Over the years I have reviewed a lot of dev job applications and resumes and done a ton of interviews with dev candidates. Looking back on all of i...
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How do you know what to put in a resume & what to leave out?
Most job descriptions I have read recently are either extremely vague (develop high quality software complying with industry best practices) or ask for experience in every technology the company uses.
Trying to create a single resume to get past the electronic submission system and be pleasing to the human it may reach has been extremely difficult. Especially since current HR policies provide no feedback on why you were rejected or by whom (person or computer).
Any ideas on how to beat keyword scanning but still be concise?
I don't have any advice on that front because as I said in the post, I always go straight to a human. Even if it means looking someone up from the company on LinkedIn and emailing them my resume.
While I agree it can look deceitful, I can also see how it might be necessary to get your foot in the door to get an interview. I think it is a symptom of the broken hiring processes in tech. An example might be a 10-year Java developer that is applying for a C# job. Maybe they used C# on a small project a while back or they are actively working on a personal project with it, but do not have nearly the same amount of experience as Java. Whether they "know" C# is debatable, but I think they could easily pick it up. If they only list Java and not C# on their resume, chances are they will be automatically rejected from companies, even if a human is reading the application. In-house recruiters may not know that Java and C# are similar and the recruiter was tasked with finding a C# developer. Does it make the Java developer a bad candidate? I would say no. Should that Java developer be locked into using Java for the remainder of their career? I would also say no.
There could be a coding test and they can complete it using C# without a problem. If they make it past the screening and get an interview, will C# trivia be the best approach to legitimize the candidate? They have already proven they can write C# in the code screening. I think I would be more interested in learning about how they approach problems and work with others than the specific ins-and-outs of a certain technology.
Only listing what you are an expert in could limit your opportunities or pigeonhole you into working with a particular technology that you may no longer want to use. It can make experienced developers feel like imposters all over again.
Personally, I think you should filter out "non-relevant" jobs from your resume. Anything that doesn't demonstrate your ability to do the job you are applying for, get rid of it. I always tailor my resume for the position I am applying so that it highlights what that position is looking for. By doing this it is easier to keep it to a single page.
So are you saying to use a non-chronological approach to building a resume. That means there may be gaps in the dates and jobs listed on a resume. How would you suggest explaining those to a perspective employer? Is there a difference between tailoring a resume and leaving items off?
Which brings up a different set of questions. Is it ethical to leave 10 yrs off a resume b/c it may not seem relevant to a specific job title. That's a ligit question. Is it deceptive to appear 5-10 or 15 yrs younger on paper than when you arrive? What can or should a person leave off their resume?
I like the website. But does your site supersede the need for a resume? Is that your point? I'm not sure.