Stop Lying On Your Resume

symkat.com

11 pointssymkat3 comments

I always worry about the balance of my resume. I don't mean to lie, of course! But, there does sometimes come a situation where I've worked with something before, but aren't very good at it. For a not-so-good example: I used php for a web site once, know generally how one can use it for simple stuff, but definitely wouldn't call myself well-versed in the subject (I only really used it once, right?). So, probably I shouldn't list it as something I know--that'd be lying. On the other hand, what if that small bit of knowledge that I do have is relevant and useful? How do I say, "I saw this a few times" on a resume?

If you'd only seen PHP a few times, applying for a job in it may not be the brightest idea. ( If you have enough experience you could probably do a reasonably good bluff and learn-as-you-go, but not recommended ).

I'd suggest something like rating your experience with various things, either by giving it a points/stars rating system, or by having categories such as "Proficient In:" and "Some Experience with:" and "Have also used:" , possibly with examples of where and how you used it.

Oh yeah, definitely not gonna be getting a php job anytime soon. I think the problem is less that you can't list these kind of things on a resume, but you can't name your category "Seen Before:" y'know? Resumes have a certain expected level of formality to them, and it's sustaining this formality that frustrates me.

Maybe the "cool people should submit their github repos as their resumes" group has a point. :)

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