Resumes
Th om as J. Smi th
55 Northern Road l Sometown, NY 11375
Home: 555-555-5555 l Cell: 555-555-5556 l ts@somedomain.com
Targeting an Internship or Entry-Level Opportunity in…
Software Engineering
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Upcoming BSSE graduate offering a strong foundation in software engineering and programming principles
across multiple platforms.
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Experienced in object-oriented programming; developing, testing and debugging code; designing
interfaces; and administering systems and networks.
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Quickly learn and master new technologies; successful working in both team and self-directed settings.
Education
ABC COLLEGE -- Sometown, NY
Pursuing Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering (BSSE), Expected Graduation: May 2012
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Academic Honors: ABC College Program Achievement Citation (2011), Dean’s List (3 semesters)
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Senior Software Engineering Capstone Design Project (in progress):
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Project Scope: Currently working as part of a five-member team on next-generation rollout of robot
control software for DEF Company, a technology research company specializing in robotics. Analyzed
functional requirements, developed code and currently testing software applications.
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Tools: Visual Studio .Net, C# and ASP.Net
Courses Completed:
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Java Programming & Data Structures
Wireless Mobile Software Engineering
Object-Oriented Design
Database Management Systems
Information Security
Assembly Language Programming
Computer Organization and Architecture
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Software Engineering Process Management
Enterprise Software Overview
Software Quality Testing
Network Security
Distributed OS
Human Computer Interface
Bioinformatics
DEF TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE -- Sometown, NY
Associate of Science in Computer Science, May 2009
Work Experience
ABC COLLEGE -- Sometown, NY
Help Desk Technician, October 2011 to Present
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Provide networking and desktop support, account maintenance and printing assistance to students and
faculty. Troubleshoot and resolve complex technology problems as the “go-to” person for IT issues.
GHI COMPANY & JKL COMPANY -- Sometown, NY
Barista, 2009 to 2010 (seasonal)
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Excelled within service-oriented positions (concurrent with college studies), delivering premium customer
service and attracting repeat customers.
Technology Summary
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Visual Studio .Net, Visual Basic 6, C#, ASP.Net, C, C++, Java, .Net, XML/HTML, JavaScript, Ajax, CSS,
Windows, Linux, Unix, MS Office Suite
Nicholas Ferraro
159 Westbrook St. v Sometown, NH 03824 v (555) 555-5555 v nf@somedomain.com
Targeting an Entry-Level Position as a…
COMPUTER PROGRAMMER
v Recent honors graduate of ABC University’s BS in IT program whose academic credentials are
reinforced by hands-on programming experience gained during internship with ABC Company.
v Consistently commended by professors and internship supervisor for programming abilities; strong
grasp of technologies (e.g., Java, VB, C, C++, SharePoint, HTML and .Net); and attention to detail.
v Known as a self-starter, team player and multitasker; strive to consistently exceed expectations.
Education
ABC UNIVERSITY — Sometown, NH v Bachelor of Science, Major in Information Technology, 2011
v Honors: Graduated cum laude (GPA: 3.53); inductee, Golden Key Honor Society; recipient, John Doe
Academic Scholarship; Dean’s List, 2009, 2010, 2011.
v Senior Project: Earned “A” grade on capstone project as co-developer of Web-based, customized
enterprise software solution that integrated business processes for a nonprofit organization. Delivered
turnkey application that reduced manual data entry, saving hundreds of personnel hours monthly.
v Course Highlights: Enterprise Application Development, Security, Java/C/VB Programming, IT Project
Management, Database Programming, Web Design, Computer Architecture
Internship
ABC COMPANY — Sometown, NH v Computer Programmer Intern, 2010 to 2011
v Selected for nine-month internship out of more than 150 applicants.
v Handled database and Web site programming tasks (primarily using Java, C, C++, HTML and SharePoint),
working an average of 15 hours per week while maintaining a 3.5 GPA.
v Redesigned Internet and intranet pages. Used SEO best practices to optimize Web site for search engine
rankings and improved functionality of company database.
v Resolved memory corruption and other technical issues by leveraging strengths in coding, debugging and
integration testing.
Technology Summary
v Programming/Languages: Java (J2SDK v1.3, J2EE, EJB, Servlets, JSP, Struts, J2ME, JavaBeans, RMI,
JDBC, Java Applets); C; C++; Visual Basic; SharePoint; .Net; PHP; MySQL; HTML
v Source Code Control: Visual SourceSafe, Ant
v Databases: Oracle 8.x/9.x, SQL Server, MS Access
v Design & IDE Tools: Rational Rose, UML, WSAD, Visual Café, VJ++, WebLogic
v Office Tools: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Visio
v Operating Systems: Windows 7/Vista/Server 2008, Mac OS X
Volunteer Work
Volunteered during summers for Habitat for Humanity (2008, 2010) and ABC Homeless Shelter (2009).
More Samples
• https://www.resumedrop.co/
– Real resumes
• Site developed by UB alum Pat Jameson ('15)
Disclaimer
• These are my opinions!
• I’ve done my research and know a thing or
two
– Educated guesses
• The nature of resume writing
– Ask n people
– Get n different answers
• I’ll mostly stick with common strategies
– Warn when I’m giving more controversial advice
Why write a resume?
• To get an interview
– A great resume can make the interview easier
– Don’t lie on your resume. They can tell in the
interview
• Learning the claimed skills before the interview
• You’re expected to
– Even if you have the job through a contact
– HR requires a resume to be on file
Resume Content
• Is what you’ve been working on for years
• We’ll focus mostly on presentation today
Presentation Matters
• Make this document look great!
– Especially if you’re applying for any web/app
design or any other front-end design
• Your resume is a document that represents
you (professionally at least)
– This is how you choose to present yourself
• If you sloppily present yourself on a document
that you’ve had years to prepare:
– How much do you really care about your career?
– How are you going to represent the company?
As opposed to:
Make this document look great! Especially if
you’re applying for any web/app design or any
other front-end design. Your resume is a
document that represents you (professionally at
least). This is how you choose to present yourself.
If you sloppily present yourself on a document
that you’ve had years to prepare:
-How much do you really care about your career?
-How are you going to represent the company?
Bullet Points
• Makes resume easier to skim
• Short sentences with buzzwords
• Without bullets and buzz
– I worked at this company doing web development and
implemented a database to efficiently store and
retrieve user data in real time.
• With
– Implemented a SQL server to manage 1000’s of
customers’ data
– Developed web apps using PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS
– Monitored system performance in real time
Action words
• Start each description with a strong action
word
– managed, originated, conducted, coordinated
Job Descriptions – With Action Words
• Without
– Worked at McDonalds as a cashier and cook
• With
– McDonalds
• Responsible for 100’s of financial transactions each day
• Ensure safety and health standards are met
• Don’t lie or embellish
– Remind and inform
Job Descriptions – From Samples
• Summer Camp – Wilderness Trip Leader
– “Led middle school campers in Canada and USA for up
to two weeks long wilderness hike and canoe trips”
– “Was entirely responsible for participants’ mental and
physical well-being, as well as trip itinerary and
logistics”
• Barista
– “Excelled within service-oriented (concurrent with
college studies), delivering premium customer service
and attracting repeat customers
Typical CSE Senior Resume
• Content includes:
– A degree in computer science
– Multiple programing languages
– Experience with software (IDE’s, Linux, MS Office)
– Course projects
– At least 1 past job (technical or not)
• These should all be on your resume
– Probably won’t set you apart though
Projects Section
• If you have any projects
– Make a projects section
• Shows that you want to write software!
– You’re not just taking CS cause it will make a good
career
• Can add course projects
– Everyone has these so it’s not strong
– Except this course project since it’s open-ended
Objective
• Optional
• I like having one
• Brief (one sentence) description of your career
goals
Skills Section
• Skills should be scattered throughout your
resume
– Mention the software and languages used in each
job/project description
• Can also have a separate skills section to
reinforce that experience and mention
anything not covered elsewhere
Who reads resumes?
• Most common cases
– Software Engineers
– Managers
– Human resources
– An algorithm
• This depends a lot on where you apply
• A resume can be tailored to the department
that will be reading it
– Add some non-technical flourish for HR
– Talk technical details of projects for SE’s
Example Resume Flow
• Software Engineers submit a job description to
HR
– “We need someone who can work on our website and
knows HTML, CSS, PHP, SQL, JavaScript”
• Resumes are submitted to HR
• HR filters resumes not fitting the criteria
– Remember, they might not know what SQL is
• Keywords!
• Qualified applicants go to the Software Engineers
– Typically to the project managers or senior developers
• The engineers decide who they will interview
Scenario
• You are working as a software engineer
– You are busy writing code and tracking down bugs
• You are given a stack of resumes and you’re
told to pick a few to interview
• What would you look for?
Scenario
• The person reading your resume is like you
– A few years further in their career
• *Potentially controversial suggestion:
• “Write your resume for you”
– If a company doesn’t like it, it might not have been
the best match anyway
– Bad advice if you just want a job
– Better advice if you want your dream job
If you don’t know where you want to
work
• Target an audience that you would like to
work for.
– Try presenting yourself as a person you would hire
• Not what you think the hiring manager will be looking
for.
– This way you have the companies self-select as
the ones that you want to work for.
– Some things you must tune to the hiring manager
(if you know where you want to go).
• I tailored to the CSE department.
Curriculum Vitae
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“The course of my life”
What you call a resume when you fancy
Typically longer than a resume
I have done this:
– Had one document
– Rename the file “cv.pdf” or “resume.pdf”
depending on what was asked for
Summary
• Work Experience / Projects section
– Bullet points
– Action words
– Mention tool/languages
• Education is straight forward
– Just make the formatting look good
• A lot of choices depend on how much you
have to say
• Keep it to 1 page as a college grad
LinkedIn
• Not much to say about this
• Just make a profile
• Some companies look for employees on here
Cover Letter
• Not sure if anyone reads these
– Some companies don’t require one
• Aim for 3 paragraphs
– 1: Briefly, why you are qualified for this specific
position
– 2: Summary of the highlights on your resume
• Don’t be afraid to repeat content from your resume
– 3: Invitation to contact and looking forward to
meeting