Much of my recent career has been as a Rails developer within startups. In startup-land, pitching is a daily occurrence.
It’s become apparent that your resume is very similar to a startup’s pitch deck. It should be short and sharp. Its only purpose is to get a face to face meeting. That’s it.
The best resumes I’ve seen all have this in common:
- Simple structure
- Highlight the important bits
- A glimpse of personality
SIMPLE STRUCTURE
Listing all the things in a list is … listy. Short paragraphs are better. Like a pitch deck, it’s quite formulaic. Contact details, single paragraph intro, slightly more in-depth last few roles, slightly less in-depth next roles, education, community involvement, interests.
HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANT BITS
When talking about your skills, it’s OK to highlight the relevant bits for the role you’re applying for. That one time you worked at Maccas doesn’t have much of an influence on how good a coder you are.
A GLIMPSE OF PERSONALITY
Just like a startup, you’re a unique snowflake. No one likes a resume full of bright pink text but if it contains a little piece of you, it may be the best way to make it stand out.
Remember that the one goal for your resume is to land you that first interview. After that your charm, wit and technical skills will have to take over.
If you need a hand with your resume, just ask. I’m happy to help!
