These are my personal opinions. There will be recruiters and techies with vastly different views!
Some ideas I've probably stolen from others. I apologize for that. Create a PR and I will credit you!
Feel free to contribute with your own suggestions!
Tips and tricks to stand out to a hiring manager
- Spell the technology according to conventions. JavaScript trumps Javascript trumps javasript.
- Proof-read your CV and personal letter
- List all the tech and buzzwords you know, especially if the ad has no mention of the tech stack. Be bold (but also ready to prove your skills). Make it easy to skim in the initial screening process!
- If you're applying for an internship, clarify what and where you're studying and your expected graduation date.
- If applying for an international or remote position, specify your location clearly.
- Pin your top repositories on your GitHub profile. Rotate them when new projects come along that you're even more proud of.
- Make those pinned repositories have great READMEs! Show me what you made, with what technology, and foremost - what you learned!
- Include a clickable link to your GitHub profile from your CV.
- If you have a separate website/portfolio, link it clearly from your GitHub profile README or profile section.
- By the way, make sure your profile has a README.
- While at it, why not make your README awesome 😎 Yet another opportunity to present yourself and your work! Make me want to click on your projects.
- Make your CV super clear to skim through! Make clear sections with skills, education, and experience.
- Put some design skills to work on your CV. It's uninteresting to look at 50 white background black text applications with Times New Roman after a while. Be the one that pops! (Unless you know there's an automated CV screening system in place - in which case you should follow MAANG CV guidelines, I suppose, but that's highly unlikely for smaller companies).
- Put your full name on the application. Avoid abbreviating your name, but you don't have to include ALL of your 5 middle names.
- Your personal letter will only be read after your CV (most likely). Make your CV catch the attention.
- Tailor your personal letter. Mention the position, at least! That's the bare minimum.
- Skip the photo in the CV, and include it in your personal letter instead. Maybe sign off with your own handwriting!
- Make sure you're not addressing your letter to a competitor company ;) Proof-read!
- Put the essentials on one page of your CV! If you've got more working experience than what fits, leave the irrelevant positions for the second page.
- If your personal mission statement is "Carpe Diem," perhaps leave it out.
- Also, leave out the jargon. I'm organized and motivated… Well, I'd expect you to be. Tell me something surprising!
- The party pictures and duckface mirror selfies can stay on your phone and social. Get a pro headshot for your application.
- If you know the position is popular, perhaps include an easter egg in your application.
- Know that the recruiter will not click on any links until your application has passed the initial screening. Don't rely on your website or portfolio to make you stand out - your CV must be the attention-catcher.
- If you're switching fields/industry, make it evident on the application. Don't leave your recruiter wondering why you're already applying for a traineeship with 20 years of working experience.
- Use skill bars with caution!
- Leave your references out if you can't fit everything on your CV. They'll be asked for once you get through the screening process.
- Why not make a separate "/hire" page if you own a domain name. It's easy to pass around to colleagues and network connections AND a great way to present yourself in a more extensive format! Here you can share more extensively about what you're looking for, your development experience, community activity, testimonials, and you - as a person! What you value and show off your personality!
- You don't have to wait for the job ad to show up! Send an application. Ask the potential hiring manager for a coffee date! And with virtual meetings, that's easier than ever.
- Tailor your showcase projects for the industry you're applying for. If you're applying to an e-commerce company, your dice-rolling game might not be the best example!
- If a trainee position requires you to be enrolled in school, put your education before your work experience.
- If you save your resume as a PDF, most systems will allow for multipage CVs. Add some project screenshots, lessons learned to a separate (later) CV page to demonstrate your skills. Be concise on the first page, elaborate on the coming pages.
- Include received awards and recognition, like being the co-worker of the month, a mentor, a study buddy…
- Remove irrelevant experience, even if that creates gaps in your resume. Or at least, exclude the description unless it really provides some value.
- Remove common skills, like "MS Office" or "typing on a keyboard".
- I will read your resume first, then your cover letter. But the cover letter will be the one convincing me to call (or e-mail) you.
- Type out your (well-selected) GitHub/LinkedIn links so, if the recruitment system doesn't support clicking inside web-embedded PDFs, it's easy for the recruiter to visit your GitHub/LinkedIn profile.
- Do some research (but don't stalk)! Address it to the company, find out who's the hiring manager (and LinkedIn doesn't make that too hard). You'll be able to get a personal touch/advantage easily.
- Apply early! Reading applications will probably start before the last date.
- Share the agony with others.
- Fine-tune your application. Every rejection letter is an opportunity to clarify your interests and find direction.
- Dare to write and ask for feedback on why you got rejected. If you're lucky, you'll gain invaluable feedback!
- While in school, team up in your free time with your classmates and do projects together! Small, extensive, or micro undertakings show your collaboration and git (conflict) management skills!
- Build something you need! It's much easier to find the time and motivation to do side projects between every other "should" task in your life.
- Forks and school assignments are good, but it's impossible to determine what you made, learned, know, understand, and can implement - and what part of the code was handed to you. Make it clear! (Use the README)
- Try to commit at least fairly regulary, so your contribution graph isn't empty.
- Share your expertise on public channels such as: StackOverflow answers, open source contributions, papers, blog posts. Keep a TIL journal, or use a GitHub repo to document your learning journey.
- Don't say "This may be stupid…" The best advice I've seen is to replace "stupid" with "potato". Genius!
- Make sure it's nice and inclusive!
- Leave bad workplaces!
- Dare to take initiative; show interest even if it's outside of your comfort zone. Ask questions & make suggestions.
- Standard Resume
- jsonresume.org - Keep your resume in JSON format