Feb 28 2007
A Resume’s First Impression
You’ve got 30 seconds - A Glimpse and a Hook describes how a typical IT manager quickly scans resumes for potential job candidates, knowing what to look for and what to ignore. Knowing the current industry lingo may work for a recruiter, but not for the person who’s going to conduct the job interview. This is a good read for those wanting to get hired and those hiring.
I’ve been involved in reviewing resumes and conducting job interviews, in addition to working in various positions in software development field, so I know what to look for. The resume HAS to stand out in some way, but it also shouldn’t try to pull the wool of one’s eyes with techno-babble and generalization.
I’ve been reading a lot of resumes lately. Some from internal people and some from external (external being not at all affiliated with the company yet, internal meaning they’re alerady in the company just on another team). A couple of weeks ago we got one from an EXCELLENT external candidate, and a so-so internal. Looks like we’re going to be getting the so-so internal guy because it’s easier to hire them.
The external guy’s resume was 7 pages, but it freakin’ needed to be, the guy dabbles in curing diseases in his spare time. The internal guy’s resume was hilarious, he had grammar mistakes and misaligned bullets, 5 seconds into reading it I was shaking my head. Apparently on his interview he stammered a lot, not really knowing how to answer the questions. He scares me.