Tiveria
Sheeptastic!
I'm not sure how many of you have done interviews and resumes, but I thought I'd give some advice. Why? Well for the past few weeks I've been on the receiving end of both. We're hiring for another person in my department, and my boss has been kind enough to let me in on the process. Along the way, I've realized that people need to learn that even if you're a geek, you still need to learn to be a professional geek in order to make it in the business world.
1. If you think your current or past job was boring, don't tell us it was boring. We know that if you're doing something minute and repetitive that it's boring. Find something you liked about it and focus on that.
2. Few really care about your GPA. An overall GPA isn't a bad idea, but when you list the GPA for each year, or for each class, it comes across as overboard.
3. If you want to prove you are a creative thinker, be creative on your resume. If you use a template for the piece of paper, what's to say you won't use the same on the job?
4. Don't undo your tie, your pants or your shirt. I don't care if you're hot. Just don't do it.
5. Act attentive, and politely friendly. Smile once in awhile, nod as if you were paying attention. I don't care if you're thinking about the girl you got last night, just act like you care about me. Don't zone out, bang your head against a wall or fidget with a paperweight on a desk that doesn't belong to you.
6. Don't lie. If you put SQL on a resume, expect to be asked if it's from Access, MSSQL, mySQL, Oracle or some other server. We're going to ask what kind of VB. If you know, put it on the resume. If you don't, don't put it on the resume.
I'm not an expert by any means, but I was shocked at some of the basic mistakes people made. I know if it's your first job, you're nervous. But I would have thought a lot of these were just basic logic.
1. If you think your current or past job was boring, don't tell us it was boring. We know that if you're doing something minute and repetitive that it's boring. Find something you liked about it and focus on that.
2. Few really care about your GPA. An overall GPA isn't a bad idea, but when you list the GPA for each year, or for each class, it comes across as overboard.
3. If you want to prove you are a creative thinker, be creative on your resume. If you use a template for the piece of paper, what's to say you won't use the same on the job?
4. Don't undo your tie, your pants or your shirt. I don't care if you're hot. Just don't do it.
5. Act attentive, and politely friendly. Smile once in awhile, nod as if you were paying attention. I don't care if you're thinking about the girl you got last night, just act like you care about me. Don't zone out, bang your head against a wall or fidget with a paperweight on a desk that doesn't belong to you.
6. Don't lie. If you put SQL on a resume, expect to be asked if it's from Access, MSSQL, mySQL, Oracle or some other server. We're going to ask what kind of VB. If you know, put it on the resume. If you don't, don't put it on the resume.
I'm not an expert by any means, but I was shocked at some of the basic mistakes people made. I know if it's your first job, you're nervous. But I would have thought a lot of these were just basic logic.
