Quote: Original post by frob
Very much improved. I'm not inclined to instantly ignore it at anymore, and am actually drawn to look at the details.

I would cut the Tools and Languages sections under each heading, incorporating the languages and tools into the details, but this is a personal preference.

If you are looking for space, look at the lines that wrap around the page with just a few words on the second line. Prune them shorter or merge with other details.

Based on the very top "Titles" section, I am inclined to ask why you are leaving with two titles in development. That makes me slightly nervous about your ability to finish your projects.


It still looks generic and gives no insight to you as a person.

You really need to give it some personal flavor, it now looks like a list of facts. I would also add some additional lead-ins to what you did. Mention some concrete facts or details that humanize you. Did you get any specific accolades? ("Nominated as Coder of the Month 6 times.") Did your feature get specific critical review? ("GameSpot called this feature a source of unexpected quirky delight.")




So in summary:

I like it. I am drawn to actually consider you. This was not the case with the first one.

I don't love it. It needs to present you as a human being, not as an interchangeable cog.
Some companies are looking for interchangeable cogs, so that may be a bad approach for you.

Frob,

I am assuming in that last sentence you meant to say "...so that may NOT be a bad approach..."?

Also, I've been mulling about it for about an hour now and I am having trouble coming up with something that would "humanize" me. The one thing I could think of is that I often stay late and/or work on the weekends out of my own accord, just because I love programming games. Would that be something I could put on the resume that would present me as a human being? Perhaps something in the vein of: "Voluntarily stayed after hours and worked weekends to polish game features responsible for" or "Constantly works on game related projects on my own time"?

The other thing I thought of is that I've often been commended by our lead developer and my boss about how well I document my code, but that doesn't sound like something I'd put on a resume.

Second question is about the font size. I was thinking that if I reduce the font size from 12 point to 10 that would give me more space, but it would decrease readability. I was advised by a friend of a friend, who just happens to be a hiring manager at my organization, to use Times New Roman size 14 for titles and 12 for everything else because it's easier to read. So, what's your take on the 10 size font? Is it too small?

Zanmato, what Frob says makes sense to me. And has been confirmed by other people, especially the 1 page thing. The hiring manager friend I mentioned above told me the same thing, i.e more than 1 page just gets thrown in the trash. Sad but true, I know. It was so painful for me to cut out all this other computer programming experience I have, directly related to game programming, but that is the reality of the situation.

Quote: Original post by lougv22
Frob,

I am assuming in that last sentence you meant to say "...so that may NOT be a bad approach..."?

After rereading it, I typed what I meant. It may not be exactly clear what the pronoun "that" is referring to, but I assure you if you use the correct target, the meaning of the statement is clear. :-)

Quote: Also, I've been mulling about it for about an hour now and I am having trouble coming up with something that would "humanize" me. The one thing I could think of is that I often stay late and/or work on the weekends out of my own accord, just because I love programming games. Would that be something I could put on the resume that would present me as a human being?

Generally no. It may show the opposite --- that you have a bad work-life balance. You should generally include only the things you intend to do on the next job. Is it your intention to actively seek out overtime? If no, don't include it.

Quote: The other thing I thought of is that I've often been commended by our lead developer and my boss about how well I document my code, but that doesn't sound like something I'd put on a resume.

If it is worded properly, it is very appropriate to place on there. If your company gave written performance reviews it is perfectly fine to quote portions of it. For instance: "With regards to documentation, my manager stated 'blah blah blah blah' in a written performance review."

Quote: Second question is about the font size. I was thinking that if I reduce the font size from 12 point to 10 that would give me more space, but it would decrease readability. I was advised by a friend of a friend, who just happens to be a hiring manager at my organization, to use Times New Roman size 14 for titles and 12 for everything else because it's easier to read. So, what's your take on the 10 size font? Is it too small?

It really depends on your preferences and how you want to present yourself. I personally like 14/12 or 14/11 or so, but nothing is wrong with or 12/10, or even 12/8.

Remember the point is for it to land you with an interview. In order to get that far, it needs to survive multple exclusionary passes. So print out 6-10 variations, pass them around to your friends, and ask them which ones are the worst. (It is often easier to point out bad qualities, so invite them as you did here.) Figure out what makes them bad, and improve them. Repeat as necessary as you keep huting for your job.

I thought you might find this website helpful:

http://www.resuwe.com

This website is run by recruiters, and it will have a lot of information to help job seekers. It will also have a free resume optimizing tool. They have a blog as well that gives some tips for writing resumes and cover letters. I personally thought it was extremely useful. Here is part of one of their articles:

How can I build a boring/content rich resume?

1. MS Word doc only! MS Word doc files are the standard and easiest for Applicant Tracking Systems to upload and parse.
2. List your resume reverse chronologically - Most recent positions on top
3. One font throughout your resume - Arial, Times New Roman, Georgia, and Garamond are best
4. Black font color only
5. 10pt, 11pt, or 12pt font size only. Stick with one font size throughout your entire resume.
6. Let your resume flow to 2-3 pages if you have the experience (usually 10+ years or more)
7. List all start and end dates for your positions in the Month, Year format (ex. January, 2006 to June, 2009)
8. Optimize your resume content by including as many keywords relating to your skills, experiences, technologies, or activities you have worked with.
9. Proofread. Every text editor, MS Word, and Google Docs all have built in Spell Checkers. There are no excuses for typos!
10. Links to your professional blog or Twitter page to promote your personal brand. Only if you are 100% sure the content is professional.
11. Optimize your resume (coming soon) with ResuWe at http://www.resuwe.com

They also have some other great articles that should help you out.

Hope this helps!

OK, so this is the resume I am going with right now:

Current resume

I decided to go with Times New Roman 11 for the main content and 14 for the headers. That gave me more space to work with. I am going to apply for a few jobs with this one and see how it goes. Thanks to all who gave me feedback and advice. If you have more though, don't hesitate to throw it at me. This is by no means a final version (of my resume, that is).