Ask HN: I want to get hired for an entry level, developer role

Proficient: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Java, C#

What is this: I'm going to keep making these threads until I get hired. I haven't been able to find a job since graduation. I get rejected practically from every new grad role. Even for roles posted by my university (my resume doesn't pass the resume screen, even though the university reviewed it). I don't know why; I've never done a tech interview. Even passing HackerRanks leads to rejections. I do know that I've bombed irritating framework trivia (no, I don't know the order of arguments).

About me: located right by New York City. I have a B.S. degree in Computer Science. I graduated in May 2015. I am a U.S. citizen. I can relocate. I can't work anywhere that requires me to drive a car. Programming is all I know; I have done this for my entire life.

My skills:

Disclaimer: some are ugly and incomplete; others are great. It's a variety of stuff that I put many weeks into for each.

- Spent one year working on an eCommerce website for a business. I worked on the front end, back end, and simple database work involving entering products.

- Volunteer coding for a non-profit involving using the Google Maps API, JavaScript, and XML.

- Contacts manager using ASP.NET MVC and Entity Framework.

- simple Chrome extension that a startup stole code from, and proudly displays on their page.

- 2 month Node.js contract at a startup, involving developing features for their app platform.

- Lib for reading embedded data from TIFF files using C#.

- API that serves RESTful endpoints through Node.js.

- To-do app written in AngularJS 1 and PHP.

While a lot of this is related to web development, I love all areas of computer science.

Other stuff: volunteer at PropellerFest (Hoboken), and meetups and stuff.

Finally, thank you for reading this, and sorry if I annoyed you.

Put your education near the bottom. Sorry to say, what you have written in that section is not compelling.

The first section could be something along the lines of "Key Skills". Just list JavaScript, Java and C#. I know it's a foible, but for me HTML and CSS are not "real computer languages", i.e. they are not Turing complete.

Then a sentence about experienced in building web apps, both front-end and back-ends.

In your post you mention "stole" - that is not a accusation I would be making in public. Even if it is true. Most hiring managers recoil at such attitudes.

As an example, your best point is last on the list: "Optimized the website to serve pages from 5s down to less than 1s via Apache configuration and caching."

It should also be worded as such: "Increased page speed by 5x faster with optimization techniques".

Be a little more sparse on technical details, and more bold on your achievements. Assume the reader doesn't know or care about the technical details. All they want is to be persuaded that you get shit done.

Avoid redundant information like "Consulted with ownership to establish project scope and business needs." Like seriously? You talked to people and worked on a team? No shit. Embellish your achievements, you must sell yourself.

Also move your education to near the bottom, lead with experience first.

- Education goes at the bottom

- Tech skills go at the top

- The aligning on the work/url/date is really hard to read, just left align it, separate with -'s.

- The additional experience is almost a waste of space, I'd personally use the equivalent space to expand more on tech skills.

- You have 'proficient' then 'other', does 'other' mean not proficient? Use similar complementary terms to describe your skill levels i.e. 'Proficient at' and 'working knowledge of' or something like that.

- What's the difference between employment and technical projects? Some of your tech projects read like paid work so it's hard to tell what your skill level would be if I brought you in for a interview. if it's volunteer work I would put it under work but do something like '(volunteer)'

Basically your CV makes me have to think wayyy too much, I'm having to interpret things and guess what you mean, so I'd have no idea what to expect your quality to be if I got you in for a interview therefore I probably wouldn't bring you in.

Also if you're not doing it already then people connections is key (meetups etc)