Ask HN: How can I improve my resume?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10829002

by __KnighT__ • 11 years ago

9 11 11 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I'm graduating in May and have started the job hunt now. Here's my current resume:

http://postimg.org/image/kw4ozymup/

What can I do to improve it? I'm worried that it might be too long and wordy, but at the same time I don't want to skip any important details. Thanks!

orionblastar• 11 years ago

You forgot to list your skills that you used to make those projects. What languages and technologies you use, did you work in a team did you manage any people on a team?

You resume is still a bit short.

You might also want to create a Linkedin profile and link to it in your resume. Get some friends to endorse you on skills so you get credit for them.

orange_county• 11 years ago

Please use a different image hosting site. Preferably one without ads. This one kept giving me pop ups on mobile.

Get rid of objective, it is unnecessary.

__KnighT__2• 11 years ago

I'm sorry about that -- Imgur wasn't accepting uploads.

pattu7773• 11 years ago

You have a very good profile. But the look and feel of your resume can be improved. I do have some suggestions.

1. Remove the objective section.

2. Remove unnecessary new lines and spaces.

3. Make the education section short. I don't think you need to add specific topics that you read in your courses.

4. List what you did on your job and projects as bullet points instead of a paragraph.

5. Create a Github account and upload your code there. Then provide a link to your Github account in your resume.

6. Create a Linkedin account and add it to your resume.

7. I always add a Hobbies section. Not sure if it's necessary or not.

8. Also if you have a personal website, add it to your resume.

I would suggest you to use any sample CV template. Take a look at http://www.careercup.com/resume. Hope it helps.

__KnighT__2• 11 years ago

Thanks. I have more details about my job -- should I add them, or leave as is?

pattu7773• 11 years ago

No need to add more info. Quality is better than quantity. Figure out max 2-3 accomplishments of each project and list them as bullet points.

zhte415• 11 years ago

2. Remove unnecessary new lines and spaces.

Add new lines and spaces. A cramped wall-of-text is the last thing someone needs when reading a CV.

pattu7773• 11 years ago

You are right. But I meant restructure it to make it look simple and clean.

chadkruse• 11 years ago

Good start. Couple of quick thoughts:

I agree with others the look and feel can be improved. A great solution to that problem is the open source project JSONResume [0] and its brother-from-another-mother HackMyResume [1].

The exercise of entering your information as structured data may be beneficial in itself (both projects run off a JSON file), as the schema forces you to adopt generally accepted best practices (e.g. each job should contain a short intro summary with a few bullet points to showcase accomplishments/highlights). The primary benefit is it gives you access to dozens of well designed templates, many geared towards recent CS grads.

Good luck!

[0] http://jsonresume.org/

[1] https://github.com/hacksalot/HackMyResume

Simorgh• 11 years ago

Hi, I think your resume is fairly strong. You seem to have the right structure.

The thing to remember is that recruiters typically spend about 6 seconds on a resume. And this I hear from recruiters.

The objective section is crucial by the way, and can be improved by succinctly summarising your past. It is often the only thing that will be read.

You should prepare a tailor-made resume for each application, with the name of the job title you are applying for, in each application. This creates a level of personalisation that will put you ahead of other applicants.

If you want more help I'd get the book, 'Great Answers to Tough Interview Questions' by Martin Yate. In part, it describes how to sculpt your resume. Everyone I know who got that book got multiple job offers, and no, I'm not an affiliate for the book!

mhuangw• 11 years ago

I'd remove the objective and references sections. Those tend to be unnecessary on modern resumes. You can then move your school and degree information down to the education section.

I also prefer bullets for project / job descriptions. People are only going to skim over the content, so detailed paragraphs aren't ideal.

Do you have a GitHub? It can be helpful to link to your profile if you have any projects or open-source contributions. I landed my current internship as a result of having code posted online for people to look at.

Ask HN: How can I improve my resume?

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