4 ms·

Ask HN: Care to share your web dev resume that got you hired?

1 points by ge96 10y ago

I'm working on my resume. I'd like to see how you guys presented yourselves as I'm bad at doing that. I have a portfolio as well but I have to work on that. I have some code on GitHub but I haven't collaborated with anyone yet. I have done/in progress some freelance jobs which I can use for experience. I'd love to get hired as a junior front end developer though I do both front and back. I'm only. A LAMP developer at the moment. I have yet to use/be thoroughly knowledgeable of Angular, React, Mongo, Laravel, Node, etc... I still use VPS/non-cloud server setups and I still have to finish building my first restful API as I'm working on figuring out JWT/oAUTH I don't know if I have much to sell. A lot of the jobs I've seen have steep requirements. While I freelance. My problem is I don't value myself. I've been working on a project which involved building a responsive site with double recaptchas. Emailing, order processing. SSL application, built an admin panel with PHP-to-excel export, I built a hover-zoom for photos. I'm in the process of building a custom CMS as well. This job I agreed to do for $20.00 it has since gone up to $150.00 due to my griping. The project has been going in for four months. However finishing it, this would be a nice addition to my portfolio as far as capabilities go however I've been told that my design looked old, and had I used frameworks I would have built the site faster. Your thoughts?

ramtatatam 10y ago
It all depends where you want to submit your resume. If you want to attract headhunters from job sites (i.e cv-library in London) then you need to remember they browse through CV's as you would browse over internet with google. Key words count a lot and they must appear early enough since (like with google) what you see on first page will most likely win you a job. From the other perspective talking about what you have done is quite important (I think you already have that, though try to reduce number of jargon-words) If you want to apply some specific - that's different story. You will have to build your CV each time you pick your target and heavily adjust to that target. So if you know company XYZ works with PHP you will definitely want to mention you have experience with that (and you won't go too much into details if you also was an expert in, say, C++). Sure, some people will say it's good to show how good you are with other technologies but CV should be centred around topics important to that company. In this case you, as a developer, can treat yourself as a startup - try to find a pain the company have and you will be able to show value you can bring.
- ge96 10y ago
  Thanks a lot for your response. I was targeting job applications for companies offering a job. I have to look up what a CV is, it's not cover letter right?
  - ramtatatam 10y ago
    In simplest terms CV should describe your experience and strengths/skills. There are tons of layouts you can use, just google them up. This layout looks OK: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cv+examples&espv=2&biw=2560&bih=1269&tbm=isch&imgil=G5c9tDU6WilIMM%253A%253BgGt8Z_cYw7XJoM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.livecareer.co.uk%25252Ftemplates%25252Fcv%25252Fadmin%25252Fpersonal-assistant-template%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=G5c9tDU6WilIMM%253A%252CgGt8Z_cYw7XJoM%252C_&usg=__qKb-AskUEaSt5-s60rTolswm0ao%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjg0cj1vOvPAhVkLMAKHQ01CJoQyjcIOw&ei=WdEJWKDBN-TYgAaN6qDQCQ#imgrc=G5c9tDU6WilIMM%3A https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cv+examples&espv=2&biw=256... Your CV will follow your career, that is - you will keep refining it and making it better and in time you will be getting better feedback from prospects.
    - ge96 10y ago
      Thanks, I had a few times when I was prompted to attach a file(s). I wonder if I should make it a single thing. CV leading the resume. What about cover letter too? Yeah I have to look at some and put one together. Thanks.
      - ramtatatam 10y ago
        I would not combine cover letter with your CV. Cover letter is a personalised (on per-company basis) description of how will you make them more profitable. Not all companies will ask you for this. More times than less you will actually talk your prospect employer through rather than submitting them with letter. Generally it works much better when you can get hiring manager on the phone rather than sending them email. It's much easier to ignore email than somebody on the phone.. CV is more description of your skill-set and experience proving you was doing this before. In CV you can add a headline (usually not more than 2 sentences) summarising your greatest achievements (try to avoid 'wank' language, i.e. words like 'expert', 'experienced' etc. and focus on more what you achieved, i.e. 'improved SEO so organic traffic grown by 50%' or 'improved design so conversion rate improved by 30%')

ge96 10y ago
Unfortunately I don't have any data like that yet regarding the "...increased by 50%..." I'd call myself a web application developer as I like to design the UI, build the front end, and the back end, set up the database etc... It worries me that I am not qualified enough to get hired, that once again I will have to resort to a menial job because I lack the popular frameworks. So learn them right? Yeah I will be moving in 2 weeks. Need to find a job. I think it is inevitable that I will need to go back to a labor job because I am desperate and need to get a job right away. While I freelance I don't price my time to be valuable so I essentially work for nothing. I'm still unsure at what point I am a "professional" when I still look up trivial things.
- ramtatatam 10y ago
  When I was attending my first interviews I was always making the point that I'm a fast learner and more importantly that I want to grow and learn new stuff. Key point is to show that you have motivation and that you will be a good addition to the team. Tell them, that yes - there are many frameworks out there and you are looking to learn some new since many of them are great tool for the job. You do know how to learn them and start using them in a no time - and this is an asset. If you are moving in 2 weeks then you have already sent your CV to some prospect employers, looked up the market in the new place. I would also advise to go and check with hiring agencies (not sure where is it you are moving but here in London https://www.cv-library.co.uk/ https://www.cv-library.co.uk/ is a great resource). They will usually pick you up in few days (max). There is always a shortage for well motivated (not necessary experienced, not necessary star or `ninja` since they are quite often difficult to collaborate with).
  - ge96 10y ago
    Thanks for the tips and help. I just get down I guess. I didn't know about the guru's not getting along. I guess I have that going for me as I generally get along with everyone. I will try harder. I'm wrapping g up my current project/client and I'll fix up my portfolio/redo my CV. I'll see if I can find an equivalent to a hiring agency too.