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Guess what, you are not alone.
Top technology companies like Google receive over 2 million job applications in a year and hire about 5000 people only.
Presumably this includes all roles in Google, it is quite possible that odds are even lower for their engineering positions.
Admittedly, this is one of the premier technology companies, but the situation is not much different at other places as well.
There is a good chance that your resume is going to be shelved without you ever figuring out the reason behind it.
To not end up in the rejected pile, you must avoid the following mistakes regarding your resume 1.
As per the Impact Group study in 2010, job applications using networking or referrals are far more successful than applying online.
The higher your salary, the more effective networking becomes.
Do you have a few minutes to chat on Thursday about what you guys are doing?
Not tailoring your resume for each job application One of the biggest mistake you can make is to use the same resume for each job application.
While most of the content will remain the same, it is easy to customize the headline and summary sections at the top where you can convey your fit for that particular position.
You can highlight the relevant skills in your professional summary that enables the employer to quickly get a grasp of most impressive and pertinent things in your profile.
If you are using Resumonk, you can easily clone a resume and customize it for different job applications.
For example, check these 2 samples below: 3.
It also demonstrates your writing skills and how clearly you can communicate your thoughts.
Perhaps, writing is the single most useful skill to have for an engineer apart from the technical know-how itself.
It gives you a great advantage when the prospective employer can look at your site or blog and assess your fit for their work.
On the contrary, they easily have the most number of topic options for writing apart from lolcats may be.
One easy way is to think of blogging as a way of taking notes for your future reference.
All these software developer resume examples 2014 for great blog articles.
These links again help establish your credibility and demonstrate your real world skills like no other.
At the very least, LinkedIn profile must be added.
Not including a cover letter While cover letters are a big topic on their own, we want to emphasize that writing a tailored cover letter can significantly improve the quality of your application and chances of shortlisting for an interview.
The great things is that writing a good cover letter can help most when you are applying without referrals!
So, if you do end up applying to online postings, do pay extra attention on your cover letters.
Key is to be short and sweet.
It is easy to just list your responsibilities for each previous role and move on.
But, most employers, would like to know your accomplishments.
Focus on what you achieved.
See how employment details are listed in this resume — 6.
Not quantifying the impact Continuing on the previous point, you can make your achievements sound much better by quantifying it.
Not highlighting the relevant projects It is like going to a theme party in a black suit.
You might be allowed to enter but you will not get the hottest dance partner!
Top tech companies and startups are looking for killer projects in your profile.
Anyone can build the mundane school projects but what personal projects did you create?
Did you build an expense sharing app to use among your friends?
Or a budget app for your Mom?
These projects show your passion for programming because you built them just for fun or utility.
Good companies look for such passionate candidates.
These projects can make or break your shortlisting chances especially when your current job profile is not very lucrative.
If you are an enterprise application developer at a Bank and are applying to Google, then most probably your work might not impress them straight away.
To make the cut, you need to differentiate yourself.
Again, to do this right, you need to understand the job requirement first and then, determine what kind of projects would be more relevant.
Cut out old school projects and add those instead.
Not using the right keywords Most of the big employers and job boards use applicant tracking systems to store and manage the huge number of resumes received by them.
Keyword search becomes a necessary evil here for the screening and finding the right set of candidates.
So, think of what keywords are pertinent to the position you are applying for and include those in your resume to ensure that is is shortlisted in the first level filtering.
Here is a neat trick — Each job has specific requirement.
They are looking for specific skills.
These form great keywords to use in your resume!
Does it guarantee that your resume will be shortlisted?
Probably not but it is still worth trying.
Bad formatting Resumes should look neat and readable on screen and if they are printed on paper.
Too much and you are wasting space, too less and you make it unreadable Do print your final version and see how it looks on paper.
Freshers might emphasize on their education background, thereby keeping the education section topmost.
Additionally, we are trying to keep the resume under one page.
Rather than having separate sections for Internships, Research Experience etc.
Look at this on Resumonk for proper formatting and sections layout.
Not keeping it short You might have a long list of accomplishments in your stellar career, but still there is no justification for letting your resume run longer than 1 or max 1.
Being concise is also a skill employer is looking for.
So, instead of thinking how to fit everything in a short space, think — what are things important enough to be in the first 1.
Focus on what you did and let your interviewer draw his conclusions.
Whether you are an out of the box thinker or not is something that he can decide based on the work you have done.
This is why we emphasize on using action verbs in phrases and quantifying your achievements so that you can put your best foot forward and let the interviewer draw the right conclusions.
If possible, please ask someone else to also proofread your resume before submitting.
Basic mistakes and typos can leave a bad impression about best of the candidates.
In fact, there can be times when it serves as a negative signal.
Ideally, your expertise in a technology should be reflected in your projects and not in the number of certifications with your name.
Unless a job opening specifically asks for a certification or it is valuable and extremely relevant, you should leave it out of your resume.
At the end, a resume is supposed to highlight your accomplishments and skills relevant to the position that you are applying.
Every line should conform to this purpose.
Anything that does not add value to your candidacy should be mercilessly left out.
A well made resume that prioritizes the right information helps you get past the initial screening.
During the interview, it presents you as an organized and thoughtful individual with an eye for detail.
Spend some effort in making your resume stand out and it would multiply your chances of landing your dream job.
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So let's talk about things from a software engineer's perspective.
Unless you have two+ decades of experience you do not have enough interesting things to say on your resume, and I just won't read it.
Include a github link or a personal site if you want to show off what you've done.
Recruiters look for keywords, engineers look for algorithms, techniques and niche software.
Listing the twenty languages you've used is pretty standard, but we both know that you'd be most comfortable with a small subset, so try to specify which those are.
I don't do this, but some interviewers will pick an area that you've listed software developer resume examples 2014 your resume and deep dive on the nuance, and hold it against you when you flounder.
There's only so much you can get across in an interview setting especially when accounting for nervousness, bad questions, scheduling, etc.
Assuming basic stuff, like spell-checking and truthfulness, consider that the best result of the recruiting process is a great match that happens quickly.
For that to happen, both the company and the candidate must describe themselves accurately and succinctly.
I started my career at a company that made recruiting a science, so much so that my second job involved spinning off a second company for matching technical graduates to companies.
Since then, I've applied much of software developer resume examples 2014 experience to several startups.
Hiring managers are time-constrained and will review dozens or even hundreds of resumes for a single position.
In that environment, a concise, content-dense resume makes a delightful first impression.
I know some recruiters that read the one-pagers first.
Since most people stop reviewing when they have a handful of promising options, strive to be at the top of the stack.
So, edit your resume down to just the best stuff, which fits on one side of a standard sheet of paper with sane margins and font sizes.
This takes discipline, but anything more than one page lacks focus, and suggests the candidate is taking the scattershot approach of write once, blast everywhere.
Everyone software developer resume examples 2014 the same result: a specific match.
If you send out the exact same resume to every company, then in a way you are signing up for a Lowest Common Denominator scenario.
Consider tailoring specific versions of your resume for the top companies on your list.
This step is also a good filter for company selection: if every company on your list seems equally suited to your boilerplate resume, then maybe you're not excited enough about any one in particular.
Your future co-workers are trying to imagine you filling an open spot on their team.
Provide narratives that illustrate what that would be like.
Since most companies divide work into projects, describe some that have been meaningful to you.
Think of these as introductory paragraphs to longer discussions that you'll bring to the interview.
The best result here is for your reader to finish a section and conclude, 'This sounds like what we need here.
If it's on your resume, it's fair game for deep questioning, and neither you nor your interviewer wants you to be embarrassed.
This is less about being truthful which is already given and more about choosing content that leads to fruitful discussion.
In other words, it's against expectation if an interviewer asks you about something that you wrote and you give a flat answer.
Think of your resume as the own deck of cards you bring to the table, stacked heavily in your favor.
Any card that your interviewer pulls should be a fantastic result for you.
Another reason to closely edit your resume: the contents will often determine what you're tested on, if tests are part of the interview.
The practical side about recruiting involves forwarding resumes around, so be maximally available.
If you sign your emails to a recruiter with a link to your resume, that is your best bet that an interviewer will have read it before meeting you.
I have also noticed more people simply printing out LinkedIn pages, which implies that they've Googled for a candidate.
Maintain any online records of work that you control.
A resume is itself a work product.
A great one will demonstrate professional discipline, good communication skills, and a specific approach to the task at hand — all of which are desirable qualities in an engineer or any other team member.
First thing to keep in mind is that your resume makes up maybe 1% of your job search.
Most people mistakenly feel that its the end all to landing the career opportunity of a lifetime.
There are many people who can't write a resume worth squat, who are brilliant at what they do sw engrs especially!
I view the resume as one piece of your 'career portfolio', and not necessarily the first piece you want to create at that.
Should be done in a spreadsheet format.
You'll notice in that list that I did begin or even hint at starting to do a search of newspaper, company websites, or job board ads.
Hence a great well thought out match trumps all!
But this way it will always be highly targeted to the potential employer, will be focused on actual Benefits that you offer to them, and will be a powerful document.
My personal belief is that the best approach however, is to contact each of the specific companies, and hiring authorities you want to pursue and have something to bring to the table forfirst by phone, email, or social media.
Is more to be said on this topic, but you get the gist.
Feel free to email if you need help.
Your resume is a marketing piece, and you should treat it as such.
If you're trying to sell a car, you won't get far by telling people how great the spark plugs are and how it 'runs well.
These are the kinds of benefits that employers drool at.
If you have a two-page resume and the second page has lots of great content while the first page is boring, then that's a big waste - most people won't even get to your second page.
On a side note, the 'Objective' statement that's found in traditional resumes is usually fluff.
Bullet points, numbering, tasteful usage of bolding and italics, etc.
Someone should be able to figure what school you went to and what roles you've had at different companies within 5-10 seconds of looking at you resume.
If you do, I promise that you'll eventually get caught.
It should all be good, but try to be aware of which 2-3 things really stand out.
When you have a few very strong bullet points, many interviewers will naturally ask you about them.
As a concrete example, my resume mentions that I sped up one of LinkedIn's core algorithms by 200x.
Even though that happened at the very beginning of my career, I would say something like 60% of interviewers ask me about that single bullet point and nothing else.
Understanding that people are curious and will ask you about the most interesting things on your resume means that you can really polish up your responses and give a great first impression.
Many tech recruiters are searching Linkedin - so be certain to have an informative up to date Linkedin profile.
I have interviewed many tech recruiters who say 8 seconds is how long they look at a resume - they look at geographic location, last job and education, then skills list for a technical job.
Then they look for projects and achievements.
Many software Engineer hiring managers do not want to read a lot of information.
Highlight your technical qualifications in a technical qualifications profile, try to keep your resume to 3 pages or under I have had many, many clients with 3 page resumes who have been very successful in hi tech - but often 2 pages is sufficient.
Bullet points are fine - but that does not mean they need to be one sentence - a bullet point about a project may be 2 sentences- with sub-points highlighting technical accomplishments.
Also include details about customer interactions, documentation skills, team collaborations and 'soft' skills.
Does a cover letter matter -yep, not always in the first round but I know many hiring managers who say once they are given a list of candidates resumes they often all look alike and the cover letter helps them understand a little more about the candidate.
They like to see highlights or projects not just a repeat of the resume.
A cover letter adds value during and after an interview as it gives you a voice and personality.
This leaves software developer resume examples 2014 perfect opportunity to review some basic tips for handling resumes and establishing an online presence, after all, resumes are no longer limited to simple paper versions.
It should be short and simple and provide very basic information.
This is great if the plan is to be a professional job seeker.
A single page, in a readable font, provides enough space to put a name, a few companies and education before there is no more room left on the page.
Single page resumes are often looked at and quickly discarded because there is nothing on them that really catches attention.
Tip 2 - Explicitly show experience A potential employer is not going to take the time to read between the lines as to whether an individual has a certain type of experience or skill.
Experience needs to be explicitly declared and not implied.
This can be done by listing each project that was performed at a company and then providing details as to what was involved.
Demonstration of problem identification and the ability to come up with a solution is critical.
Tip 3 - Use bullet points to improve readability Instead of writing paragraphs about the work performed at a company or on a project, the use of bullet points is highly recommended because they can drastically improve the readability of a resume.
Bullet points are a quick way to break down skills and efforts that were put into a project.
They allow the potential employer to quickly skim through and catch the highlights or experience.
Figure 1 shows an example of how sentence structure can be combined with bullet points to effectively get the point across.
This is something that someone adhering to the one page rule would never be able to do.
Choose from thousands of industry-specific bullet points and write a professional application in minutes.
Read why you should try our resume builder today.
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Table of Contents Hello and Welcome to RedditResume!
The is the first edition of RedditResume, which will become an ongoing project.
First, a little back story.
I really enjoy reading the resumes subreddit.
It sports over 13,000 subscribers, and has a surprisingly active community.
Simply put, the community is great.
People put a lot of time and effort into responding to requests for resume critiques — and they do it for free!
My goal with RedditResume is to drive even more interest towards the subreddit, and create a place where real professional advice is given freely and consistently.
Even now, the community is fairly healthy, but I think it could become a robust space where resume writing professionals and career advisors can showcase their knowledge and skills, engage in collaborative debate, and help people find jobs from start to finish.
Did they actually get the job?
I think it could end up being an interesting experiment that could provide a lot of benefit to folks who need it.
Today, I critiqued a resume by a college student studying computer science, hoping to land a software engineering internship.
I asked for his permission to reprint his resume here, sans contact details.
Please join the thread and make your own comment!
Click to expand the resumes Note: I changed the font size to 12 to make the resume more legible, and the contact details to maintain anonymity.
Otherwise, it is exactly as originally formatted.
RedditResume: Software Engineer Intern Resume Tips Hello!
Your resume looks decent, but some making just a few changes would make it look more professional and increase your chances of getting interviewed.
Objectives are viewed as outdated.
The content of that introduction section will also need to change.
After all, everyone applying to those positions wants that.
So how can you stand out?
How many positions are you applying for?
Do these positions emphasize having familiarity with the same programming languages and scripting, or different ones?
Your education section looks great otherwise.
Next, volunteer experience Your bullet points are phrased a bit awkwardly.
Maybe be more specific about how you assisted Year 7 students.
Begin your bullet points with action verbs.
Instead of listing your skills gained, try to develop bullet points that convey how your communication skills improved, and how you demonstrated leadership skills.
Under those subheadings, create bullet points reflecting tasks that prove your communication and teamwork abilities, and also your skills.
Remove the part about struggling with a team programming task.
At least rework it to sound more positive.
Try to frame it in terms of working together to solve complex problems, rather than being given a helping hand.
As a software engineer, your hard skills are most important.
Although you listed your skills at the top of your resume in your Professional Profile, I would re-list them.
If your resume is read by an Applicant Tracking System resume reading software , having more relevant skills keywords on your resume will give you a higher chance of getting through the robotic guardian.
Best of luck to you!
A two page resume is acceptable — increase the font size to 12.
And please, join the RedditResume Critique Project.
Get awesome job opportunities sent directly to your inbox.
Email Address Send Me Job Alerts Think you can judge the quality of a resume within 6 seconds?
The answer may surprise you.
Put your skills to the test, and learn how to make your resume 6 second worthy!
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On the other hand, a resume that tries to stick to the one page rule is not going to cut it software developer resume examples 2014 a technical person unless they are new to the field. Submitted information will be kept confidential according to our. I really enjoy reading the resumes subreddit. While most of the content will remain the same, it is easy to customize the headline and summary sections at the top where you can software developer resume examples 2014 your fit for that particular position. Software developer resume examples 2014 answer may surprise you. So, edit your resume down to just the best stuff, which fits on one side of a standard sheet of paper with sane margins and font sizes. Right now she is now looking for a suitable position with a company that places a strong emphasis on the growth and development of its employees. An overly long resume doesn't necessarily make me rule out a candidate, but why make it hard on me? First thing to keep in mind is that your resume makes up maybe 1% of your job search. First, a little back story. After all, everyone applying to those positions wants that. Do these positions emphasize having familiarity with the same programming languages and scripting, or different ones? Or a budget app for your Mom? Here is a neat trick — Each job has specific requirement. For example, you might have a couple dozen bullet points listed under each job on your career management document, then choose and refine only a handful for each resume you submit. Make sure that your experience highlights your skills I don't expect your employment history to include a list of all your skills. Next, volunteer experience Your bullet points are phrased a bit awkwardly. In most cases, I am not even curious about your education until I have already made up my mind. We do not spam you nor sell your email to third parties.