What to include in techie resumé

October 12, 2006 3:46 PM

My friend seeks a job as a web developer focusing on the creation of web applications. I'm trying to put together a resumé for him that will showcase his considerable tech skills, but I'm not sure which specifics to include, which ones to leave out, or how to phrase the information in a manner palatable to potential employers. He recently moved to Wisconsin and will probably soon be moving to Vermont, so he doesn't know any other local geeks who can provide info on the lay of the land.

"Fred" is in his early twenties and very talented when it comes to technology. His work history and education look somewhat slackerish on paper (though he's definitely not lazy; he just hasn't been too interested in formal eduction or a career), so I figure this needs to be a skill-centric resumé. I intend to pack it full of "Fred can do this, this, and this" and "Fred did that, that, and that." I have no doubt that if we can give potential employers an accurate picture of his abilities and experience, he'll get the kind of job he wants.

So, um, how do I make such a resumé?

I'm certainly not computer illiterate, but I don't know nearly as much about this stuff as Fred does. And neither of us know much about the corporate/IT culture he's trying to enter.

One of my problems here is that Fred can do so many different things. He's modded Xboxes and compiled kernels. He's created web sites, applications, and AJAX methods. He can use C#, Visual Basic, PHP, SQL, XML, and a whole bunch of other languages and technologies. An awful lot of his projects were pursued entirely for their own sake and didn't generate paychecks, so there's no apparent (to me, at least) pattern or progression. For the last two years or so, Fred worked as a web developer for a local company. A typical project during his employment: a web application that searched a number of law enforcement databases (a state government contract gig). He created the back end for it as well as an interface. The project involved lots of MySQL.

I've seen several examples of tech-centric resumés, and they all seemed to be very big on laundry lists of technologies,languages, applications, operating systems, etc. that the applicant can handle. I have such lists for Fred, but I'm worried that, by themselves, they don't provide enough information. For example, AJAX is in the list of technologies he uses, but there's no additional info. I mean, couldn't any schmuck who's completed an intro level tutorial on the subject put the acronym "AJAX" on his resumé? How do I make it clear that Fred is considerably more proficient than that? The obvious answer is that I need to include more details and information, but I'm not sure which details or what kind of information. What does the employer need to know in order to be convinced that Fred has the desired level of the necessary skills?

(Or am I just making this more complicated than it needs to be?)

(Also, when listing the projects he's pursued on his own, wouldn't employers frown upon the the ones that involve P2P, war driving, prank phone call web sites, (ahem) security protocol testing, etc.? Or would some of these things earn him geek cred?)

Please give whatever advice you think appropriate. My email address is in my profile, please feel free to contact me privately if you think it best.

posted by Clay201 to work & money (6 comments total)

I was a geek in Vermont. It is fantastic. Hope this helps.
posted by k8t at 3:48 PM on October 12, 2006

I think you're overrthinking this. Did you google tech resume? heh.

Use a skills section. This is where you list ALL skills, group things like organization with things like dedication, and things like AJAX with things like PHP. This is not where you state the JS function you used to create whatever "AJAX method", this is just where you pile on the acronyms.

Include a project section (maybe after you list the jobs). This is where to prove he actually knows the technologies, and where people who aren't at all interested in non-professional work won't bother reading. You should go into detail over how the technologies are used here, just as you would in the section for each job. Working demo sites help. I know people who got jobs primarily through side projects. I don't think hacking an xbox, or LARPING, is really something you should put in a resume, unless you are app'ing to piratebay or something ..
posted by shownomercy at 3:55 PM on October 12, 2006

If the job description lists specific technologies, methodologies, software, or whatever, then list those things first on your resume. Even if it means just changing the order of things you know or have done, you want to tailor the resume to the job you are responding to.

My resume is in these sections, in order: objective, summary, education, work

The summary section is where I list specific technologies that I have experience in. This resume is from when I was graduating College, so that is why education is listed before work. If you have relevant jobs, then definitely put that section first.

As I said, I wrote this in college based on how they instructed us to write out resumes, so take that with whatever amount of salt you prefer.
posted by utsutsu at 4:03 PM on October 12, 2006

Google around, there are quite a few tech resume examples floating about.

Ensure that every single technology/acronym your friend has any experience with is included, even if it's never mentioned again in the details section. HR people and recruiters usually don't know the difference between AJAX and Javascript, for example (where one implies knowledge of the other). They frequently hunt for keywords, either manually or electronically, and toss those that don't have the exact ones they want. I've had HR people claim I didn't know VB because I only had "Visual Basic" on my resume.

As for the P2P, prank call sites, etc - I wouldn't mention the dirty specifics, but mention technologies used, roles played in site development, etc. It is experience, so definitely include it, but use a little common sense.

The goal of the resume is to get an interview. Yes, every smuck who's read a book can put AJAX on his resume. So include "developed such and such a website with a focus on useabilty, utilizing AJAX, blah blah blah" But once you get the interview, (hopefully) the smuck's inexperience with AJAX will become painfully apparent, and your friend's knowledge will stand out.
posted by cgg at 4:39 PM on October 12, 2006

This is one of those things that's great to emphasize - that his experience shows (a) passion, and (b) ability to learn things quickly/without hand holding.

On a case by case basis, you may decide that it's better for a cover letter, an interview, whatever, to point this out. I'm currently lacking a "solid" skill set in the sense that most of my work experience has involved picking up a language or a skill on the fly, doing the job, and then not really continuing with it, and I emphasize this in my cover letter - that despite my youth and inexperience, I can adapt to a variety of demands. I'm working on improving the list of things I can say I'm "proficient" at, but in the meantime, pointing out the above has served me well.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 9:05 PM on October 12, 2006

Any idiot can put whatever they want on their resumes. The people who are the real deal put URL examples of stuff they've done.

I run a small dev team, and I love to hire people who do computer projects for the fun of it... it shows that they have a passion for computers. It also shows ambition, creativity. It's OK to be a little quirky as a programmer. I think people expect that.

If he doesn't have a portfolio site, he should throw something together that demonstrates his skillz.
posted by ph00dz at 5:23 AM on October 13, 2006