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Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

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Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

#1

Post by mds101 »

Hi HN,

This is a question mostly for first level recruiters/HR.

I've been job hunting recently, and while my resume (which is currently a list of companies I've worked for, the work duration, and the tech I've worked on), seems to get responses within India, the same resume when sent out to most European companies has so far gotten me only two call backs from about 300 applications.

So I'd like to know, when you receive a bunch of resumes, what makes you decide whom to call up and talk to?

I'm a full stack Javascript developer with experience in React, ESNext, Node, Postgres, Mongo, Express, Electron, microservices, RMQ and GraphQL (amongst others). If there is anything specific about the tech I am experienced in that you would like to see in the resume, do let me know that also.

Thanks

Re: Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

#3

Post by mds101 »

bobbbi wrote: post #2

Are you based in India? If so, I imagine the practicalities of getting a visa are more of an issue than the quality of resume.

Yes I am currently based in India, and I know visas can be an issue, but I am specifically talking about openings that are advertised as 'Visa Sponsored'.

Re: Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

#4

Post by cimmanom »

My company doesn’t sponsor visas, but we get a lot of overseas applicants anyway.

One theme I’ve noticed from these resumes is that for the summary of experience they tend to list out technologies and job responsibilities. And also to have about a dozen bullet points for each job, which is overwhelming.

This makes the candidate look incapable of independent thought - reinforcing a negative stereotype of Indian developers. Too many of us have had or heard of bad experiences with outsourcing companies that need to be given instructions almost as detailed as you’d give a computer.

American and European companies (at least the good ones) aren’t looking for coders to accept and execute instructions. We’re looking for software developers who can synthesize context and business goals to develop software that will create value for the business.

What I’m looking to see on a resume are projects undertaken and even more importantly accomplishments. And only the most relevant 2-5 for each position. How did your work impact the business?

Instead of ticking off “I’ve used this technology” boxes, focus on highlighting your business value.

Re: Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

#5

Post by mds101 »

cimmanom wrote: post #4

My company doesn’t sponsor visas, but we get a lot of overseas applicants anyway. One theme I’ve noticed from these resumes is that for the summary of experience they tend to list out technologies and job responsibilities. And also to have about a dozen bullet points for each job, which is overwhelming. This makes the candidate look incapable of independent thought - reinforcing a negative stereotype of Indian develo…

Thanks for your advice! I'd also like to know if you would consider a non-conventional resume (like a specialized resume website), rather than a conventional word/pdf document, as a positive or a negative?

Re: Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

#6

Post by cimmanom »

mds101 wrote: post #5
cimmanom wrote: post #4

My company doesn’t sponsor visas, but we get a lot of overseas applicants anyway. One theme I’ve noticed from these resumes is that for the summary of experience they tend to list out technologies and job responsibilities. And also to have about a dozen bullet points for each job, which is overwhelming. This makes the candidate look incapable of independent thought - reinforcing a negative stereotype of Indian develo…

Thanks for your advice! I'd also like to know if you would consider a non-conventional resume (like a specialized resume website), rather than a conventional word/pdf document, as a positive or a negative?

Most places you’ll have to submit a PDF (or sometimes Word doc), so start with that. Having your resume also hosted on LinkedIn or elsewhere won’t hurt you, but it doesn’t add much value.

Re: Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

#7

Post by itamarst »

You can imagine three levels of skill (https://codewithoutrules.com/2018/10/10/beyond-senior-softwa...):

1. Implement a solution someone already came up with.

2. Solve a problem someone gave you.

3. Identify problems.

The higher the level, the more valuable of an employee you are.

If you are level 2, you want to make sure your resume doesn't give the impression you're level 1. So for example, don't just list "I wrote some code", explain how you came up with this design, and why.

If you are level 3, you want to make sure your resume doesn't give the impression you're level 2. So make sure you explain how you identified the problem, and why it mattered.

Re: Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

#8

Post by Spooky23 »

I’m a little deeper in the funnel, but I prefer narratives over lists of acronyms. Give me something to talk about.

Also, are people seeing your resume, or is some middleman changing it? I notice with Indian candidates agencies tweak them in ways or for reasons that often don’t benefit the candidate.

Re: Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

#9

Post by [deleted] »

itamarst wrote: post #7

You can imagine three levels of skill ( https://codewithoutrules.com/2018/10/10/beyond-senior-softwa... ): 1. Implement a solution someone already came up with. 2. Solve a problem someone gave you. 3. Identify problems. The higher the level, the more valuable of an employee you are. If you are level 2, you want to make sure your resume doesn't give the impression you're level 1. So for example, don't just list "I wro…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What do you look for in a resume, which gets you to talk to the person?

#10

Post by system_sleep »

itamarst wrote: post #7

You can imagine three levels of skill ( https://codewithoutrules.com/2018/10/10/beyond-senior-softwa... ): 1. Implement a solution someone already came up with. 2. Solve a problem someone gave you. 3. Identify problems. The higher the level, the more valuable of an employee you are. If you are level 2, you want to make sure your resume doesn't give the impression you're level 1. So for example, don't just list "I wro…

I imagine if you don't have enough content to show for level(n), it is okay to show some of the level(n-1) content that shows your natural upwards progression
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