Ask HN: Tech recruiters and hiring managers, how accurate is this resume advice? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Tech recruiters and hiring managers, how accurate is this resume advice?

3 pointsbwh25 comments

I'm reading Women in Tech by Tarah Wheeler and she offers resume advice that surprises me, but maybe I just don't understand hiring in Silicon Valley?

* "Senior contractors and developers often have six to eight-page resumes"

* "The first thing to remember is that almost none of the eyes that see your resume will be human." and "...humans aren't the one reading it."

* "Only graphic designers need to worry about how their resume looks"

* "A good fallback email address is Gmail, but the truth is that any software developer who doesn't use name@fullname.com... is starting with a black mark."

* "Do not include months when you add dates for jobs."

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I can't answer for Silicon Valley, but outside of it:

> * "Senior contractors and developers often have six to eight-page resumes"

It depends on how many jobs you've had. If you worked 6 years at one company, I don't need to see 4 pages of text on that one job. The point is that you list out your engagements with enough detail to have a conversation, not hitting a certain length.

> * "The first thing to remember is that almost none of the eyes that see your resume will be human." and "...humans aren't the one reading it."

This is both true and false. I definitely read resumes, and make decisions partially based on it, but machines will also be scanning it. So, write for both. Use clear, grammatically correct English with plenty of searchable keywords.

One idea is to write a paragraph in English about each job (or a list of bullet points), followed by a list of technologies used. I've used this myself when looking for a job and got compliments from the tech lead on my resume format (they then hired me).

* "Only graphic designers need to worry about how their resume looks"

True.

* "A good fallback email address is Gmail, but the truth is that any software developer who doesn't use name@fullname.com... is starting with a black mark."

Eh? Interesting, but doubtful.

* "Do not include months when you add dates for jobs."

Include months, but not days.

I echo this 100%:

write a paragraph in English about each job (or a list of bullet points), followed by a list of technologies used.

I am a senior tech lead and do lots of hiring.

1) I would throw an 8 page resume in the trash without bothering to read it. 1 page cover letter telling why we are a match for each other without repeating just what is on your CV and AT MOST a two page CV.

2) It is true that you need to get past the HR/Recruiter firewall. Our HR does not do some sort of NLP but recruiters certainly might.

3) I don't really care what your resume looks like as long as it is neat and easy to read.

4) Personalize domain is absolutely meaningless. In fact, I would likely (sub-consciously) think you were a self-important ass for using one.

5) If your job history is more than 5 years, I can't imagine why I would care about the months.

I might be atypical, but I don't really care much about ancient history. For a candidate that has 5 years of experience:

I don't care anything about your high school.

While I likely want to know about your college and degree, I don't care about your GPA.

If your hobbies are other forms of programming, don't show me. It is a negative. Show me there is something more than programming in your life.

Thanks, that's also how I felt about an 8 page resume.

I’ve worked on eight projects all of which were different domains. Some weren’t even directly tech related (supply chain process optimization, transportation and logistics).

I have a two page resume and always feel bad about it.

That being said I’ve seen resumes of people which are 4-10 pages long and these are people in their 40s and 50s. They have been there and done that and it’s great to see different ways they contributed in each role. I know I have a multitude of accomplishments and skills that could come in handy beyond just being a “code handyman”

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