Please help me improve my resume.

Can I ask you a serious question? Do you honestly think that your resume would get you a job?

However, you're here seeking advice, which is great. Generally, the point of a CV/Resume is to get you an interview, which means you want to cut out the 'bullshit' and sell your technical skills and relevant professional/interpersonal experience as best possible. So here's my advice:

General advice

  • I would aim to fill one page with quality content.
  • Due to lack of experience, you should write a skill oriented resume, i.e. communication, motivation, leadership.
  • The order of your resume should be: Education, Employment, skills (see above), and references.
  • Do you have a personal website? (if not, make one). Include a link to it on your CV in the first section, and have a professional email ([email protected]).
  • Do not include general nonsense statements like "willing to help, listen, learn". Everything you say must be backed up with evidence. If you say you're a leader, explain how (e.g. lead a team of X at McDonalds to achieve goal Y)

Specific feedback

  • Remove 'objective' as it's currently not providing any useful information; you'll be applying to job X in the CS field, so what you said is already assumed.
  • Remove 'courses taken', and instead include only relevant modules related to the job you're applying for, including the grades. This should be in the Education section above.
  • Remove the 'summary'.
  • In the 'technical skills' section list a score (how competent) you are in the skill. However, you have currently listed skills without mentioning them elsewhere on your resume. How can I tell if you've used it? If you took one Java class then do not include it.
  • 'Employment' section. I see that you've worked at McDonalds. That's terrific! You should include a short (bullet points) summary of your responsibilities, aiming to sell yourself and your interpersonal skills.
  • Absolutely have a short section (perhaps under 'self motivation' in skills section) that highlights your mini projects (Tetris in Java). Ideally, these should be open-source and on Github. This allows potential employers to review your code, style, and thinking. This also provides you with a section to talk about personal projects (you have some, right? No? Go build neat things!)

I haven't applied to any companies yet, and isn't it too late now?

It's not too late, and it's better if you improve your CV before applying.

/r/cscareerquestions Thread