RESUME WRITING

Sondra Card & Kathy AlbertsSunday, October 9

Overview• Purpose of Resume• Readers perspective• Format and style • Objectives• ATS & Showcasing Skills• Assets & Liabilities• Accomplishments and Results• Resume examples• Cover letters• Finishing touches• Resources • Q&A

Purpose of Resume• Assume 70%+ skills/experience match to job

• Highlight & showcase skills/experience/assets

• Make reader stop and READ your resume

• To be contacted for a phone/in-person interview

Readers Perspective• Recruiters are scanning hundreds of resumes • 5-10 second impression & decision• YES, NO or MAYBE • What are they scanning for?

o Educationo Companies (direct competitor, name brands)o Title relevancyo Employment historyo Skill/experience matcho Clear understanding responsibilities & accomplishmentso Solid writing/communication skillso Sense of direction and advancement

Why did they pass ?• Irrelevant job tiles• Lack of required skills (Java, Python, UI, Database• Hard to read or confusing• Poor formatting and use of headings, bolding, spacing• Wordy, run on sentences, information over load• Typos and grammar errors• Lots of frequent & less than 1 year job changes• Lack of stated accomplishments/results• No sign of career advancement (5-10+ years)• Lack of stability or forward direction

o Back and forth changes (Manager to Engineer, Tech Support to Engineering, Frequent relocations, etc.)

• Educational requirements not a match o Specific Degree, Advanced Degree, GPA

Format & Style• Chronological job history or skills summary?• Employment dates matter• How long should a resume be?

o 2 pages maxo Focus on current and previous job on first pageo Beyond 15 years (short, high level summary with quick facts o Employer, Title, Dates, 1-2 sentences about responsibilities

• Writing styleo Speak plain Englisho Be concise and to the pointo State facts and let results speak for themselveso Do not exaggerate or inflateo Keep it simple o Avoid excessive use of adjectives to describe yourself or work.

• Formattingo Reader wants over view at a glance of your entire career ino 5-10 secondso Less is moreo Be organized visually, use subject headings, proper spacing, bullet pointso Avoid excessive use of superlatives or adjectives

Objectives• Short, one sentence• Statement of key aspects of what you want

o 1-3 maximum

• Customize to job/company• Company Criteria

• Large, public company (stability)• Young, dynamic start-up• Industry sector

• Level and functiono Individual Contributor, Manager, Executiveo Clarify function if necessary

• “Seeking hands-on, technical leadership role in /fast growing Internet software company”

ATS & Showcasing Skills

• A quick word on ATS

• No laundry list

• No fancy graphics, logos or photos

• Context around your skillso Embed in text and repeat for each jobo Show them was technologies/tools you used and whereo Describe HOW you used that skillso Designed and programmed in X and Y

• Display time factorso Big difference between taking a class in X or programming daily for last 2 years

• Short skills summary OKo List what you are expert and intermediate (solid 6-12 months current use) o Do not go back to the beginning of time, focus on last 5 years

Assets & Liabilities• Assets

o Brand name companieso Top Universityo High GPAo Strong skills/experience matcho Track recordo Career advancemento Job Tenure

• Liabilitieso Lots of job changes every yearo Employment gapso No Degreeo Low GPA – list 3.6+o Geo Undesirableo Age factors

Accomplishments/Results

• Skills are something you use to produce resultso Developed X application in Java

• Tasks or Activities are something you DO• Maintained web content

• Results are visible and measurableo There is a start, middle and end point in timeo Showcase the role you played in producing the end result

• developed X program that increased database performance by 10X

• How did your results contribute to company goalso Redesigned UI for flagship product improving UX satisfaction by 50% o First year sales for product X grew by 3X due to UI redesign o Won MVP award in 2010 for my contributions to UI/UX innovation

Skills Don’t• Summary: - 12 +years of professional experience in Quality Assurance with emphasis on testing Web, Client/Server and Database

applications in diverse technical/development environments like , Banking, Finance, Insurance, Telecom , Health are and E-commerce applications.

• Experience in Analysis of Software Requirements Specifications and development of Test strategies ,Test Plans, Test Scripts, Test Cases

• Adept in designing test plans, elucidating test strategies, test scope, test environments, test resources, and test calendars • Experience in Functionality testing, Integration testing, Regression testing, Performance testing, Black-box testing, Automation

testing, System Testing, E2E, White box and User Acceptance Testing (UAT)• Proficient in using various defect management and source control tools like Mercury Quality center, Clear Quest, CVS,PVCS and

Test Director• Expertise in Manual and Automated Testing with adroitness in using Regression testing tools such as SELENIUM and Performance

Testing tools like Load Runner. Ability to work individually and in a team environment in an efficient manner, Inspiring and motivating others to perform well Ability to faster coordination among team members using communication and Interpersonal skills High adaptability to dynamic project environments that entail constantly changing business requirements and demand high professional and technical commitments Coordinated and prioritized outstanding defects and system requests based on business requirements.

• Designing and scripting strategies (plans) for various phases of data analysis• Hands on experience with all phases of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)• Developed and executed SQL queries on Oracle database to validate data results • Experience Testing AMDOCS OMS/Clarify(CRM) eCare/ AMSS/Enabler Telegence/Billing• Excellent documentation skills and conversant with CMM level 5 Quality Procedures.• Excellent organizational and inter-communication skills.• Good analytical skills, presentation skills with strong communication skills• Diligent worker, self-starter and consistent performer•  

Resume A•  

• APPLE INC May 2007 - January 2011• Senior Software Engineer• • Principle author and sole maintainer of X applications• UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA at BERKELEY August 2005 - May 2007• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Major• • Fall 2005 courses focused on system design and signal analysis, microelectronic circuit design,• programming methodology, and introductory Cocoa programming in Objective-C.• • Spring 2006 courses focused on further study of signals and systems; network design,• operation, and simulation; machine structures; and philosophy of mind.• • Fall 2006 courses focused on technical communication, operating system programming,• probability and random processes, and cultural psychology.• • Spring 2007 courses focused on neural and nonlinear information processing, digital hardware• design, UNIX administration, and overviews of Biotechnology and Bioengineering.• APPLE INC Summer 2006• Software Engineering Intern, Mac OS X Server Group• • Developed server-side software for the “Teams” system on early builds of OS X Leopard.• • Built and demonstrated a proof-of-concept for a significant new feature for OS X Client. All• objectives met; management advanced the project to the next stage of development.• • Received Apple’s highest performance review and an offer to return next summer.• THE APPLE GUY (A Macintosh consulting, tutoring, and repair business) 2002 – 2005• Founder and Chief Technologist• • Customer base of over 100 included both businesses and individuals.• • Pro bono work for Berkeley students and certain elderly clients.• DIPLOMAS• Bachelor’s of Science in EE/CS (UC Berkeley), 3.9GPA May 2007, Age 18• California High School Proficiency Certificate January 2003, Age 14• (Legal high school diploma, not GED)

Resume B•  • EDUCATION

• BSEE/CS, University of California at Berkeley, 3.9 GPA May 2007, Age 18

• EXPERIENCE

• Apple May 2007 - January 2011• Senior Software Engineer• • Principle author and sole maintainer of X applications• • Team lead for X application• • Added important features and improvements to Maps (public transit, better directions• interaction) and YouTube (account support, reading and posting comments)• • Implemented drawing code and sophisticated animations in many applications. Considered a• go-to engineer for questions on dynamic user interfaces• • Optimized performance across the system, both in UIKit and many individual applications• • Collaborated with Human Interface team to design and specify UI appearance and animations• • Designated “iBuddy” for numerous new hires and interns, often mentoring several at a time• • Received consistently outstanding performance reviews, with off-cycle raises and bonuses•  • Apple 2006 Summer• Software Engineering Intern, Mac OS X Server Group• • Developed server-side software for the “Teams” system on early builds of OS X Leopard• • Built and demonstrated a proof-of-concept for a significant new feature for OS X Client. All• objectives met; management advanced the project to the next stage of development• • Received Apple’s highest performance review and an offer to return next summer•  • The Apple Guy (A Macintosh consulting, tutoring, and repair business) 2002 – 2005• Founder and Chief Technologist• • Customer base of over 100 included both businesses and individuals• • Pro bono work for Berkeley students and certain elderly clients•  •  

Cover Letters• Yes, write one• Customize for each job • Short (1/2 page) and to the point• Mention specific job and company• Say why you are interested• 1 sentence summary stating why you are

qualified• Pique interest

Finishing Touches • Great resumes take time• Ongoing work in progress• Read out loud to yourself

o If you are confused, stumbling, rereading – red flag, needs work

• Have 3rd party edit• Get feedback from multiple trusted colleagues

o Ideally hiring managers, recruiters, senior people

• Ready for prime time?o Sense of pride and satisfactiono Excited about putting yourself out there

• Keep currento Review & refresh once a yearo Every time you change roles/projects at same company, update

Resources• TheLadders.com

o Job Search Essentialso Resume Advice

• LinkedIn o Same as online resumeo Same care and feedingo Show case referenceso Keep up to date

Q&A