Technical Resume Writing

Resume Overview The purpose of a resume is to get an interview Be interesting; make whoever reads your resume view you as valuable to their cause A resume is a marketing piece Highlight your strong points Education Professional or Relevant experience Skills & Accomplishments Customize each resume to the job for which you are applying Read the job descriptions carefully to insert Action Verbs & identify the skills they are targeting (try Tagcrowd – a word cloud site) Know your audience – use industry specific terminology The purpose of a resume is to get an interview Be interesting; make whoever reads your resume view you as valuable to their cause A resume is a marketing piece Highlight your strong points Skills & Accomplishments Education Professional or Relevant experience Customize each resume to the job for which you are applying Read the job descriptions carefully to insert keywords & identify the skills they are targeting Know your audience – use industry specific terminology (web development, software engineering, systems administration)

Demonstrate Value What employers have in mind: “How can you be valuable to us?” “Value” = skills, accomplishments, education and experience Successful job seekers understand their unique combination of skills, education and experience and articulate their value to employers. It takes on average 10 – 30 seconds to review a resume the first time Most significant part of the resume is the top half of page – must give evidence of a good “match” to the position

Keywords Keywords are the "hard" skills "soft skills” - second tier of searched words Pull job descriptions by category from DICE.com to identify common keywords Examples from DICE.com Design instrumentation and control systems, including communications, electro-optics, power systems, data storage, and digital imaging products. Wrote web-based sales tracking application in C++ on Linux/Apache Managed customer database (MS SQL 7.0), product updates Perform risk assessment surveys to identify security requirements. Team leader on numerous projects utilizing Java, Enterprise Java Bean, and Apache Struts Web applications to create client management systems.

Resume Components – Contact Information Name & Contact Information Email & phone number are important, address optional Use a professional looking email (i.e. not bigsexy@hotmail.com) Link to an eportfolio, GitHub, GitLab or LinkedIn

Resume Components - Summary of Qualifications Summary of Qualifications or Technical Summary - more commonly used for technical resumes Highlight skills specific to the job description Experience you have that prepares you for job Can be in list form (more common) or a short sentence List skills that are transferable from job to job and highlight flexibility Try not to use skills that everybody has, or that are generally expected (ex: Hard worker, proficiency in Microsoft Word)

Resume Components - Summary of Qualifications CSS Example Created tools and techniques related to managing, analyzing, and understanding large amounts of data Security systems development to protect the enterprise: from firewall configuration to intrusion prevention. Mobile device applications, development and launch Cloud computing; instilled best practices, platforms, APIs, scaling, and storage Applying to entry level software engineering position Wrote disassembler in Assembly language Team leader on project management model using ____ Modeled video store operations using C++ and _____

Resume Components - Summary of Qualifications EE Example Created operational procedures related to managing, analyzing, and tracking data and various information collecting processes Prepared pro-types for testing through mechanical fabrication, circuit layout and soldering Calculated power system voltage drops and fault currents Skillful in conducting engineering research work and in writing technical reports Applying to entry level electrical engineering position Team leader on project management design for Project Modeled circuit schematic using CAD Program

Resume Components – Technical Skills Technical Resumes must match skills AND technology Developer on C++ Designer on Multisim Project manager on 727 Skills or Qualification headings (Include important acronyms, abbreviations) Operating Systems: Linux/Unix, etc. Languages: C/C++, JAVA, etc. Database: Oracle, Access, MySQL IDEs: Visual Studio, Eclipse CAD Programs: AutoCad, SolidWorks, Visio Engineering Programs: Multisim, Quartus II, Pspice, Matlab

Resume Components - Education Your major and expected graduation date GPA if strong or if required by company Relevant coursework or projects Describe in relative detail the process by which you learned a skill Group projects, research and presentations are good to use here, they can show your demonstrated ability Technical Certifications Professional clubs & organizations: IEEE, ACM

Resume Components - Experience Relevant (Work) Experience Internships, volunteer, or professional experience applicable to this position Be specific; “worked at an engineering company” doesn’t tell anyone anything useful Use action verbs Quantify wherever possible; % of improved efficiency number of users how often you made a status report $ amounts responsible for/saved company how many clients served or team members managed

Chronological CSS Resume Format Technical Experience Senior Recruiter, Google 2012 - Present Software Developer, F5 Networks 2009 - 2012 Technical Writer, WebSystems 2007 - 2009 Education Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Software Engineering, University of Washington Bothell 2007 Associate of Arts & Sciences, Client Programming 2005 Highline Community College Professional Experience Provisioner, Integra Telecom 2005 - 2007 Career Specialist, University of Washington Bothell 2006-2007 Tutor, UW Bothell & SPRITE Project 2006-2007 Financial Analyst, Law Firm 2003-2005

Chronological EE Resume format Engineering Experience Controls Engineer, Boeing 2014-Present Electrical Engineering Intern, Phillips 2012-2013 Electrical Engineering Intern, New Electronics 2010-2012 Education Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering 2013 University of Washington Bothell  Associate of Science Engineering 2011 Cascadia Community College           Professional Experience Lab Tech, University of Washington Bothell 2010-2011 Orientation Leader, University of Washington Bothell 2009-2010 Sales Clerk, Target Inc. 2007-2009

Resume Format First impressions are important Use professional consistent styles, punctuation and fonts Chronological, Functional and Combination resumes Resume “real estate” and page layout -centering/lining up parts of the resume Utilize bullets in order of importance 1 –2 pages at most

Sample Resumes Dice: Library of Sample Resumes Basic entry level IT User Interface Designer Technical Writer Electrical Engineer Junior Software Engineer

Skills to focus on in coursework No matter what you major in, you need excellent writing skills and eloquent speaking skills. The Association of American Colleges and Universities recently asked employers who hire at least 25% of their workforce from two- or four-year colleges what they want institutions to teach. The answers did not suggest a narrow focus. Instead: 89%  said they wanted more emphasis on “the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing” 81% asked for better “critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills” 70% were looking for “the ability to innovate and be creative” From Zernike, Making College `Relevant’, The New York Times, 2009 Ask how many are in research?...job search?...career development?

Digital and Scanned resumes Save as pdf and in Notepad as text version Use only keyboard characters for text version Limit formatting, avoid graphics, bold, lines and bullets Avoid word wrap Each line 64-70 characters Send to self to test Databases will scan for keywords - Pull from the position description Avoid textured papers Stack contact information One line for each part of information Ask how many are in research?...job search?...career development?

Resume Checklist Make your resume visually appealing, easy to read, and consistent in resume style and format. Maximize the space on your resume. Don’t waste an entire line on your page for one to three words. Keep it to one page (two pages dependent on professional level relevant to the position). Choose a resume style for your particular skill level/work history. For suggestions on what style to choose, view outlines and sample resumes on the DICE.com. Spell and grammar check. Keep the correct verb tense. Do not use personal pronouns. Make your resume visually appealing, easy to read, and consistent in resume style and format. Don’t make the employer guess on your reasoning or your meaning. Example: If you put dates for one job, put them in for all. Don’t use acronyms unless you explain them first. Maximize the space on your resume. Don’t waste an entire line on your page for one to three words. Keep it to one page (two pages dependent on professional level relevant to the position). Choose a resume style for your particular skill level/work history. For suggestions on what style to choose, view outlines and sample resumes on the DICE.com. Spell and grammar check. Keep the correct verb tense. Use past tense for previous jobs and present tense for current jobs. Do not use personal pronouns.

Resume Checklist continued… Immediately impress the reader – be job specific, customize. State up front in your qualifications Include keywords from the job description. Focus on the employer’s needs and job requirements. Stress your productivity in terms of your potential for solving employer’s problems. Quantify whenever possible. Numbers help to draw the eye and stand out.

Cover Letters – Make your case Explain why you are sending a resume Tell specifically how you learned about the position or the organization Convince the reader to look at your resume. Call attention to elements of your background relevant to the position. Be specific, use examples Reflect your attitude and interest in the position Provide or refer to any information specifically requested Indicate what you will do to follow-up

References Choose the Right Reference A good reference: A professor in whose class you earned a good grade or an employer who has commented positively about your work.  A great reference: In addition to the above, they can comment on your personality and passions. Academic Reference Consider any Professor: who has seen your best academic work that you engaged with in a quarter-long special topics or research project Professional Reference Consider any Employer: where you received promotions where you completed any special projects where you can qualify or quantify your contribution to the organization that you left the organization on good terms with whom you still communicate

How are recruiters using social media Why is this important? Because these tools are how employers are identifying candidates As you can see in this slide, LinkedIn is currently the preferred social media resource to identify opportunities and to utilize for career networking. It is also important to note how your social media can undermine your professional reputation In 2014 Jobvite recruiter survey 55% of recruiters have reconsidered a candidate based on their social profile, with 61% of those reconsiderations being negative. Meaning they were going to hire you until they saw your social media and then changed their minds From: Jobvite, Recruiter Nation Report 2016 http://web.jobvite.com/Q316_SEM_2016RecruiterNation_LP.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=%2Bsocial%20%2Brecruiting%20%2Bsurvey&utm_content=2016recruiternation&utm_campaign=search_socialrecruiting&gclid=CMi7x-b7-M8CFYWJfgodOdICFQ OLDER REPORTS Job seeker nation study http://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/jobvite_jobseeker_nation_2015.pdf Social recruiting survey https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting_Survey2014.pdf Image Job hunting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org3526 × 1080Search by image Job fair for new university graduates in Japan. See "Simultaneous recruiting of new graduates". https://www.google.com/search?q=elevator&biw=800&bih=415&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMI0KGDqtidyAIVx0SICh0KuAhX#tbs=sur:fmc&tbm=isch&q=job+fair&imgrc=_m5_13GDOULIeM%3A

GitHub & GitLab GitHub is a way for developers to collaborate with one other on software projects. It hosts code for many prominent open- source projects, with developers hosting projects. GitLab includes git repository management, code reviews, issue tracking, wikis and much more. GitLab comes with GitLab CI, an easy to use continuous integration and deployment tool. Software developers know that the code they’ve written is one of the most important parts of their professional identity. It shows their involvement, interest, and dedication to their work. Now developers can showcase their projects on LinkedIn – the world’s largest professional community. Discuss LinkedInhttp://blog.linkedin.com/2011/03/08/github-linkedin/ https://github.com/about

LinkedIn LinkedIn is a popular site for professionals and industry experts to connect. A LinkedIn profile is different to a resume – it’s not a static document! Resume + Eportfolio Network! - manage your contacts Receive recommendations & endorsements Connect with UW Bothell alumni People find you Job Search – Industries/Companies LinkedIn is a social networking site designed specifically for the business/employment community. The goal of the site is to allow registered members to establish and document networks of people they know and trust professionally. A LinkedIn member’s profile page, which emphasizes employment history and education, has professional network news feeds and a limited number of customizable modules. Basic membership for LinkedIn is free. Network members are called “connections.” I think of the benefits of LinkedIn in 6 ways As your online resume As your eporfolio Great way to track your connections. Think about the standard business card rolodex. If someone moved to another job, you wouldn’t necessarily be about to find them. On LinkedIn however, when your contact updated their profile, you see that information and are able to follow them People can endorse you and recommend you It is a great networking and job search resource And finally it allows employers to find you. Let me show you a LinkedIn Establishing a social media presence is very important. In particular, LinkedIn, is currently the preferred site for career networking. Job seeker nation study http://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/jobvite_jobseeker_nation_2015.pdf Social recruiting survey https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting_Survey2014.pdf Image LinkedIn Privacy | Flickr - Photo Sharing!www.flickr.com1024 × 768Search by image https://www.google.com/search?q=elevator&biw=800&bih=415&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMI0KGDqtidyAIVx0SICh0KuAhX#tbs=sur:fmc&tbm=isch&q=linkedin&imgrc=eiKHUbLQvd_zfM%3A

Questions?