Answer this: what kind of job are you looking for?
This is a good tip. I often just say My interest never leaves education, tool automation, and security.
How programmers should write their resumes
11–20 of 74 posts
Re: How programmers should write their resumes
#12> "Don't try anything cute. You resume should be devoid of personality."
I have to disagree. I got my current job because my resume stood out. It was the only one not written in MS word. The other candidates had equal if not greater experience than me, but I got the job before they even got a response.
If you're going for a programming position where you're not expected to be different, then sure, but if you're going for a development role where you may be full stack, or expected to be different, make sure your resume shows that.
Sell yourself in the 10 seconds you get. A school boy resume isn't going to do that.
And as mh_yam says, don't call yourself a programmer.
Re: How programmers should write their resumes
#13Not into GitHub? Register a memorable domain and throw together a to-the-point portfolio page instead. Or use another goddamned software hosting service? I'll never understand this sense of GitHub supremacy amongst trendies. Otherwise, the advice in general is subpar.
Is having a portfolio website necessary now-a-days? What does HN think?
Having a portfolio website is necessary to get a job at the place most HN entrepreneurs are interested in running. For better or worse, a portfolio or an active github are almost necessary to land a position at a top-tier company or a startup. If you want to work for a generic business that has grown a software division out of necessity then your basic resume will do just fine.
Re: How programmers should write their resumes
#14I rarely agree with the author of this blog post : - "Don't bother mentioning your G.P.A." : I know firms are only interested in your diploma's name, but it can be an advantage to mention you passed summa cum laude whereas another barely made it by coasting and offloading his share of works on others students (which is unfortunately a useful skill in the workplace). - "Don't bother using verbs other than "made" for p…
> "Don't bring up your hobbies." : This one really raised my hair. Not everyone is tweeting every part of their life (I certainly don't) so hobbies are a great way to lighten the mood during the interview and assessing the interviewee's personality.
I think it is fluff. Unless you are going to put something strikingly like juggling live swords, it is something I would glaze over. There are other ways to lighten the mood (like small talk) during the interview.
> - "Don't bother mentioning your G.P.A." : I know firms are only interested in your diploma's name, but it can be an advantage to mention you passed summa cum laude whereas another barely made it by coasting and offloading his share of works on others students (which is unfortunately a useful skill in the workplace).
Only if you are close to fresh out of school. If someone has five years of experience and mentions his GPA, I either think he has not updated that portion of his resume (which is OK) or that he still thinks I care about what he did five years ago in an ivory tower (which I really don't).
Re: How programmers should write their resumes
#15Not into GitHub? Register a memorable domain and throw together a to-the-point portfolio page instead. Or use another goddamned software hosting service? I'll never understand this sense of GitHub supremacy amongst trendies. Otherwise, the advice in general is subpar.
The good thing about github is that it provides a decent UI for browsing a person's contributions over time.
Often a github profile can look busy but when you drill down most of what the person has done is submitted varying versions of their dotfiles.
Re: How programmers should write their resumes
#16Citation needed. Is there any indication that the suggested type of resume works? Other than when applying for a job with the author, I suppose?
Re: How programmers should write their resumes
#17I rarely agree with the author of this blog post : - "Don't bother mentioning your G.P.A." : I know firms are only interested in your diploma's name, but it can be an advantage to mention you passed summa cum laude whereas another barely made it by coasting and offloading his share of works on others students (which is unfortunately a useful skill in the workplace). - "Don't bother using verbs other than "made" for p…
> Answer this: where can I look at some stuff you built? You can't, it's closed source proprietary internal stuff. And I'm not allowed to talk too much about it because I had to sign a NDA.
There's always something to tell. Even when under NDA, you can link to the company/product you worked on, can't you?
I did on my 'about' page ( http://nickkusters.com/About ) for stuff that was under NDA and I haven't had any comments.
Re: How programmers should write their resumes
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Answer this: where can I look at some stuff you built? You can't, it's closed source proprietary internal stuff. And I'm not allowed to talk too much about it because I had to sign a NDA.
This. And while learning is important, I really am getting tired of the bullshit line about everyone needing open-source side projects (and this is coming from a guy who enjoys side projects). How many other professionals need side projects for legitimization? My mechanical engineering friends build stuff too, but no one's expecting them to bring in a home-made contraption for their interviews.
Anecdote: A guy who wanted one of our open mechanical/embedded positions came in with something he built and programmed. It was super impressive side work and helped him stand out.
Sadly, when you're competing against the world for many positions, you need every possible advantage.
Re: How programmers should write their resumes
#19I rarely agree with the author of this blog post : - "Don't bother mentioning your G.P.A." : I know firms are only interested in your diploma's name, but it can be an advantage to mention you passed summa cum laude whereas another barely made it by coasting and offloading his share of works on others students (which is unfortunately a useful skill in the workplace). - "Don't bother using verbs other than "made" for p…
> Answer this: where can I look at some stuff you built? You can't, it's closed source proprietary internal stuff. And I'm not allowed to talk too much about it because I had to sign a NDA.
I have to second that. When you work in a team of >20 on a closed source enterprise software which is also not public facing - there's little to nothing to show. I can't help but think that only a small fraction of programmers are actually lucky enough to work on some open source projects that make a difference and there's something to show.
Re: How programmers should write their resumes
#20> "Don't try anything cute. You resume should be devoid of personality." I have to disagree. I got my current job because my resume stood out. It was the only one not written in MS word. The other candidates had equal if not greater experience than me, but I got the job before they even got a response. If you're going for a programming position where you're not expected to be different, then sure, but if you're going…
I think it depends if the CV is meant for HR or for the actual person who's going to hire you. HR just use them as a filtering mechanism and will get bothered if you're making their lives more difficult.
In either case the introduction letter is probably the best place to show why you're special and a good fit for the company.