Hire me! How to make a cool resume and LinkedIn profile for a novice programmer

As you know, Java programmers are in high demand these days. And not only Java programmers. The number of vacancies for coders around the world is growing. In the era of digital transformation, the Internet of things, big data and other innovations, the industry needs more and more technical specialists who know some programming language and have the skills to create software products. Therefore, it is not surprising that in recent years many developers feel in demand and desirable - recruiters themselves run after them on social networks, find contacts and sometimes seduce them with job offers that are simply obscene, from a financial point of view. However, not all coders are so popular with recruiters, but only those who have experience, skills and theoretical knowledge, which is exactly what employers are interested in. And also those who know how to "sell" themselves, demonstrating the presence of all of the above, and it does not matter whether such an image corresponds to reality. But for those of the developers who do not have vast experience and are just taking their first steps in this career, for some reason the line of recruiters does not line up. In previous articles, we have already talked aboutincrease your chances of getting a job . Today we will continue this topic, but we will go a little from the other side. Namely, let's talk about how to present yourself and “sell.” That is, we will work on improving self-presentation skills and tell you how to look as professional as possible using your resume and LinkedIn social network page, and maybe create the image of a rising coding star that all recruiters must run after with contracts for six-figure dollar amounts.

Summary

And we will start with tips on how to design a resume as the most important document when looking for a job.

1. Size matters

   Many recruiters note the fact that a resume should not be too long or, conversely, overly concise. It is believed that two pages is ideal. At the same time, an inexperienced programmer should use these two pages to put on them as much information as possible about their practical experience, including every, even the most insignificant side project. If there is too little practical experience, more space can be devoted to listing theoretical knowledge. Well, experienced coders, on the contrary, are advised to show respect for those who will study from the resume, without overloading it with detailed descriptions and unimportant additions.

   “Be concise. Every couple of months I get a resume that looks like “War and Peace” with a paragraph of florid prose to say that the candidate was just debugging bugs,” complains a user under the name jeikabu in the DEV Community of programmers.

2. Let me tell you a story

   For a resume to make the right impression on recruiters and employers, it must tell a story, and this story must, firstly, be understandable, and secondly, it is desirable that the reader likes it (i.e., the one who makes the hiring decision) . The resume should show the trajectory of the specialist, his goals and desire to progress to a level that corresponds to the vacant position. So, for example, if an applicant with front-end development experience is applying for a position in the back-end, he should explain in his resume why such a transition makes sense both for him and for the employer.

3. Individual approach

   Another good piece of advice that many recruiters give is to “tweak” the resume for each individual position so that the story “told” in the resume fits that position. It is not necessary to rewrite everything every time, it is enough to highlight those sections and projects indicated in the summary that may be more relevant.

4. Cloud of skills

   A skill cloud is a list of keywords that are designed to display all the basic knowledge and skills of a candidate. It makes sense to include here all languages, tools, frameworks, libraries and just concepts in which the resume holder is more or less versed. Many programmers advise to use more specific and narrow terms, making up a cloud of skills. For example, instead of just listing JavaScript as a second programming language, it's better to name all the JS specifications that the resume writer knows how to work with, such as ES5, ES6, ES2017, etc. It is also advised to gradually remove from the skill cloud those technologies, tools and frameworks that are considered obsolete and are not in great demand now.

   Having keywords in a resume is useful for another reason, says one of the programmers in the DEV Community: “Don't forget that the resume should be suitable for two different target audiences - first for HR, and only then for technical specialists. Many HRs do not have a technical background, and therefore, when looking at resumes, they simply check with the list of keywords that they were given.”

5. Call me

   The main task of a resume is to convert views into contacts with job offers, right? Therefore, contacts should be displayed on each of the resume pages, they should be made clear and well designed. The resume must contain a phone number and email, links to Github and LinkedIn profiles are desirable. It would also be nice to add some kind of CTA (Call to action), urging recruiters and HRs to call right now, without postponing this matter for a long time.

Profile on LinkedIn

A serious and properly designed profile on the social network for professional communication LinkedIn today is almost more important than a high-quality resume. This is because the profile on LinkedIn, unlike a resume, where, in principle, you can write anything, is public, which means that its analysis allows you to get a more complete impression of a person, and sometimes verify the truth of the work experience he declares.

1. Be at 100

   Your LinkedIn profile must be 100% complete. This is basic advice, but it can have a critical impact on popularity and relevance in the professional environment. The fact is that the LinkedIn algorithm prioritizes the profiles of those users who are 100% complete, and, accordingly, pessimizes those where something is missing.

   In order for a LinkedIn profile to receive an “all-star” rating, the following sections must be completed: profile photo, location and industry, description of work experience (at least the current position, plus two previous ones), skills (at least three) and education, you also need to have at least 50 contacts (“friends” on LinkedIn). However, the social network itself is quite actively pushing the user to fill out the profile to the end, through reminders and tips, so this will not cause any particular difficulties, but this advice should not be ignored.

2. Confessions of a programmer

   The section called Summary in the About section is the only opportunity to speak freely about yourself, and should not be neglected. This is a chance to tell everyone your story and create the impression of a goal-oriented and motivated professional.

   At the same time, in your story you should not pour too much templates and clichés, trying to demonstrate your own enthusiasm. For example, don't call yourself "goal-oriented" and "motivated." Instead, it's better to be honest about yourself and your goals, and briefly describe the most important technologies and programming languages ​​that you have worked with.

   It is best to write in the first person, as if talking to an interviewer at a job interview. You can use keywords, but don't get too carried away, because LinkedIn's algorithms are able to find and punish those who try to deceive them.

3. What is your evidence?

   Evidence that backs up the words in the profile description and resume is especially important for those programmers who do not yet have much experience in permanent positions. You can showcase examples of your work by attaching media files to different sections of your profile, including description, work experience, and education. LinkedIn allows you to attach documents, photos, links, videos, and presentations to your profile.

4. You won't get a second chance to make a first impression.

   Advice from Andrew Brown, experienced developer and head of ExamPro. “The LinkedIn top banner is the big blue box right above your profile picture. It can be replaced with custom-made graphics, and I highly recommend doing so. The banner is your most effective tool to create a good impression. The banner should quickly and effectively communicate your specialization. For example, my specialty is AWS Cloud Computing, and the banner screams that to everyone who comes to the page.” — said the expert.

5. We eliminate competitors

   Another very non-obvious, but rather useful advice from experienced and experienced people: remove the “People Also Viewed” section on the right side of your profile. This sidebar does exactly what it says in its name, namely it shows the pages of those people who were viewed by other visitors of this profile. Most often, user profiles appear in it, with which the owner of the profile has a lot in common - similar skills, specialization, etc. Thus, there are often links to competitors - other programmers with the same skill set - which recruiters and HRs use when searching for a suitable candidate. Since there is no point in promoting your own competitors, it is better to disable this feature. You can do this in the settings and privacy section (Privacy & Settings).

Remember, all of a Jedi's power comes from his Force. Instead of an epilogue

In general, there are a lot of ways to “combine” your resume and properly present yourself on LinkedIn, and these tips could go on and on. But while improving your profile and creating the coolest resume, you should still not forget that a programmer, even with the most ideal profile on LinkedIn, will not be particularly successful in finding a job if skills and practical experience are not a priority for him. Therefore, you should not get too carried away with creating the image of a cool coder, it’s better to really become one, especially since it won’t be so difficult to do with the course from CodeGym.