Your resume probably sucks (mine did)
You've probably read up on how to write a kick-ass resume and cover letter, I sure have. But until recently, when I found myself on the other side of the resume pile, I never took it as seriously as I should have. Based on some very frustrating moments I've compiled some Dos and Don'ts you really shouldn't fail at when you're sending out resumes.
Do:
- Keep it to a single page (maaaaaybe 2 pages if you're amazing)
When they say people will spend 10 seconds looking at your resume they really mean 5. Maybe. I spent about 3 seconds on some. One guy sent in an 8 page resume! If you can't boil your last 20 years down to only what's relevant I don't trust you to produce clean, sassy code. - Put your name and phone number in the header of every page
Even though people probably won't print a copy of your resume you can't count on yours being the only one they're reading. Many browsers, many tabs, many people. Don't make me hunt for who I'm looking at.
- Open with a Summary or Highlights section
Pull the most relevant bits from each job together into a single overview and I will love you forever (and, more importantly, be calling you right up for an interview).
Don't
- Misspell your own name
Seriously. This happened. On a cover letter for a job that involved producing customer support correspondence as the main responsibility. - Misspell my name
My name isn't hard. It's 3 letters. N-O-X. Yes, it's a bit unusual, but you can ctrl-C... ctrl-V your way to victory. I got one cover letter addressed to Dennis. Whoever Dennis is, I feel certain he'd agree with my decision to pass on that applicant. - Send me a generic cover letter
You're certain you would be a perfect fit for "the position advertised." If you're not going to spend 15 seconds customizing at least the opening paragraph, I'm not spending any of my time interviewing you. Let's not even talk about the guy who sent me his Ubisoft cover letter. (I don't work for Ubisoft. Although I'd sure like to chat with their HR.)
TL;DR: Keep it short, simple and customized. Seriously.
