Elliott C. Back: Technology FTW!

New Resume: Suggestions Wanted

Posted in Cornell University by Elliott Back on February 14th, 2005.

I just finished the latest revision of my resume / CV, which you can download here: elliott-back-resume.doc. Obviously, it’s a technical resume that highlights my career as a student of Computer Science. But, over the last one I’ve made a number of improvements:

  • Shortened and tightened objective statement
  • Cleaner layout and formatting
  • Uniform, concise job descriptions
  • Removed irrelevant jobs
  • Cleaned up Skills section, removed applications, added programming languages
  • Added a new “Projects” section
  • Added link to site in footer

If there’s anything you think needs work, please leave a comment. This resume is still in revision!

This entry was posted on Monday, February 14th, 2005 at 1:16 pm and is tagged with concise job descriptions, resume cv, technical resume, objective statement, projects section, programming languages, new projects, computer science, footer, improvements, jobs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback.

Viewing 7 Comments

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    Well this is my opinion, and only my own. So feel free to ignore it as I oft do others :p

    - I would get rid of the objective thing. Use a proper cover letter instead: it does the same thing, doesn't waste precious space on your resume, and leaves you more room to suck up.

    - Listing the main courses that you've taken in uni is unecessary. Their implication in your curriculum is already evidenced by the very fact that you're a "Computer Science" student. And to be honest, mentioning that you've taken an "Intro to [insert language/infrastructure here]" won't really impress anyone. I'd leave out that section entirely. I don't know how your GPA system works at Cornell, but here a 3.4 is not so good. Might want to leave that out too.

    - Projects. There you get to list all the cool stuff you've done. But I've got a feeling that whoever would read your accomplishments would say "yea... woopteedoo... so what?" Stuff like "CS textbook work with Faculty" is too vague to catch interest. If I were you, I'd cut half of those listed out, and then focus on the remaining few. Indicate its value to someone who is interested in hiring you. Innovative? Useful? You say things like "100% effective anti-spam solution for WordPress blogging software". That's true, but it won't catch the employer's eye. Instead say something like "Developped Anti-Spam solution for a leading Internet Logging software".
    More catchy, yet still true.

    - Experience is always the most important bit. In this respect I find that the resume is well done.

    - I'd leave out the "Interests & Activities" bit entirely. I can't think of a single instance when that's ever helped anyone, except aid a teenager fill a page when applying for his/her first job. The employer won't read it, and won't care what you on your off time.

    - Overall look: 2 pages is always bad, but that can be easily edited. If you plan on permeating this about, I would recommend putting it in PDF format (I can manage that for you... send me an email anytime). The reason I recommend doing so is that it makes all those ugly tables and grey areas and ugly red lines dissapear. Plus it has the "ooooo... PDF" factor to it. I would consider completely reworking the header. Having your address hidden on the absolute right like that doesn't blend in that well with the document's karma. Yes I said karma :p I would also consider making a more distinc seperation between your name & address and the rest of the CV.

    My 2 cents. Reading other people's resumes always helps.
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    Hope I didn't chew you up too bad :p
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    Yes! Thanks a lot for the ideas--two of them I can quickly address because they've also been on my mind.

    (1) PDF. Yes, I always submit my resume as a PDF--this is just an "in progress" version. Also, on my computer, it displays and prints on just one page. Two pages is too long for someone my own age.

    (2) Reworking the header. Yes. It feels completely wrong, like it should be more distinct and seperate from the flow of the document. However, I'm still working on how to accomplish that. Lines don't look right, and there's not much space to work with. Still, it's definitely the biggest visual problem right now.

    And yeah, reading other's resumes is good. Google for "CEO filetype:pdf inurl:resume" and you can find some interesting examples. You can even learn as much from the bad as the good. I've seen resumes that had something I hated, and then went...hmm! My resume is like that!
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    sup elliott.

    pretty good so far, i have mostly layout issues. keep in mind that these are just my opinions, and there is certainly more than one style/format to make an effective resume.

    1) rework the header. there's this huge white space between your address and your name, and it looks like a huge valley to me. i'm personally not a fan of left orienting the name, but i've seen that done before (i like to put my address and other contact information in long lines - you can see mine if you want for an example)

    2) going for an internship and without an entry level position under your belt, you *should*/*must* post your gpa in my opinion. low or not, companies have cutoffs on entry level positions and are interested in how well you did as well as how much you challenged yourself in your coursework you've chosen. if you've made dean's list, i'd put those semesters in too to flaunt your awesomeness.

    3) in the least, lose the course numbers - it'll save space and a number doesn't mean anything to them. do you expect them to look up all the numbers and descriptions? to me, you're better off listing things you know. what is java practicum? what is independent research? on mine, i just did a "coursework completed in blah blah blah" - gets around that dreaded "intro" word too.

    4) you seem to have strong projects - i'd take more space and expand on these. mention some cool unique features of some of the better ones, and i'm not a particular fan of the 3 column setup (but again, that's just me looking at it, take it as just another opinion).

    5) nice experiences - i question the change from bullets to roman numerals. i'm a big fan of conformity, but maybe a little variance was what you were looking for.

    6) order your languages and platforms - you want C/C++/Java and other common languages first - don't hide java in the middle of the pack. people read from the beginning - hit them good and hit them hard. same could be said for OSes, though that list is probably short enough that it doesn't make *that* much a difference.

    7) yes, the interest and activities section is more like a high school thing. microsoft doesn't really care if you ski or blog on your free time; they want to know how well you code. don't waste 3-4 lines talking about these things.

    8) if you want to link your website, i'd try to sneak that into the header. in the least don't use the exclamation point - that makes the resume seem a tad more childish, and having that as the exact last character on the resume spells disaster.

    hope i didn't sound too harsh =P IM me if you want me to better explain something, or bitch at me for being so mean. haha
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    Nah, thanks Alvin! I'll definitely be working this over in the next couple days with both of your comments. The more the merrier! Thanks a lot for all the text--there's a lot of good stuff here.
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    "I would get rid of the objective thing"


    Since I am a student looking for specific jobs in specific fields (CS), I think that the one-line objective statement is quite appropriate. It's a de-facto standard for CU students, and I think omitting it would make me stand out negatively. See http://www.easyjob.net/resume/resume-outline-ob... for some good reasoning about the objective statement debate.

    "Listing the main courses that you've taken in uni is unecessary."


    Actually, us Cornell Students are being compared to students at other institutions, so putting courses is a good idea, since my studies have been quite extensive. It's only three lines at the moment. Also, for a Junior, by the end of my year I will have 95% of the credits needed to graduate from my college--and I didn't get AP credit.

    "I don't know how your GPA system works at Cornell, but here a 3.4 is not so good."


    I think the average engineer hovers around a B/B- GPA, so a 3.4 is fine. Also, I've heard good advice that the absence of a GPA on a student resume implies that it is extremely low. Again, not including it would hurt me by implication.

    "Then focus on the remaining few projects. Indicate its value."


    I've tried to make some of the descriptions less tedious.

    "I'd leave out the "Interests & Activities" bit entirely. I can't think of a single instance when that's ever helped anyone, except aid a teenager fill a page when applying for his/her first job. The employer won't read it, and won't care what you on your off time."


    Contrary to fact, JP Morgan & Co. just asked what I do creatively in my spare time ;)

    "rework the header"


    I've added some lines.. We'll see how it works out. I know that's a sore spot on the resume...

    "if you've made dean's list, i'd put those semesters in too to flaunt your awesomeness."


    There's no good place to actually put them, though... the spacing just doesn't work out.

    "in the least, lose the course numbers"


    Yeah--the career office suggested this, too.

    "i'm a big fan of conformity, but maybe a little variance was what you were looking for."


    Yep. I think they look better there, although everyone disagrees.... we'll see.

    "order your languages and platforms - you want C/C++/Java and other common languages first"


    Unfortunately, an ordered list is more efficient for random access, and all of those languages, basic excepted, are equally usefull.

    "if you want to link your website, i'd try to sneak that into the header. in the least don't use the exclamation point"


    Fixed.

    THANKS GUYS!
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    I haven't been up to much lately. I've basically been doing nothing , but it's not important. I can't be bothered with anything recently. I've just been letting everything happen without me lately.
 

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