Writing Tech Résumés Sucks

[mbarrick]

Summarizing the assorted, complicated mess of stuff that I do in a way that will make any sense at all to non-technical human-resources people is an exercise in brain-bending. It comes off looking like random monkey/keyboard action: XML ASP VPN DECS IIS IBM HTTP Apache HTML CSS *nix Win32 AS/400 C+ PHP R5 R6 DB2 SQL... lkslkasjd aslkhfgllia kashdgfl iasubf rbe! GAH!! And that ain't the half of it. Deciding what to put in, what to leave out, what to highlight, what to play down... I hate this shit.

I was excited when I joined Lignum because there were people on the IT staff that had been there for decades and I figured I'd never have to leave, that if I left at all it would be when I was ready to move on. Pardon me while I once again kick myself for not taking up my father's business and becoming an upholsterer...

Comments

[sciencequeen.livejournal.com]

It depends on what you're applying for...if that information is all equally as relevant, then leave it all in.

But if you were applying for a change in direction, say customer service, it would be irrelvant to list all of your computer knowledge; they'd be more interested in your customer service experience.

If it's all computer related though, play it up to what the position demands. For example, if they want someone who was programming experience specifically, list your languages first, then your operating systems. If they want you to be their server babysitter, list your web-applicable and server stuff first...etc. Always do it in descending relevance. You have to assume that the person reading it has the attention span of a pumpkin. :)

Good luck, and whatever you do, don't make a simple spelling error/typo. It may not mean too much to the employer, but it's just general "resume ettiquette" to not misspell anything that you're handing out as a formal representation of yourself. And if they want a cover letter too, then you can let your bullshit skills shine right on! ;)

[valerian.livejournal.com]

Yeah, what she said!

;)

[alifeinexile.livejournal.com]

Hey, if you are thinking of contracting again, you should shoot us a resume. www.knowledgetech.com Who knows if our PAGO system sells soon, which its grearing up to do in the next few months, you may be a good addition to the team. Either way, we should get your resume on file.

Re: Writing Tech Résumés Sucks

[tnkgrl.livejournal.com]

Do what I do... Customize your resume beased on what job you're applying for and embellish it a little, because if you're like me you'll quickly learn the stuff you don't know yet and besides it's hard to tell what's real these days anyway!