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080 How Do I Make My Resume Stand Out? · DevQuestions with Tim Corey

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Dev Questions Podcast with Tim Corey.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Join us each episode as we tackle the questions you are asking about a career in software development, understanding the industry, and new technology.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you're just starting out or you want to grow stronger as a developer, this is the place to get your questions answered.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, here's your host, expert developer and online educator, Tim Corey.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: How do I make my resume stand out?
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: How do I show off that I stand out above the crowd?
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: How do I say, hey, this is me, and have it actually get in somebody's hands instead of just be one more resume among hundreds?
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about that in today's episode of Dev Questions.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: There are a few ways to really stand out when it comes to submitting a resume.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: Number one is you need to simplify it.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Your resume should be one page.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: You may say, Tim, I've got tons of experience.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: I need to put it all down there.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Nope, you don't.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: My resume, if I were to create a resume today, would be one page.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: I have over two decades of experience.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: I have worked at multiple companies.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: I have lots of relevant experience.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: It would still be one page.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I would include no paragraphs.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Or if I had a paragraph, it would be two to three sentences only.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: So simplify your resume.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: Here's why.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: Imagine for a minute that you are the hiring director and that your job is to go through resumes and pick out the ones that we're actually going to talk to.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: Now, you have to want to talk to people too.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: So you need to schedule, let's say, half an hour per person to talk to people, and you need to have this whole process done, at least the first round of talking to people, within a week.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: So 40 hours a week, that means a maximum of 80 people, which reality is maximum is probably 50 people because you got lunch in there, you've got meetings and other things going on, scheduling, and all the rest.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: So let's say 50 people.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: So you can pick 50 people to look at.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: You've got a thousand resumes that come across your desk.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: How are you gonna weed those out?
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: Well, one of the things you're not gonna be doing is reading through two-page, three-page resumes.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: You just don't have time.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: If there's a paragraph that's you know, six, seven, eight lines of text, you're not reading that either.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to very quickly skim through the resumes and say, you know what, I don't see what I'm looking for in this resume.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not seeing the relevant skills, I'm not seeing what matches.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: So things are gonna make you actually be less likely to be read in your resume is long resumes.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: If it's long, it's more likely that the hiring person is not gonna read the resume at all.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: So you've made it worse for yourself, not better, by including more information.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: The idea that large, dense paragraphs somehow convey more information, they actually don't.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: Because if I see a long, dense paragraph, I don't have time to read that one.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: I have a thousand more to go.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna skip over that and just try and glance to see if there's any key words in there, maybe.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: So that large paragraph is actually a detriment to people reading your content.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: And the idea that a resume is maybe on one page, but it's super densely packed, and the whole page is covered with words.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not seeing any of those.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: When I've looked over resumes and I've seen 30 different skills listed, guess what?
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't do, I didn't read through all 30 skills, so I missed stuff.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: And in fact, I've had other people say, Oh, well, this person does have that skill.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: I said, Really?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I look through and go, Oh, yep, there it is, number 17 in their skills.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: The fact that it's 17th in your skills list isn't a good thing.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, just because you say you have a lot of skills doesn't mean, first of all, you do, and second of all, that you need to list them all.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, as a hiring manager, when I look at a person that has 30 skills in the resume, I say, you know what, they don't.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: They don't have those skills, therefore, they're either trying to lie and say they have skills they don't, or they think that because they did a hello world, they have skills now in that area.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: And that's not I'm looking for.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: So that many skills actually is a detriment to your resume, not a benefit.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: So simplify your resume.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: Your resume should be one page, it should have lots of white space, it should have no paragraphs, at least none more than three sentences long, and even those you gotta be very careful of because even that much can cause people to skip over it and go on to the bullet points, go on to the the other pieces, and that means you're gonna have to cut out eight jobs if you have 11 total, okay?
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Keep three or four max, just keep the ones that are relevant, okay.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: If you have maybe you worked as a developer for a few years, and then you went and became a truck driver for a few years.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: You could just put one line in there that says truck driver from this time to this time with nothing else underneath it, and put you know, the next position you were at where you were a database administrator.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so maybe you include that, maybe you just don't include it at all and have the gaps in your resume that, first of all, I might not even notice.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: Where if you say, hey, I worked from here from 2001 to 2007, from here from 2011 to 2014, I might not even notice that.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: And if I do, that might be something you have a conversation about in the interview, but it's not necessarily something that would disqualify you because the fact that there's a gap there.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: So put the relevant things on your resume, cut out the extra things, cut down your skills to three to five.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's it.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Three to five.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: Don't list 30 skills, even if you think you have them, even if you think that you're really good at them.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: I could list 30 skills, but I wouldn't because that's not first of all, I haven't kept all 30 skills up.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: So even though I have 30 skills and I have had deep knowledge in them, I wouldn't say I still do.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one thing.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: And the other thing is I'm not being hired for 30 skills, I'm gonna be focusing in on the things that I'm most being hired for.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: So three to five skills, probably no more than three or four positions on your previous positions if you have them.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: Same thing with certifications.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: Don't list every certificate of completion that you've taken from an online course.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: List the things that are most important.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: So if all you have is certificate of completions, list three or four that are most relevant to the job.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: And again, that's going to change per job.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: We'll talk about that.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: But I want you to focus in on the job you're applying for and matching your resume to that.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: So if you think you have 30 skills, put that in a list somewhere and then pull out the three to five most relevant for each position you're applying for.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: So that's the first thing to make your resume stand out.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: Simplify it.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: The second thing is customize the keywords.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: Again, this is the idea that when you're applying for a job, your the job you apply for will probably be different than the next job you apply for.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: So you want to look at that job posting and say, hey, what is that job posting asking for?
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: And if they're saying, hey, you need eight years experience in C Sharp, you need five years experience in Microsoft SQL Server.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: And the nice to have would be HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so what you're gonna do is in your job, your skills section, in your job section, in your education section, you're gonna focus in on C Sharp and SQL primarily.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: Show off where you've done it, talk about your skills in it, um, show off in your education where you what you learned about C Sharp and SQL, and then occasionally put in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, you want to customize your skills, your jobs, and your education to be focused in on the job you're getting hired for.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: And you want to repeat what is most important.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: So if C sharp and SQL the primary things, that should be in your skills section.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: That should be in your previous experience section.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: And if you have it, that should be in your education section as well.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: You want to highlight those things in as many situations as possible.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: If you have a little spot at the top where you're you talk about, hey, your your overall the purpose for this resume or you know, your desire for this job, something like that, you could mention those in in there as well.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, I am a uh a C sharp and SQL developer with 10 years overall experience, and I'm looking forward to this, you know, working this job, or something like that.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: Really simple, but you're focusing in those keywords.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: So you want to customize this for the job you're hiring for, and you want to make sure that it's very, very clear that you have those skills.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I say this every time I talk about resumes, do not lie, do not embellish, do not try and elevate something that really isn't there.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't have these things, be clear about that, but still talk about what you do have.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if you have no education in C sharp, if you have no experience in C sharp, you have no, you know, very little skills in C sharp, you could, if you have been working with C sharp for three or six months, you could list C sharp as a skill, and you could list some certificate completions from online courses in your education section.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: Now you have C sharp in two different spots, even though you don't have any work experience in it.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: So there are things you can do.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: Don't lie though.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Getting caught in a lie is not a good thing.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: And besides the fact that you shouldn't lie, anyways, but you do not want to ruin your reputation in an industry that really is a lot smaller than you think it is.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure that you are telling the truth, but you're focusing in on what's relevant from your past experience for this particular job.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, that does mean customizing per job, but that will help you stand out among the pack.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: This is also going to help you when it comes to ATS systems, which are automated or applicant tracking systems, I think it's something like that.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but an ATS is basically a computer that runs your your uh resume through, looks for keywords that it's expecting for from a person, and then based upon that, it's saying, okay, this person mentioned this keyword, C sharp, five times.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: They mark mentioned SQL four times.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: This is a good candidate potentially for the position because they have mentioned the skills we're looking for quite frequently.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so ATS systems, you have to think through how do I communicate the truth in a way that the ATS system will pick up, but that also makes sense for a hiring manager.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: Because just putting C sharp five times in your resume that doesn't make sense.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that's pretty clear and obvious as a nope when a hiring manager sees it, even if the computer goes, yeah, it's great.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure that you are tuning your resume not just for a person, but also potentially for that machine that will filter your resume.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: So match that resume really closely to the job posting, repeat what's important.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so that is the the second thing we're gonna talk about.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: We've talked simplify it.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: We talked about now customize the keywords in your resume.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: The next thing you want to talk about is to focus on specific measurable outcomes.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: So when you're talking about, let's say you're in your previous positions, you're talking about things that you've done.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: Don't just say what you did.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, don't just say I worked on C sharp for five years.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, that gives you something, but not much.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Because what did you do in C sharp?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: So instead of focusing on just general things, focus on specifics.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: For example, I saved a company$5,280.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, that is specific and measurable versus I recommended cheaper software.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: That's vague and unhelpful.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so focus in on I saved the company, and it may explain in one sentence how, but that's it.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, or another example, I improved application efficiency by 34%.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's specific and measurable, versus I optimized the C sharp app.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: What'd you do there?
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: How did that help anything?
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: See, the difference is that when you say things like 34% or$5,280, those kind of things trigger something in a higher manager's brain where they go, I can comprehend that, I understand that, I can see how I would want that to happen in my environment.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: So you you kind of elevate yourself by saying, This is specifically how I contributed to my previous positions.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: These are specific things that I can do, these are specific things that I have done for my previous employer that I could do for you as well.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: Those kind of things, again, will put in the hiring manager's mind hey, I want that.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: I want a person that can do that.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that makes you elevate from the rest of the crowd.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Now, lastly, we're gonna talk about a great cover letter.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: Some people skip this.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: I recommend not skipping the cover letter, but I also want to caution you when it comes to the cover letter, just like with your resume, your cover letter should not be dense.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: It should not be a massive paragraph or two massive paragraphs or more.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: You want this to be very, very small.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: But a cover letter is the opportunity for you to step outside of just this is what I did, even if you're personalizing it, which is what your resume is, though, is just this is what I've done or and can do.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: The cover letter can personalize yourself, it can personalize why you are the right fit for the job.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: So, what I want to do is in very concise paragraphs, maybe two and probably no more than three or four sentences per paragraph at the most.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I want you to focus on why you rather than on what you want.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: Don't say I want to work for you because I think it'd be a great opportunity for me.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Why should I care?
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: Why should I care that's a great opportunity for you to work for me?
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: It sounds harsh, but the reality is that it does nothing for me.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: Okay?
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, you can evoke some emotion of, hey, I'd love to help somebody out, but really a business is not a charity, it's not about just making your life better, it's about what you can do for me.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, that sounds selfish in the hiring manager's position, but that's why we're paying you.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's why we are opening the position up because we need help.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: So, what you need to do is say, I can help you.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: I think I'd be a great fit.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: I think I could help you.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: I can see how and explain very concisely how you could help your potential employer, how you could be the best fit possible for your potential employer, how you could make their life better, focus on what you could do for them, not on what you want from them.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, coming into the relationship, focus on them.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: So that great cover letter introduces you, and you can use that cover letter to point out specific bits in your resume that you can say, Hey, have you checked out this portfolio item?
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: Have you checked out maybe check out portfolio item number two?
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: Or check out I worked at a company, you know, Acme Cup Corporation, and that really aligns well with what you're doing here.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, or these two skills that I have, I think really would be useful.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: Or maybe you asked for C sharp and SQL, and I really think the additional skill of Azure will be important for you, and here's why.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, those are the kind of things that you can point out in your cover letter and kind of highlight what is in your resume that really sets you apart so that when the hiring manager reads your cover letter and then goes to your resume, they're already primed to look at those spots and go, oh, you're there, they're right.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: That is a great experience.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow, that would be great to have.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Oh man, that that portfolio item really does focus on how we do things here.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I love to see that in my organization.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: So use that cover letter to highlight something of yours that shows off just why you would be the better fit for their position and how you can help them.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: So those are the things I think that will really make your resume stand out.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: Simplify it, customize those keywords, focus on those specific measurable outcomes, and write that great cover letter.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: Those things will really help you elevate your resume and bring you higher in the potential list of people to be reviewed.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: So thanks for listening to this week's episode of Dev Questions.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: If you have more questions about being a developer, check out the previous episodes of this podcast or this video series on YouTube to see if maybe I've already answered them.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: And if not, go to IamTimCorey.com and look for the podcast page to ask your question.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe answer it in a future episode.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks and have a great day.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: As always, I am Tim Corey.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining us for this episode of Dev Questions.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: Tim is committed to making it easier for you to become a developer.
• 19:57
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• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: You can also send your questions to questions at IamTimcorey.com.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember, you are too smart and your time too valuable to waste it making all the mistakes Tim did.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: When you're ready to learn to think and code like a professional developer, head over to imtimcorey.com and enroll in the course.