Recently, I had gotten feedback that my resume and cover letter did not quite match up. Neither seemed to talk enough about the coding bootcamp that I had listed in my education section.
In reviewing my resume again, I realize I boot the name of the bootcamp, the year, but I didn't specify that I was starting it in May 2019.
Which has me thinking. Should you list in-progress—or in my case, soon to be started—bootcamps when applying for developer roles? Why or why not?
Thinking aloud, mentioning that you are enrolling in a bootcamp may set you apart from other candidates. At the same time, what if it detracts and makes the hiring manager think you might be too distracted to balance a full-time job in addition to a bootcamp.
What are your thoughts?
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Top comments (2)
If I came across a resume where someone listed an educational component they had not started yet, I would consider that misleading./dishonest and it would go into the "nope" pile instantly. I failed out of university, but I was there for 4 years so it looks like I finished if you don't read carefully. In my description it mentions that I received 90something credit hours towards a BSCS degree before I left school to become an Emergency Medical Technician. I'd say only about 50% of recruiters actually read that part, so I have had to correct people in interviews before and explain that there was a miscommunication somewhere along the way and I didn't finish my degree. Most of the time, it isn't an issue and I think my honesty was appreciated. Once or twice that immediately stopped the interview, but if a company was so obsessed about following policies like that, it's a sign I probably wouldn't fit in well with that kind of company culture. I have also had companies change job descriptions for me so that I could get hired without a degree, YMMV but in general, people will appreciate honesty.
TBH, I haven't seen any resume not mentioning the dates of the listed experiences (and most probably they will ask about the dates in the interview).
The idea might be a bit misleading since it hasn't started (yet).
If it's already ongoing then absolutely you can list it.