I’m excited to share The Tech Resume Inside Out: a guide on how to write a developer (or engineering manager) resume that represents you fairly. The book is free for any developer currently out of a job [1].<p>COVID was what triggered me writing this book. At the beginning of the year, I was in the middle of writing a book on growing as a software engineer. However, as COVID started and the tech the layoffs followed in April and May, I found myself wanting to help people impacted. I’ve been a hiring manager for a few years, so I offered to do resume reviews for those laid off or applying for positions[2]. I had more than 300 developers take me up on this offer in a few days.<p>I did in-depth reviews for the first few dozen people, then copied-and-pasted common observations for the next batch, and finally sent over a 15-page PDF with the most common advice, with a few pointers for the bulk of the people. Here’s an early version of this PDF[3] - which also was the basis of this book.<p>I wasn’t that happy with how little backup I had for the advice in that guide, so I started to reach out to tech recruiters and hiring managers for more feedback. I also asked people to share back how their improved resumes worked out, applying the suggestions, and started adding this into a growing guide.<p>Four months and 55,000 words later, the book is ready. I tried to give level-headed, but practical advice, with lots of examples from actual resumes (that are all anonymized). Happy to answer any questions here.<p>[1] <a href="https://thetechresume.com/complimentary-copy" rel="nofollow">https://thetechresume.com/complimentary-copy</a><p>[2] <a href="https://twitter.com/GergelyOrosz/status/1263855589861580800" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/GergelyOrosz/status/1263855589861580800</a><p>[3] <a href="https://thetechresume.com/A_Good_Tech_Resume.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://thetechresume.com/A_Good_Tech_Resume.pdf</a>
It looks awesome, and very necessary. But isn't it sad that we've got to the point that so much effort - and a whole industry - has to go into this very meta side of work, time that is not spent doing something that actually produces something? All of this just to get to the point where you can get an interview to get a job to <i>then</i> start doing something productive for the world?<p>Again, not to take anything away from the book itself, which looks great. Just a comment on the work world today, I guess.
I'll be honest there are too many contributing experts from Uber, they have/had systemic problems in hiring and culture I would find it hard to accept the book.
The sample "Hiring Pipeline" chapter says that auto-rejections from ATS systems are a "myth" and that most/all resumes are screened by a human. Is this really true? I'm suspicious.<p>The next sample chapter even contains an anecdote strongly suggesting it's not a myth:<p>> With how the recruitment industry is going with ATS systems, one-touch-tooling, and AI, it’s all about optimizing the top of the funnel to streamline the workflow. In this setup, it is key that you have a resume where a machine can identify that you have 80% of what the company is looking for.
I went through some reviewers LinkedIn profiles. Most of them are 22-30y old claiming to be senior SW developers, architects or team leads. Maybe your problem isn't the resume but an imposter syndrome...
> When you interact with people, be mindful of these roles and their constraints. When a recruiter messages or calls you about a rejection, know that they are often a messenger. They are as invested in you getting the job as you are! As much as both the resume screening and the interview process can seem like a black box, it’s run by people who try and do their best.<p>Thank you. I think it's important to understand and empathise with everyone involved.
As always, thoughtful resources, especially provided gratis, are a wonderful contribution, and appreciated!<p>That said, I think there's a fundamental problem with what determines a 'good resumes'!<p>Resumes are generally assessed by a wide range of hirers and various layers or recruiters or hr in the middle - and the people who assess it they all have (very) different ideas of what is good!<p>I've seen this play out many times where person 1 says make it longer, person 2 says make it shorter, person 3 says not enough detail, person 4 says too much etc ..<p>So on balance I don't think it's possible to make an objectively perfect format of resume that will always be more successful than a different format for any given job application.<p>Other variables like number of applications, personal connection with the people you talk to etc are possibly going to be more valuable to focus efforts on in a job search, once your resume is 'good enough'. Then expect to modify it to suit various people's preference if you are really interested in a specific role.<p>My 2c ..
On the pricing page, it’s difficult to scan and see the difference between the two packages. You could do “everything in basic plus:” or change colors or something else to add contrast.<p>Also you should charge more for this book, I think it’s worth at least $30. The extra value added package could be $50 and include the templates and case studies or a personal resume review. See Rock and Roll with Ember.js: <a href="https://www.balinterdi.com/rock-and-roll-with-emberjs/" rel="nofollow">https://www.balinterdi.com/rock-and-roll-with-emberjs/</a>
Shouldn't the process of hiring be more like an interactive proof system?<p>Prover (the applicant) and verifier (the hiring manager) are both interested in proving the applicant to be a suited candidate.
It should be in the hiring manager's interest that suited candidates can act as valid prover that can convince the verifier!<p>With this thought, this book should be financed by both the hiring manager and the applicant. The hiring manager should help applicants to write good resumes. And the applicant should help the hiring manager to accept their proof of suitability.<p>Also, do you think this book will get more people a job (which would effectively create jobs and reduce unemployment) or just improve the candidate selection?<p>If it just improves the candidate selection, the rejection rate and thus the average happiness of applicants would stay the same (or even drop, as they paid money for this book) and the only beneficent would be the employer, as better candidates are hired.
The website gives me a notification saying "looks like you're based in the Netherlands..." regarding VAT. Interesting approach, but alas I'm in Belgium (next to NL) and not even close to the border.. :)
One question I always have regarding the 2 page suggested limit -- should I just drop old positions? At some point in a long enough career, just listing company, position, and dates will push it out past 2 pages.
"Lost your job during COVID? You could be eligible for a complientary copy"<p>Do I get a complientary copy for proofreading your copy? Like a sort of bug bounty if you like :D
The website is fantastic. Did you use a template to create it? Is it using some platform for checkout? I would love to know. Also if you can share the process of publishing a book like this end-to-end (writing, publishing, hosting, marketing etc.) it would be an invaluable read. I want to publish a book in my field, but not sure how to go about it. Thanks.
> Hey looks like you're based in United Kingdom. The below prices do not include VAT.
Use the code VAT20 to offset the VAT rate of 20%, if you want to.<p>But we don't pay VAT on books do we? And the item doesn't include it, as it says. So what's being offset? Is it just a general 20% discount?
Just started reading this and it's refreshing to see a highly practical take on resumes, written by people who actually read and make decisions on them. As a former hiring manager, I've found myself nodding my head A LOT so far.
Looks interesting! Would you also recommend it to other roles in the tech industry, such as business analysts or product owners? I can imagine a lot of the topics your book covers also apply to a broader part of the job market.
I skimmed through your sample chapters and you do make good points!<p>But wouldn't it be a better approach for an applicant to focus on an open source project for showing off rather than reading a 200 page book?
I have been reading the beta version of the books and it's really really good. Highly recommend to anyone looking to up their resume game. Great stuff @gregdoesit
Do you have any feedback/results/data to share from people who've applied this knowledge? I'm thinking that would be a great way to sell the book.
Thanks for sharing this! Going through applications for internships right now and hopefully this will help.<p>Also, Amy Miller's twitter has an errant h at the beginning of the url.
Is there anyone using gitconnected.com? I use it to build my own resume in a technical way. At the same time, I could show my notable projects on Github.
You have a validation error on your Complimentary Copy page:<p><a href="https://imgur.com/cE29tg3" rel="nofollow">https://imgur.com/cE29tg3</a>
Given rapid progress in technology, it is apparent that resume screening should go into dustbin of history, and be replaced by aptitude tests like HackerRank, CoderPad and like.<p>I have already talked to a few "resume optimization" experts, and their interviention infallibly landed my CV on the desks of organizations that seemed unable to properly appraise developer skills.<p>Anybody who can second my experience?