SPUG: Giving up on computer jobs & usefulness of placement fi rms

[marc.gibian at earthlink.net]

On Wed, 13 Aug 2003, Rodney Doe wrote:

> Would it be useful to discuss those of us who provide input into the hiring
> process have rejected candidates in the past?  What fatal errors have we
> seen on r?sum?s?  What went wrong with interviews?

A couple of more general thoughts, from both the job seeker and hiring perspectives:

1 - In the current software job market, it does not matter how perfect your resume is... there are SO many resumes being submitted for each job that even the most perfect resume that fits the job description in every regard may never be seen. Thus, make sure you have a solid resume, but don't think that a lack of response is due to a poor resume. It may just be that your resume is only one of a pile of 1000 and they only looked at 50 to 100 randomly grabbed out of that pile.

2 - Network Network Network ... it seems trite. Everyone says it, but its not really clear what it is or how it helps. But the way you make sure that your resume is one of those 50 to 100 that are actually looked at is to network. It REALLY does work, and you never know which contact you made through what meeting or activity is the one that will pay off. Its one of those investments in time that really does work. It does not even have to be in a job related setting. If you are off hiking a trail and start talking to someone you meet along the way, make sure they know you are job hunting and give them your "elevator pitch"... they may just be that magic connection.

3 - Finally, while I have been on the resume reading side and understand the desire for one or two page resumes, I don't know how you reconcile that with attempting to represent a 25+ year career in a resume? There are certain things we expect on every resume... a history of prior employment including at least some minimal indication of what was done, who the company was, and the timeline (want to see continuity of employment, a progression of positions, and longevity). For someone with 25 years, this history in a minimal form can fill two pages.