resume

My resume template is now available on CTAN, the TeX archive. This will make it easier for LaTeX users to use to create a resume. It is called tucv and the style file was created by George Louthan. Check it out!

We were recently looking to fill a "Senior Java Developer" position. We got some interesting applications that went straight into the "no pile". I'm sure there are tons of list out there like this one but I couldn't resist listing a few of the things I saw:

• Your resume looks like it was written using Microsoft Works for Windows. It kind of document I might have made in 1990 with my old 386.
• Your resume is 7 pages long. This guy thought "don't make your resume 3-4 pages" meant that it should be even longer, not shorter. Sorry, if you can't summarize your experience in 1-2 pages, or, if you can't put in the effort to tailor your resume for the specific position, you're probably incapable of doing a lot of other things.
• The subject line of your email says that you are applying for the Senior Software Developer position and then in the closing line of your cover letter you say "I'd like to apply my skills and experience in working as a Scientific programmer." Never let on what you really want to be doing. Pretend that you actually want the job you're applying for. It is possible that this particular applicant copied and pasted from a different cover letter. So double-check your letter for typos. But there's still no way we're going to higher someone who applied for a Scientific Programmer position at a different company for a Senior Developer/Architect type position at ours.
• You used Word's highlight tool to highlight certain words in your resume using red, green, and yellow. Yeah that's right, I'm not talking about using the "font colour" tool, but the "highlight" tool in Word. Someone actually did that.
• You didn't attach any resume. Only a cover letter contained bulleted lists and a transcript. You're wasting your time (and mine).
• You put things like "Watching movies & TV", "computer games", "listening music" (is the music doing the listening?), "internet surfing", and "driving" in the hobbies section of your resume. Better yet, don't even put a hobbies section. What you do in your spare time is your own business. Well, put a few interesting or unique things in if you want.
• Your resume lists the 3 Indian languages you are fluent in. Ask yourself: is that important for this job with a North American company?