find job?

I have 10 months of experience in Software Quality testing(manual testing) and currently i am learning core Java. I hav basic knowledge on some of testing tools.
I have applied for entry-level programmer to many companies but i did not get respond so far. So can anyone suggest me how to find a job with this qulaification and do i need to update more with latest technology like C#.
Please help me.
Thanks in advance.

finding a job ?
Thats a million dollar question . You have not mention your qualifications . Today people with a good academic background are prefered over others .
regards
raghav mathur

I'll be honest. Assuming you're in the US (I don't know about other countries), it's tough. In the last few years, any QA people tried to move into programming, most weren't qualified. By this I mean, most didn't have the raw programming skills needed.* This along with other reasons, has given a stigma to QA, seen from programming. It's going to be tough.
Personally, I think all software engineers should spend a good 6 month doing QA work. They'll be better off for it However, for those thinking of QA jobs, be careful, it is viewed by some as a black mark.
--Mark

*There's also the issue of philosphy. The way you mind need to be to think like a programmer is different then how it needs to be to do a good job with QA; just like artists think differently then accountants. Realistically though, most companies in the 90's didn't pay much attention to programming skills (other then a pulse), and even less to QA.

Also dont forget to approach companies that arent even advertising. Dont spam them though - actually prepare a hard copy CV, research companies you honestly want to work for, detail in your cover letter specifically why you would provide value to them and why you want to work there. Then address directly to the people in charge of recruiting BY NAME - you can usually find these names by going to web sites and/or phoning up and asking who is in charge! Then follow up after a week or two if they havent got back to you.
Ive found this far more effective in finding jobs than going to scheduled job interviews - and usually getting better jobs at the end of it as well!
Also dont forget every stranger you meet might be a potential network to get you a job they know about. My current job was through someone I met doing jury service (you dont get more arbitrary than that). Let chance work for you.

Originally posted by Karl Laird:
Also dont forget to approach companies that arent even advertising. Dont spam them though - actually prepare a hard copy CV, research companies you honestly want to work for, detail in your cover letter specifically why you would provide value to them and why you want to work there. Then address directly to the people in charge of recruiting BY NAME - you can usually find these names by going to web sites and/or phoning up and asking who is in charge! Then follow up after a week or two if they havent got back to you.
Ive found this far more effective in finding jobs than going to scheduled job interviews - and usually getting better jobs at the end of it as well!

I totally agree with Karl. The great thing about applying for a company that hasn't advertised is less competition. I have found all my previous jobs that way. Showing you know about the company, and how that company will benefit from hiring you shows the employer that you just didn't send this resume to a billion other companies too. You took time and effort to apply to this company because you feel that you want to work for this specific company. If possible, apply in person too. Then when they are sifting through the resume's, when they come accross your's, they may be more apt to read it over as they might recognize your name.
Jamie
Jamie