What would you put on your resume to apply for a job with no prior experience in that technology

Question

Right now i have a job that requires me to work mostly with PL-SQL. (first job out of college) Have been doing it for just over 18 months now. I think its high time i started looking for another job, as im not learning much here. The thing is, i dont have much experience with other technologies. If you were an employer, what kind of projects on my resume would qualify me as a good candidate? Currently im going through Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, and making a toy interpreter for Python. Is that worthwhile, or do technology specific projects(Like .Net, Java etc) carry more weight in your opinion?

Answer 1

For me, it would be good to list any relevant projects based on what you want to do. If you want to go to a .NET shop, then do some stuff to showcase that you are at least getting started with .NET. The same goes for any other type of language, be able to show that you are willing/able to investigate new things outside of work, this shows initiative, which in most cases is a big part of the "do we hire this guy decision".

Also, listing technologies that you have "exposure" to but not necessarily real world experience with can help you. Putting this towards the bottom of a resume can help show what you have experienced in school or otherwise. NOTE: I have had some people that do not like this approach.

The key here is to not have too high of expectations with a job, especially when trying to go into something that you don't have applicable work experience with.

Answer 2

My first professional coding gig was writing PHP, even though I'd never written a line of PHP in my life.

I had varying amounts of experience with at least a dozen other languages, though, including lots of Java.

If you've spent time with anything other than PL-SQL, include it. Have you set up macros to automate GUI tasks? Written batch files/shell scripts? Tinkered with BASIC on a commodore 64? Written some HTML?

If you have, great -- you've demonstrated an ability to learn varying technologies and syntaxes, which is the most important thing.

If you haven't, start now. Tinker with new languages in your spare time. Try to contribute to an open source project. Set up a blog, and write a custom plugin.

Answer 3

Anything that shows you are smart, capable of either doing the job or learning to do it quickly, responsible and hard-working. I was in the Army before going to college and getting my CS degree. Army job had nothing to do with computers, but I still put it on my resume. Things like "led a Three-man team that had to be prepared to travel anywhere in the world on less than 24-hour notice" and "responsible for the deployment, accountablility and maintenance of $500,000 worth of equipment" show that you have skills that can transfer to any job. Use the experience you do have and word it to show how those skills apply to the job you want.

Answer 4

Depending on what stack you want to work with, you may find the appropriate certification and work towards that. For example if you want to get a job where they use Java the Java Certified Programmer may be a good start.

Concurrently you can build things in your own time. This will allow you to get used to all the other stuff that makes you productive, such as getting the most out of your chosen IDE, how to deploy etc. but is not specifically related to the language.

If you start moving down this path, I think you should find it easier to get interest from potential employers.

Answer 5

Go for it. I'd apply for the job if it's in the career track that you're aiming for.

My first job was mostly SQL-PL (like you), my current job (second), is now .NET development, I applied for it even though I didn't have alot of real world .NET development & deployment. I got it because I was actively studying (MCTS), and was passionate about doing some "real development".

Answer 6

Most places look for keywords/buzzwords on your resume. They typically go through a recruiter or an HR lady - neither of which have technical skills.

So, if they have a job opening for a .Net developer and your resume says 'Worked with C#' - they don't know that C# means you've got experience as a .Net developer.

In other words, unless you are applying for a job that uses python, having the word python on your resume will probably be disregarded. At least, until you are in the final stages of consideration, when a technical person reads over your resume.

Use Careerbuilder/Dice/Monster/whatever else you like to search your local area to see what's in demand. Then, I'd suggest you do some work, whatever it might be, so that you can honestly put that down on your resume. Probably, you'll find that Java, .Net (web development mostly) and PHP/LAMP type jobs are what people are posting. But your millage might vary.

That's assuming you just want 'a job'. If a particular language or technology strikes your fancy, then, if you think it's got a chance at paying the bills; pursue it.

Answer 7

Most companies will expect you to have to learn the ropes for some time before you become as effective as your co-workers.

It definitely helps to learn as much as you can about a prospective employer's business, and then to leverage what you have done in the past toward your employer's goals.

For example, when I applied for my second position out of college, a prospective employer was seeking someone to redesign their intranet using ASP.NET and the DotNetNuke framework. Even though I had no experience with either ASP.NET or DNN, I wrote a cover letter detailing how I solved a similar business problem for my previous employer using PHP. I described particular web applications I developed for their existing intranet, responses from users, impressions from management, etc.

Answer 8

When I'm doing hires for an entry level position or a new college hire, I don't look at specific technologies necessarily. I look at your ability to learn. If you are smart and can learn one technology, you can probably learn another. That's what entry level positions are all about.

I would stress and give examples of how quickly you picked up things on your new job and used that new knowledge to solve real world problems. Also, do things that show you have a passion for technology in general. Build a fun web site in the new technology at home, for example. One question I would always ask inexperienced hires was "how many computers do you have at home?" If they said something like "two and a half, should be three when I get my new video card," I gave them points for being passionate about technology. That can go a long way.

Answer 9

First and foremost:

1. Work on as many projects as possible intially (since you are out of college, and starting out). This will position you well in your career ahead.

2. Pick like minded technologies, syntactically similar for example I never had problems working with mysql and sql server (sql is almost same). Also php, javascript, C#, Java.

3. Get a good hold of Visual studio and Eclipse and you will be set.