Resume Tips for Computer Science Graduates

'Tis the season! 

Over the last month or so, I've worked through over 1000 applications from soon-to-be Computer Science graduates.

Employers across the country are scrambling to hire software engineers (and pretty much any other IT discipline) from the class of 2014. There's enormous competition from both sides - companies can expect to get hundreds or thousands of applicants and exceptional engineers will often get several offers from desirable employers. 

Depending on your location, a BS CompSci grad can easily pull a starting salary of $90k+ as a Software Engineer. That's big money - not to mention a huge payoff on the investment you've been putting into your education. Getting the application process right can seriously impact your chances of scoring that dream job (and matching paycheck).

So how can an upcoming Computer Science grad get their foot in the door? It's really not that hard. Here are a few common sense tips that will help make sure you score an interview. 

In no particular order:

• Avoid simple mistakes
• Get someone to proof-read your resume for spelling, grammar and common sense!
• Presentation counts -  make sure your styles/fonts/punctuation/tabs are consistent and 'reasonable' for a professional document. It demonstrates both attention to detail, and that you have invested some time/effort. MS Word has plenty of good templates, and a quick Google search will provide an endless list.
• Ensure you include all your contact info - full name, address, phone number and email address.
• If you have a blog/github/bitbucket account, include the link (we'll find it anyway) - just don't forget to ensure it's up-to-date and does not include inappropriate content.
• Be brief! There is no reason why a fresh college graduate should have a resume that is more than 1-2 pages long. Stick to the important details then add a link to an online profile that includes further explanation of projects or extracurricular involvement. 
• Be ATS friendly
• Most employers will use an Application Tracking System to help manage the recruitment workflow. Having a resume that plays nice with these systems certainly helps you be found.
• No funny formatting or file formats. Unless you're applying for a design job, your resume should be largely text in MS Word or PDF are best.
• Watch your file name - don't use the generic resume.doc but pick a unique name, like myname_resume.doc. This suddenly matters when I try to save 500 resumes to my PC to review later.
• Provide your complete School/Graduation Date/GPA details
• You're a recent grad, and you're applying to an entry level role - this is one of the only times in your career where these details are make-or-break.
• Stand Out Online
• If you're applying for an Engineering/Development role, having online code samples makes an enormous difference to your chances of getting an interview and getting hired. 
• Contributions to an Open Source project, or a Github/Bitbucket account with some side projects, are highly regarded, especially by startups. Good public code trumps school/course/GPA/internships every single time. This is especially true if you have a STEM degree other than CompSci. 
• If you were to spend 1-2 hours per week developing anything in a modern language while at school, and regularly commit to github, you'll be well ahead of the competition.
• An up-to-date professional profile on Linkedin, G+, Blog is a huge help.
• Make the most of your time at School
• Some tech companies will offer a starting salary of over $100k for a fresh Computer Science grad - and competition for these roles is fierce. These same companies receive thousands of applications and due to time constraints will sometimes only screen the top x%. 
• The top candidates are defined by school, GPA, internships, extra curricular activities and personal projects (unfair as that may be).
• You can't always choose your school - but you can study hard and put a little time into showing you can actually code.

This list is hardly exhaustive and it's pretty much common sense, but we still see these mistakes on a daily basis. 

And I've seen my share of horror stories:

• I've received online applications from someone that would have been perfect for the job, but included no contact information. 
• Resumes for graduate roles that failed to include the candidate's school or graduation date. 
• Links to blogs that haven't been updated in years, or contain hugely inappropriate material. 
• The 20MB Word Doc that contains nothing but a giant image of a text resume
• Objective Statements or Cover Letters that express a desire to join our competitors or relocate to the wrong city (I've been guilty of this myself!).

Best of luck to all the 2014 grads that are looking for work! If you're interested in exciting opportunities at some of Seattle's coolest startups, don't hesitate to reach out!