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Ryan Norton
Ryan Norton

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Resume tips

Regarding job hunting, what are some tips regarding a good resume that you have learned over the years?

-Ryan

Top comments (11)

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kaydacode profile image
Kim Arnett 

Less is more! Your resume should be a talking point, not a explain-it-all document.

Focus on the job you want not the job you have - target your skill set and relevant information towards that.
.. I might have to come back and add more after I think about it a bit :)

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ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Definitely +1 on these thoughts. Looks like @yaphi1 agrees in their comment. A resumé should be skimmable, and extra details about yourself like Microsoft Office Proficiency can actually make you seem like a more generic candidate.

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rhymes

I agree 100%.

If you can keep it one page long is better (which does not mean use font size 4 and write everything you can come up with :D).

My last CV (which hasn't been updated since 2013 I just noticed :D) is a two column document.

First column (1 third of the page size) is more or less a list of paragraphs: how to contact me, my strengths, technologies i know well (I'm bad at most things "Microsoft Office" so I don't even mention that :D), goals (i like to tell the interviewer what i aim for), spoken languages.

The other column (2 thirds of the page size) is the list of most recent positions and what i've done in each job broadly speaking.

Also very important: re-check your CV and personalize cover letters for each position you apply to.

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rjpsyco009 profile image
Ryan Norton

Thanks so much!

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yaphi1 profile image
Yaphi Berhanu

Having read through a bunch of resumes, I agree very much that less is more.

Use simple language and focus on the most relevant highlights.

It's exhausting to read through a wall of text about how someone "leveraged best-in-class synergistic value-add processes to elevate written communication instruments" when the actual task is that they picked a pencil up off the ground.

Another tip:
Find a way to talk to someone at the company of interest beforehand and ask what they need help with in the role. It's like getting the answer key, and it's a win-win situation. You can prepare and learn the most relevant things, and they get a prepared, relevant candidate.

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rjpsyco009 profile image
Ryan Norton

Thanks!

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yellowbrickcode profile image
Sarah Williams

When you're updating your CV over the years, as well as adding the new things you've learned, make sure you also remove the stuff that isn't relevant anymore.

I remember going through mine after a few years of updating and realising there were some languages listed in my skills that I couldn't even remember the basic syntax for and had no interest in using again in the future.

In our early careers we can be prone to bloating our skills by listing every language we've ever used. I think it's important to make sure you refine this part of your CV as you progress and start to focus on certain areas.

Also +1 in agreement with the others who've said to make it skimmable!

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rjpsyco009 profile image
Ryan Norton

Bloating is definitely what I did. Glad you mentioned that. Definitely going to keep that in mind! Thank you!

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George

Keep the details to a minimum save all the high end details for your portfolio. Majority of companies looking for a developer aren't as interested in your qualifications now (still keep them on there) but they look at the work you've done. I normally tend to keep a resume linked in or inserted into the email when applying.

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Peter Kim Frank

@rjpsyco009 you might enjoy this great article from @bhilburn on the subject: dev.to/bhilburn/writing-an-awesome...

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ben profile image
Ben Halpern

This one is also spot on dev.to/jennifer/a-quick-post-about...