KC on Webdev

In part 1 we discussed how to fix the first 1/3rd of your resume so the hiring manager will want to read the rest.  Then in part 2, we discussed how to write a highlight or skills portion that highlights the skills you have learned from either school or on the job.  This is part 3, where we rewrite the experiences and education to make them more... suitable for a webdev position. While the advice is for a webdev position, the advice works for all resumes. If you are just starting out (just got out of bootcamp, just graduated) and you have mainly customer service jobs (fast food, delivery, cashier, store clerk, etc.) then you need to put your best face forward.  You Have Some Volunteer or Paid Experience If you have done websites for other people before, great! Show their URL, even if it's a blog! (However, if you just used a default theme, don't bother. That is just lame. I mean something you put some effort in, tweaked layout added extra menus, that sort of thing). URL t...

I have been unemployed for many months, but after over a hundred resumes sent out, I have been dismissed left and right as unsuitable. Many of my resumes did not even generate a rejection notice.  They were so bad, they probably got filed as spam. I've even interviewed once or twice but did not pass the first round, even for pretty much entry-level positions.  So what was wrong? Apparently, my resumes really do suck. I used to just list what I did, cramming as many keywords in as possible. That does NOT work.   Modern hiring managers and/or screener sdon't read the resumes from beginning to end. They don't have the time. Instead, they use a program called ATS (applicant tracking system).  First, your resume goes through ATS (applicant tracking system), which uses AI and NLP to pull out keywords that supposedly match what the position is looking for and rates your resume, then dumps those that don't meet a certain minimum rating.  BONUS TIP: If you applied b...

Sometimes, looking at LinkedIn job listing makes me despair for all the junior webdev and software engineers, when requirements start to resemble a tragi-comedy, rather than reality.  In the US... An entry-level position should require NO existing experience.  A junior position should require 0-3 years of experience.  A mid-level position should require 3-5 years of experience.  A senior-level position should require 5-7 years of experience.  Yet it is clear that this no longer applies... Or LinkedIn employers are putting out CRAZY expectations, redefining "entry-level" to be 5-years of experience.  Here is one example. I'm not naming the guilty party, but as you can see, they defined their "junior" position as "MINIMUM of 5 years' experience"  Screenshot of a job from LinkedIn, posted 9/15/2020, where it defines "Junior" as entry-level, yet requires MINIMUM of 5 years experience And this is not even the craziest. I have seen some "e...