Live data from Hacker News

Resumes suck for hiring engineers

blog.alinelerner.com

171–172 of 172 posts

Re: Resumes suck for hiring engineers

#171
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can only speak for myself but terms like that set off my BS meter and probably make me think at least marginally less of whoever sticks them on their resume. They're vague and unquantifiable. They're of a class with words like acclaimed, industry-leading, and so forth in copy describing products.

Yes, for that reason I took it off, still the question is how can one communicate that one is? Should you write "constantly programmed faster and leaner and with less errors that his colleagues?". I don't think there is a way to communicate this but I still think it matters. You can easily determine if some one is a BS guy in a technical interview anyway, so I don't think, BSers are very frequent in IT and much less…

Results, achievements, accomplishments. Frankly I don't really care if you were better than the guy in the next cube. He might be an idiot or a complete slacker.

And I'm not sure I wouldn't get negative vibes from someone who felt they had to position themselves by de-positioning the people they worked with.

>You can easily determine if some one is a BS guy in a technical interview anyway, so I don't think, BSers are very frequent in IT and much less so in programming.

Of course they're frequent. They are everywhere.

Re: Resumes suck for hiring engineers

#172

I'm in the process of going through technical interviews with a bunch of companies (some I approached, some approached me.) The coolest thing has been some peoples' reaction to the little details on my CV (Resume.) Compared to the other very unsuccessful interview, where the MD just listened to me talk for a few minutes and said "you're not what we're looking for" (no programmer in the interview), getting engineers t…

This may be off-topic, but it sure sounds to me like what you're submitting is not a CV but a resume. Those are two different items. CVs are a comprehensive history of yourself and your accomplishments, resumes are short, tailored briefs of why you are fit for the job.

Interesting, certainly makes etymological sense. I never realized that, in Israel the two terms are used pretty interchangably. Wikipedia says CVs are much more comprehensive in some countries, esp. North America.
Post reply on HN