Another question for those that have already responded to this thread: What kinds of things would you be valuable to you in making a hiring decision? Personally I find resumes to be a weak indicator of abilities. Not to say I don't have one, but I don't think a checklist is nearly enough. Would you find a personal blog regularly updated with development related posts worthwhile? Should I spend time learning (reading books, etc) or would I be better off getting a few small pet projects going? In a world with no time limitations, I would like to do all of these things, but that just isn't practical (right now, at least).