What should go on a resume for a software developer still in college looking for a job after graduation?

Question

What are some things that should be on a software developers resume? I'll be graduating in December and I am starting to look for jobs now and I wonder how I can beef up the standard resume.

Here is what I have so far (and in this order).

• Name
• Contact information
• Objective
• Education
• Relevant experience
• Technical skills
  • Programming Languages
  • Concepts
  • Frameworks
  • Software
• Other experience
• Interests and hobbies
• "References are available upon request"

Two other things.

For my email address contact - I have Gmail and they have that daniel+something@... should I include that +something to make it easy to filter and not get junked?

What about length? I know 1 page is standard but should I include more if I'm posting to a site like Dice?

Answer 1

You might want to add any course work that you think is relevant. If you took a course on compilers or an advanced operating system course that's good stuff (at least when I read resumes). If you have taken extra courses in hardware that can be good for the right company as well. You have a pretty good reputation score on this site so maybe add that too. I'd definitely take it into consideration if I was screening resumes.

Answer 2

I would add any substantial projects you completed as part of your coursework. Outline, approach, challenges, result--just like an employment position.

Speaking as someone who's done quite a bit of hiring out of university, seeing this on a resume always alerted me that an applicant was at least aware of the differences between academia and the workplace.

(Not to say they all ended up being quality interviewees, but it was one thing that set them apart from the crowd.)

Answer 3

"Extracurricular Highlights" can contain offices you held in student organizations, for instance.

Answer 4

When I left university I didn't really have any work place experience which made my CV feel a little light. I found it helped a lot when I put in some high level details about some major projects (particularly my final year dissertation) that I did while at uni, and then this gave the interviewer something to talk about and ask about in the interview, otherwise his content may be a little light - and if they're technical, they'll like to hear about your projects anyway.

Answer 5

I would definitely add another bullet point under Technical Skills which would say "Problem Solving". The ability to debug an application, whether or not it's your application, is highly underrated in my opinion. You can always learn syntax, but a conceptual way of figuring out what's wrong with something is harder to come by.

Answer 6

If you are looking for a software development job then the one thing that will set you apart from other graduates is experience on real life software projects. Internships and open source are good for this. If you don't have this experience then put down your academic experience and dont try to pad it out with irrelevant stuff.

The only other thing to put is that the more concrete you can make your experience the better it will sound. "Part of a team that wrote a CRM system Java, the system supported 200 users and was delivered on time and on budget." is far better than "Created an application to support users in their communication with clients, utlizing the latest technology and advances in software development techniques".

Answer 7

Try adding as many projects as possible. Also if you have enough, build yourself an online portfolio and put the link on your resume and cover letter.

Answer 8

It sounds like you have it mostly covered. I would remove interests and hobbies unless they are directly related.

As far as details on your projects and relevant experience, I would include that information in a cover letter that you can tailor for the company/job for which you're applying. This way you can be sure to get relevant details in without making your resume overly long and hard to read. Remember, your resume usually should be one page.

Answer 9

Here's my resume, which got me several job offers:

• Personalized Cover Letter: Make it unique for every job you apply for
• Resume
  • Profile Highlights (Objectives): Again, unique for EVERY job you apply for
  • Education: Listed my GPA (it was very high), and courses that related to the applied-for job
  • Technical Skills: Listed technologies I had worked with. Languages, IDE's, Suites, etc.
  • Related Projects: A section of projects I worked on in my spare time that relate to this job
  • Employment Experience: List even unrelated experience. It shows teamwork building, etc.
  • Interests and Activities: Adds a personal touch. Reading, blog publishing, philosophical debate, bike riding
• Transcripts: Only give these if they're asked for.
• References: I had four. Each had the name job title, company, phone, and email. Use previous employers, teachers, and professors

Answer 10

You may want to have a look at Land the tech job you love fron Andy Lester in the pragmatic book shelf series. It is mostly written for people with some work experience but I'm graduating in November and it helped me a lot in preparing and planning my job search.

Answer 11

Resumes get you an interview. I'd get rid of the hobby section; you're wasting the reviewer's time. (Continue reading read if you don't believe me.)

A basic inteview will take care of the, what are your hobbies?, how long have you lived in the area, were you able to follow the directions I gave you? I see you like go to Vegas 20 times a year, do you have a gambling or buffet problem? Unless of course, you mention that you like going to the shows. I see you haven't listed any sports that you play; are you uncoordinated or avoid competition. All of you hobbies are individual pursuits, are you capable of being part of a team. You play a lot of team sports, can you work on your own?