Mistakes one should not do while creating résumé & CVs ?

@vi

Journeyman
I would appreciate if all TDF members reply & give their valuable suggestions about creating a résumé/CV.

You can also interpret the question as :
  • What are mistakes you saw while you were hiring someone
  • As an employer, what things you expect to see? how much do you actually care about résumé/CV?
  • What contents a résumé/CV should contain
  • What one must NOT include in their résumé/CV

I know the basic contents what one must include/not. Apart those typical fields, what one should/not include.

Please also address :
  • What about programming languages ? In engineering we are taught basics of C/C++/Java/.NET/HTML/CSS & many more. One should mention all that ? How much knowledge one must posses to include ? for eg : OOP paradigms of Java/C++ etc.
  • What about apps/projects one has created ? Just simply mentioning the link to GitHub would do or 1-2 line brief description of major ones in résumé & good description in CV?
  • What about knowledge about technologies like Wordpress, vBulletin ? [not development, but installation,administration etc]

Thank you !!
 

furious_gamer

Excessive happiness
Well, i do take technical interviews very often and let me tell you something that i will look into resume.

1. If you put something in the resume, you need to answer, no matter how small it is. For example, people write like HTML,CSS,Javascript and if i ask some basic HTML/CSS question, they say i don't know that much. So better would be to avoid putting things that you have no idea, or not having in-depth knowledge. Or mention the skill level like Basic, Intermediate etc.

2. Please mention your marks from +2. Some people ignore their school education, thinking it is not needed. But it does play a big role. Especially for a fresher.

3. Personal Objective is where most of us messing things up. Copying some peppy sentence from internet and paste it as Objective. Not a good idea. Just write what you want, even if it is not so peppy. Employers do look for different approach. (Just a minute of read resume, so writing something from your heart/brain will be much better compared to some copy paste stuff)

4. Make sure the length of CV is not so annoying. Yes, a fresher cannot have 3 page resume, because he don't have experience, so 3 page resume means bullshit stories.

@OP

What about programming languages ? In engineering we are taught basics of C/C++/Java/.NET/HTML/CSS & many more. One should mention all that ? How much knowledge one must posses to include ? for eg : OOP paradigms of Java/C++ etc.
For fresher, just very basic knowledge is good enough. For example, for Java, OOPS and basic level knowledge is enough to impress. Like OOPS concepts, merits of Java over other lang. One more thing, if you know concept, you must be able to write simple program to show the concept.
What about apps/projects one has created ? Just simply mentioning the link to GitHub would do or 1-2 line brief description of major ones in résumé & good description in CV?
2 line description will do. GitHub link will be good, cause employer will have one more reason to consider you over other guys.
What about knowledge about technologies like Wordpress, vBulletin ? [not development, but installation,administration etc]
Just mention it in Summary.
 

sam_738844

Wise Old Owl
Re: Mistakes one should not do while creating résumé & CVs ?

I would appreciate if all TDF members reply & give their valuable suggestions about creating a résumé/CV.

You can also interpret the question as :
  • What are mistakes you saw while you were hiring someone
  • As an employer, what things you expect to see? how much do you actually care about résumé/CV?
  • What contents a résumé/CV should contain
  • What one must NOT include in their résumé/CV

I know the basic contents what one must include/not. Apart those typical fields, what one should/not include.

Please also address :
  • What about programming languages ? In engineering we are taught basics of C/C++/Java/.NET/HTML/CSS & many more. One should mention all that ? How much knowledge one must posses to include ? for eg : OOP paradigms of Java/C++ etc.
  • What about apps/projects one has created ? Just simply mentioning the link to GitHub would do or 1-2 line brief description of major ones in résumé & good description in CV?
  • What about knowledge about technologies like Wordpress, vBulletin ? [not development, but installation,administration etc]

Thank you !!



Given the fact that CV or resume is a very very important aspect of your career exposure to external entities, it pretty much or entirely depends on the entity itself. So as to say, It may be where you are uploading your resume for applying to a job, or you may be sending it to your current employer for changing your project...and many such instances. So the quality, length, information highlighted and arranged in the resume will be varying according to this. It may also happen that you are freshers from college and applying in Pool or In Campus interviews, or it may also happen that you are force applying against an opportunity to the employer, with a referral.

For Example....lets say For Freshers, the CV format Will specially highlight Your +2 Scores and your DGPA throughout the semesters. Special Breakdown tables your specialization areas (such as Science or Commerce) must be there with highlighted percentage marks or grades. Grades can be also elaborated with the scaling factor ( means what grade means how good it is...but its optional).

Then College Marks should be charted n table format with each semester CGPA.

Breakdown of the same according to subject is a viable option. Always remember that whenever you are doing break-ups and consolidations, your Specialty and Strong Points should be intelligently displayed. IF you have continuously done very good in all subjects of your stream, then you are on the advantage of showing it and it also carries a reminding note to the interviewer when he'll be asking questions. Also it has a disadvanage , that if you haent have done so well in ALL of it, but concentrated on your special interests, the a large breakdown will put you in embarrassing phase. Better not use elaborate breakdowns and consolidate only strength points. A perfect balance will save you from many shortcomings and will only expose your positive points while interview, remember a good interviewer can do two things, he willl just watch the CV at a go and then will let you enter a completely different world with him...or he can minutely squeeze every single drop of info from ur CV and cross you with the same. So whatever you are not confident with, NEVER put in your CV

The introduction part of the CV, for freshers, is not that important,as it will always carry more like you're advertisement, so i will part to you and hope that you will roll just fine with a legitimated English writing with a tint of corporate and sober humor. Dont write anything which bears any serious discrimination of yourself from the world..also don't signal anything very trivial and commonplace.

Better fill that place with some your Experience Summary, i feel that way, where you get a better chance to actually pinpoint on your better self of being an technical person with skills along with your personality towards it. The common mistake that people often make...is to throw away as much adjectives as possibly on can have before their description. Avoid redundant phrases like "skilled", "expert" "enriched" "good"...it all means same...so use one effectively, do not over-weigh yourself. Another point is to estimate relevance of your introduction. IF applying to a company for a post of JAVA you should not expose most your feelings and expertise how good team player you were in your college Cricket team. Be specific brief and sharp about your skills. Also pose a less casual and more professionally "happy" attitude in your introduction. Have style...but power dressing it...is the key. Extra curriculum in introduction is very shallow IMO, never worked for me or companies like I'm in...but it depends. Team playing is a good option in intro, try to convey it in some ways.


More points in rest of the technical part is coming....

Below A decent example of the introduction part. But it has concentration on raw technicalities. You have a large margin of putting more generic skill sets and views in this if you are a fresher...


"• A sincere and competent IT professional with an enriching experience over 3 years in Software Development and team management under Development and Support area.
• Proficiency in Oracle SQL/PLSQL coding and Oracle database applications support activities.
• Excellent hands on experience PL/SQL code, Performance tuning, Data migration, Shell Scripting Deployment and CIT automation,UNIT/Regression Automation and TDD.
• Expertise in Test Driven Development, Continuous Integration and Testing using CruiceControl Dashboard, RQM, GENEVA.
• Expertise for solving different types of production issues and provides solution to the user.
• Experience to handle bridge tickets, Problem records, Service request , Defects in HP QC TOOL.
• Expertise in Development work over Geneva Horizontal and Global Services in Billing for Wholesale and SOE platform, Phoenix Bplus Transformation with IRB3.0 Profiecient Knowldege.
• Expertise in Support Activities in IVVT and SIT.
• Ability to work independently and as well as in team environments.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, team building skills and an ability to interact with people from all levels of business.
"

OR you can depict DIRECTLY detail of your achievements in introduction with a way with words , without points, but as furious said, never make it too long to be annoyed at, never make it too short to posture vague ideas about your capabilities. Another example be. Paragraph it if required. This Directive is some ways effective if you have feathers that can dazzle the interviewer..but its always worth a go...

"PERSONAL SUMMARY : A bright, talented, ambitious and self-motivated Oracle developer with a strong technical background who possesses self-discipline and the ability to work with the minimum of supervision. Able to play a key role throughout the system development / support life cycle of a project to ensure that quality solutions meet business objectives. Possessing a good team spirit, deadline orientated and having the ability to produce detailed technical specifications from client requirements.
A quick learner who can absorb new ideas and can communicate clearly and effectively. Currently looking for a opportunity to join a dynamic, ambitious, growing company and forge a career as a first class Oracle developer.

WORK EXPERIENCE Oracle Specialist Consultancy Firm – Coventry
ORACLE DEVELOPER June 2008 - Present
Participation in a medium-size system implementation through the full project life cycle. Responsible for the design, construction, unit test, code review and bug fix of allocated modules to agreed time, quality and cost."
 

gopi_vbboy

Cyborg Agent
Mistake one should not do - Faking resume content.You get caught one or other day.So be honest while writing one.

All the best.
 

furious_gamer

Excessive happiness
^^ Yep, true. Mentioned it in my post. Most of the candidates seem to put something to impress employer, but the fact is, they are not able to explain. So why put something you are not comfortable with?

Also for freshers, basics in any language will do.
 

avinandan012

Cyborg Agent
excellent points from sam & furious_gamer.

There are two types of cvs.
1. One is generic - doesn't depend on the job type - mainly for freshers
2. Second one is specific - vary depending on job description

1. As a fresher try to make the cv with in 1 & half page where first page about your qualifications & any relevant achievements & second page about your personal details.
2. If you are attending a on-campus drive then you have the smoothest way to getting a job. But if you are in off/pull campus then you are in a struggle. Here your cv must be made in a proper way to make a mark.
Now proper way means do not write fake things or irrelevant things. Do put a active personal email id & phone no, so that HR guys can contact you.
as sam & gamer mentioned whatever you put in your cv(like known languages/skills) you should be able to put forward a demo in a short time if asked. Otherwise your credibility will be gone with the job.
3. Do not put unprofessional type of email id's (e.g. cutipie.sweetipie@abc.com).
4. Make sure you have above the cutoff percentage line, for most Indian service based IT companies it is 65% to 70% . If you do not have these marks in your certificate then you have to invest time to write one or two lines why they should consider you despite not having good marks.
5. For non-IT guys please do not think people coming to interview can only ask questions about
Computers/programming they can only ask questions about your own stream's subjects also.

For experienced cv's the things are a bit different.
Here we have two levels
a) Mid-senior level
b) Senior level
The cv's must be very specific. Only exception is you can put forward your leadership/communications skills also.
First go through the job description
Here is one sample
Roles and Responsibilities
• Function as coach for other developers
• Work as an SME within his/ her project for Frontend development
• Function as a team leader
• Work in a test driven development in a JavaScript environment
• Can implement User Story independently

Required Skills
• Proficient in Frontend development
o JavaScript
o JQuery framework
o CSS, PHP
o XML – XSL
o Basic knowledge of Java or .Net
o Knowledge of design patterns
o JSON/ JSONP
o Hudson
• Knowledge of Restfull services, promises, closures, scripting, client side and sever side templating

Personal profile
• A good knowledge of software development process: merging, versioning, releasing
• Strong affinity with code quality and improvement
• Is able to anticipate risks and technical opportunities

Desired Experience
• Experienced in Scrum, Team player
• SCRUM master level 1 certificate
• Experience in internet banking and SEPA
• Knowledgeable about Automated testing
• Selenium
• Fitnesse
• Knowledge of Continuous Integration

Go through the Roles and Responsibilities & Required Skills part and try to match your cv with
these if doesnot match at all do not make a cv considering these.

If you have too many certifications the person who is evaluating might consider you overqualified for the job,
and that might put you in a position that never got the call. So do not put too many certifications only the relavant ones.

Do put the summary in the first page top & keep it short preferably 7 to 8 lines max.
Then put your skills , then project experience, then certifications, then educational details, then any journals you have published,
then awards end it with your personal details.


p.s. : above is written from IT industry perspective
 
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sam_738844

Wise Old Owl
^^The most important points made on Role and Responsibility in a Professional CV...brilliant! I'll e posting some example soon and show how they changed the overall attitude of the profile.
 

furious_gamer

Excessive happiness
@avinandan012

Excellent post. I missed the experienced CVs which you explained very neatly. Mods, make this post sticky.
 

sam_738844

Wise Old Owl
See now, here is an example of how a professional CV can have a tabular form of one's skill sets and their weightage given by the employee himself to represent his/her expertise on a predefined scale. This has proved to be a major bonus factor in a prof. CV where the employer is looking for some specific technology domain or Tool based skills, as well as gives the interviewer a broad insight of other skills the applicant has to reinforce his verstile nature.

SKILLS || TOOLS || EXPERIENCE LEVEL

Configuration/QC Tool || GENEVA/IRB 3.0,RBM,RQM, JIRA, HPQC,SQL DEVELOPER, TOAD || 4

LANGUAGE || Unix Shell Scripting,PL/SQL,SQL,Pro *C,PERL,PYTHON, || 4

DATABASE(S) || Oracle 9i/10G,DB2,SQLSERVER || 4

OPERATING SYSTEMS || Windows, Unix HP-UX,Solaris,AIX || 4

ETL Tools || DATASTAGE, CoSort 9.5.2, Informatica || 4
============================================================================
 1 connotes experience ranging between one month to three months
 2 connotes experience ranging between three to six months
 3 connotes experience ranging to six months to two years
 4 connotes experience ranging to two years and higher
 For the experience level section, please highlight the skill with the maximum experience


not sure after posting the table structure is lost in the post:( so delimited Fields with Pipe...

.....as you can see, the scale factor is on one hand telling you your credibility rating in total experience level and on the other, is also portraying the acquired skill level in terms of how adept you are. So at one go, it reveals all necessary masteries you have , specially highlighting the one's your most experienced and confident with.

Also it shows how you managed cross platform and inter-intra component integrated environment such as OS distros and their diversities, DB adoptability, Language flexibility and a concrete lineage of how you have migrated from one end to to other in business vertical. Example, the configuration Tool section is basically where you have started doing things in a project, the comma separated values can very well be your milestones as how you gradually improved from semi-automated, automated then COTS products and tools, and how you synchronized all of them in your earlier projects.


Then again at the ETL sections, it shows that how you have grown up to Datawarehousing area and started managing Operational Data Stores and Extraction Transfer and Load big time. So this table can alone vouch for your whole Technical summarization. you can add inf number of fields and scales if you are comfortable. Nevertheless the language section has always proved to be demanding in numerous cases, where actually your hands-on caliber is measured. So try modifying this tables and put it in your CV as necessary. It has significantly improved the skill aperture while applying for a job, and the most noticable, has way less "writing" overhead if it was otherwise descriptive.
 
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avinandan012

Cyborg Agent
thanks sam.
the point i missed about experience cv's that i missed the rating part.

So if you are putting forward skills then put a table for your
a. primary,secondary & tertiary skills
b. skill description
c. Last month used(when was the last time you have used that skill)
d. experience in months
e. proficiency(rate yourself in a scale of 1 to 5 )
1 - Master (Guru)
2 - Experienced (can lead others)
3 - Proficient (can work independently)
4 - Making Progress (Need some support)
5 - Beginner (Work as assistant with guidance)

what happened to the forum space is not printing table is not working :evil:
 

sam_738844

Wise Old Owl
to all...the above two formats having skill ratings and scaling has some risks involved which i need to point out. Also its like a "DONT" should you have vague idea about scaling. See the Scaling factor is based on two things. Exp Count and skill level. It sounds simple, the more exp you have on the specific domain or tech, greater the number, same goes for Skills....but the risk involves here is, that it is only and only derived by the employee unless validated against an existing employer.

by that i meant, that if you are fresher or may be having some certification experience ( It exists as Infocus/siemens/IBM/SUN/NIIT/Oracle provides you a certain amount of Exp count in months if you sucessfully complete their SAP/ABAP/GNNIT trainings with good scores and also participated in their in-house domestic projects ..or may be got some hands on in a sub-vendor client side application maintenance project in lieu of a third party.).....

Then be very alert about your skill levels. third party sub vendors are good and the projects they offer, be it audit level or reanimation/simulation..... can prove very useful. But when you give yourself a 3-5 points i.e. Adept-Experienced-Master( i follow bottom up where 1 is novice) level tag...then you must also enquire two things....

1. if the vendor you worked for/under is a ISO certified (ISO 9001, 14001, 22000 OHSAS 18001 ISO/TS 16949 ISO 20000 ISO 27000...etc...where ISO 9001 standard is a no-brainer for a quality-focused company) ......at least 9001 or CMMI L4, CMMI L5 is ideal and PCMMI L5 is icing on the cake,
2. If your target company that ur applying for is inert about such competencies.

These you have to look out, because if ur target company is intermittently has these SQA/M (Software Quality Assurance/Maintenance) compliances followed in their recuritment policies...then a 3-4 point in ur skill means " u know about them" and MAY also invite weird questions in interview. Master or 5 marks rating gurantees those questions as they mean "u ARE COMPLIANT". So even if u dont know these, start reading Software Engg books again for Quality Management and Standards.

these risks drastically reduces when the applicant is already working under a CMMIL5 organization and has locked his project CV in their system, so it gets verified and the load-balancing about your skills on rating basis is counter checked, validated and suggested (if overrated) in project interviews within your company, so you legally become immune and justified, tuned in with your skill ratings. So therefore applying to other companies has no such threats at all, and even small companies will look up to you with those...on top of that, you'll actually know the value of ratings.

so moral is, underrating is a bad thing, overrating is worse unless you have superb "i dont give a damn ask any frigging questions" talent in ur skills, try to be modest with them, showing a lil less in a piece of paper.... and talking it out with more of it... at run-time in interview will only attract impression. Good luck
 
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avinandan012

Cyborg Agent
this is somewhat offtopic but a very interesting exposure for freshers. Please read the comments

well things are not by the book in India even in CMMI certified organisations. Still it will give you some insights to manage your expectations.
 

sam_738844

Wise Old Owl
Not off-topic, even recent L5 reached Ericsson and even CMC is following these norms, as i said these are not explicit at interview time, but overrating is dangerous, I have seen applicants, overconfident in rating, faced equally challenging questions from not-so-famous product companies and ended up asking the interviewer in frustration... "why are u asking such questions? Are u frigging Microsoft? ...and also received..."why have u rated yourself a 6 in XML? Are u f***ing Zuckerberg? "6" huh".. i'm the lead here, my rating's 4!" I don't want anyone to be unnecessarily underestimating quality trends...it exists....it DOES.
 

pranav0091

I am not an Owl
One quick point to add:

Format. Format your resume properly. Make it look like you have spent time on it. If you cant take the time to make it look good, then you cant possibly expect the potential employer to trust you to do the job in hand well. You dont have to make fancy borders around the content (In fact NEVER put fancy borders around it), but make sure its pleasing on the eye. Nothing says you know how to use word and an eye for detail like a neatly formatted, discreetly colored resume. I personally prefer using shades of dark blue and grays instead of the blacks, for I feel they tend to make the resumes look 'softer' and stand out better.
 
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