If I'm hiring people, the slammed out resumes mean nothing to me. You want to know the number one way to attract my attention? Write a cover letter that says that you've actually done some research into the job for which you're applying.
It's a buyer's market out there. You're putting your resume out there with, say, 500 other applicants. Wading through that much shotgunned resume crap is daunting at best. Give me something to grab hold of. Give me a reason to say "Hey, this looks interesting."
Don't waste your time applying for 300 positions. There are not 300 positions out there for which you are qualified, and that you would be happy doing. Instead of shotgunning them, work on two or three or five and really get into understanding the job. Research the company. Research what they need. Find out everything about the company that you can, and spend the time figuring out what you bring to the table that will help the company the most.
Finally, those 300 applications came from where, Monster or some job site? Less then 10% of jobs get filled through job boards. Personal networking accounts for about two thirds of job placement. Instead of wasting time with shotgunning resumes that are obviously shotgunned, work to talk to everyone you can and find pointers to other people who can help you find a job. The jobs are out there, but you have to know where they are.
]]>If you can get your web resume to be even one tenth as interesting as Julian's, you're way ahead of your competition.
]]>Yes, I know you're a master of the web, that you've visited every website written in English, that you've been going to SXSW for ten years, that you were one of the first bloggers, you used Foursquare before it was cool and you can code in HTML in your sleep. Yes, I know that you sit in the back of the room tweeting clever ripostes when speakers are up front failing on a panel and that you had a LOLcat published before they stopped being funny.
But what have you shipped?
What have you done with your connection skills that has been worthy of criticism, that moved the dial and that changed the world?
Go, do that.
Right on, Seth. To that list of "so you can..." I'd add
The tough part is that most of the things that you do "with your connection skills that has been worthy of criticism, that moved the dial and that changed the world" require you to get off your ass and get out from behind a keyboard.
Ever given a talk at a user group meeting? Ever organized a conference? Or lined up a speaker for a user group meeting? Written an article or blog post where people say "That's changed the way I look at things?" Or created software where people say "I don't know how I lived without this?"
When Seth talks about "moved the dial and changed the world," I'll even set the bar a bit lower. When was the last time someone thanked you for downvoting someone on reddit, or being an oh-so-clever snark poster on Slashdot? Ever received appreciations for pointing out what you perceived as someone's shortcomings in a flame war?
Which is more likely?
Get out there from behind your keyboard and do something that builds rather than tears down.
]]>So why do candidates put these sorts of filler bullets at the top of their resumes in sections called "Summary of Qualifications"?
If you are a professional in the computer field, every one of those bullets is assumed . Those are the price of admission, not selling points. Putting such vague mundane "qualifications" as the first thing in your resume says to the reader "I am completely average."
Instead, tell about what makes you awesome, not average. Instead, your summary of qualifications should have bullets more like these:
Bullets like those give specifics. They apply specifically to you, not just anyone like "detail-oriented" does. They make the reader take notice and want to know more. The details grab the attention.
]]>PragPub is on its ninth issue, and is available in four different formats. You can download the entire magazine as a single document in PDF, ePub and .mobi, just like every Pragmatic book, and it's also newly available as HTML. The archives of all nine issues are available as HTML as well.
Here's a list of my columns in past issues:
Every issue has something of interest to me, and I think you'll find something for you as well.
]]>Google Alerts is a fantastic little tool that I don't hear people talk about enough. Google Alerts lets you enter a Google search once, and Google will update you whenever the Googlebot finds new matches for your search, often within only an hour or two of the page's publication.
The most obvious Alert search is your name, as a phrase in double quotes, but that's just the start. Here are some more ideas:
Keep an eye on the results. It's not vanity, it's understanding your personal brand.
For more of my suggestions of how to improve your working life in 2010, see the January 2010 issue of PragPub magazine. It's a free download in three different electronic formats: PDF, ePub and mobi.
]]>The meeting is at OfficePort Chicago, 9 W. Washington, Chicago, IL. Doors open at 5:30pm, and I'll be presenting at 6pm. Afterwards they are hosting a Tech Thursday meetup for socializing and drinks.
One lucky attendee will win a free copy, either electronic or paper, of my book Land The Tech Job You Love.
I hope to see you there!
Interviews have too long been treated like interrogations, probing and testing candidates like they were fruit at a grocer. Effective interviewing reframes the interview as what it really is: the candidate’s first day on the job.
For job-seekers, topics include:
For managers, you’ll learn:
PragPub is published every month in three different formats, so you can read in the format that works best for you. I admit, I print mine out. Sorry, trees!
Finally, from last month, there's an article with me in the blog Interview Mantra.
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