Please Help Me Find a Remote Job. • Hacker News Board

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#31

Post by matwood » Tue, May 10, 2011, 4:26 PM UTC

pclark wrote: post #2

You haven't listed any of your needs or wants that you wish to satisfy. Why isn't that just a short bullet point list somewhere? Why isn't all of this a collection of short bullet point lists: * Skill set * Achievements at last company * Education Considering the whole point of this page is to generate leads to request your resume why is it so long? why not keep it vague? Some of your opening sentences need a lot of…

In fact, just remove words. Keep removing words:

This is great advice for all resumes because of the TL;DR problem. Professional resume builders, recruiters, and HR people have all told me the same thing - every single word should be there for a reason. Remember that the person reading your resume is likely reading 10s or 100s of them. If they see a wall of text they will just move on.

You also hit on another point, be specific. For example, I would like to see your shortened version of ArcObjects in a quick points at the top of the resume and then very specific support in following descriptions.

To the OP, so what if you used ArcObjects daily for 3 years, explain exactly what you did with that tech. If you can, use specific numbers (users and dollars tend to jump out).

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#32

Post by matwood » Tue, May 10, 2011, 4:34 PM UTC

petervandijck wrote: post #7

"I can write especially well." and "I love high tense situations which move my mind and body quickly." Consider rephrasing :) I don't think that page will get you any jobs, it's all about you you you and not about the potential employer.

it's all about you you you and not about the potential employer.

This is great advice. Every piece of software I've written for my current employers carries some dollar value either in cost savings, revenue growth, or employee productivity gains. While some are not always easy to quantify, I do my best to come up with numbers and make sure they are on my resume.

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#33

Post by LargeWu » Tue, May 10, 2011, 4:52 PM UTC

"I am looking for a Full Time Remote Job to satisfy my needs and wants."

Why remote? You do not address that anywhere else on your page. Why would you be more effective working remotely? My first impression when people say they want to work remotely is that they don't work well with others. Also, that statement also makes you seem selfish - the job to you is all about satisfying YOUR needs and wants, and says nothing about your potential employer, which further supports my impression.

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#34

Post by portman » Tue, May 10, 2011, 4:55 PM UTC

The typography is hard on the eyes.

  - Large blocks of italicized text are hard to read in any font 
  - Low contrast between font color and background color
  - The single, narrow paragraph (i.e. "Android" section in particular) is hard to read unless you increase the line spacing

For me, personally, it's hard to take a candidate seriously when their resume is so reader-hostile.

I would consider either (a) enlisting a designer friend to tidy up the typography, or (b) switching to plain, unformatted text.

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#35

Post by spoiledtechie » Tue, May 10, 2011, 4:57 PM UTC

LargeWu wrote: post #33

"I am looking for a Full Time Remote Job to satisfy my needs and wants." Why remote? You do not address that anywhere else on your page. Why would you be more effective working remotely? My first impression when people say they want to work remotely is that they don't work well with others. Also, that statement also makes you seem selfish - the job to you is all about satisfying YOUR needs and wants, and says nothing…

I have a few reasons, but I am tired of the 9-5 driving to work for 30 minutes each way, getting ready in the morning while putting really nice and expensive clothes on, then getting home at night and only have 4 hours to do my thing. If I didn't commute or take the time to dress up, I would save a minimal of 2 hours a day. Most people have to do this and sadly, shouldn't have to.

There are other reasons as well, but just wanted to give an example. I am trying to compact my entire life and this is one of them. With my job moving farther away, it would be more than an hour commute each way now as well.

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#36

Post by spoiledtechie » Tue, May 10, 2011, 4:59 PM UTC

portman wrote: post #34

The typography is hard on the eyes. - Large blocks of italicized text are hard to read in any font - Low contrast between font color and background color - The single, narrow paragraph (i.e. "Android" section in particular) is hard to read unless you increase the line spacing For me, personally, it's hard to take a candidate seriously when their resume is so reader-hostile. I would consider either (a) enlisting a des…

I understand your points. While I am not a graphic artist, I do understand the typography etc...

Thanks for your points. I will get right to it.

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#37

Post by spoiledtechie » Tue, May 10, 2011, 5:02 PM UTC

Sukotto wrote: post #16

Your page boils down to "I'm great. Someone please give me X, Y, and Z" Someone amongst the people you know (and the ones they know) has a problem that you can solve with your skillset. Demonstrating a solution (or a compelling plan for a solution) to that person is an excellent way to show how you will add value ... and becomes a very compelling argument for hiring you. Go talk to those people, find out what problem…

If I made it all about what I want, wouldn't I be putting more of my needs and wants rather than what I can offer?

Spoiled is just one of those nice "catch phrases" I found while developing so I ran with it. Nothing bad.

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#38

Post by mynegation » Tue, May 10, 2011, 5:04 PM UTC

spoiledtechie wrote: post #35

LargeWu wrote: post #33

"I am looking for a Full Time Remote Job to satisfy my needs and wants." Why remote? You do not address that anywhere else on your page. Why would you be more effective working remotely? My first impression when people say they want to work remotely is that they don't work well with others. Also, that statement also makes you seem selfish - the job to you is all about satisfying YOUR needs and wants, and says nothing…

I have a few reasons, but I am tired of the 9-5 driving to work for 30 minutes each way, getting ready in the morning while putting really nice and expensive clothes on, then getting home at night and only have 4 hours to do my thing. If I didn't commute or take the time to dress up, I would save a minimal of 2 hours a day. Most people have to do this and sadly, shouldn't have to. There are other reasons as well, but…

On a flip side, remote work may shift and fragment your schedule. If your employer is in a different time zone, your work time may shift and your free time now suddenly has less overlap with a free time of your family and friends. Part of the success at remote position is making yourself readily available and it can be easily abused.

I am not trying to talk you out of it, but it may happen that you will miss your 9-to-5 even with the commute.

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#39

Post by LargeWu » Tue, May 10, 2011, 5:06 PM UTC

spoiledtechie wrote: post #35

LargeWu wrote: post #33

"I am looking for a Full Time Remote Job to satisfy my needs and wants." Why remote? You do not address that anywhere else on your page. Why would you be more effective working remotely? My first impression when people say they want to work remotely is that they don't work well with others. Also, that statement also makes you seem selfish - the job to you is all about satisfying YOUR needs and wants, and says nothing…

I have a few reasons, but I am tired of the 9-5 driving to work for 30 minutes each way, getting ready in the morning while putting really nice and expensive clothes on, then getting home at night and only have 4 hours to do my thing. If I didn't commute or take the time to dress up, I would save a minimal of 2 hours a day. Most people have to do this and sadly, shouldn't have to. There are other reasons as well, but…

Yes, you and everybody else in the world. You are not a snowflake unique among snowflakes in this regard. As an employer, this is not a good enough reason for me to just hand you a remote job.

But what's important is that as someone hiring, I would have just thrown your resume away (or in this case closed the window) because you seem selfish. You would never have the chance to explain.

Re: Please Help Me Find a Remote Job.

#40

Post by ryandvm » Tue, May 10, 2011, 5:06 PM UTC

nicksergeant wrote: post #28

scyphers wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not too mention you say that you are coordinating the HackerNewsDC group. A quick Google search narrows you down to one of three people.

And a whois on the domain narrows it down to one :)

I think the point wasn't total secrecy. He just doesn't want someone Googling his name to find him begging for a job on Hacker News.