Here I share my tips on writing a CV that led to a job offer! CV included.
After applying my tips on networking, it was time to apply for a job. In this article, I would like to share my tips on writing a CV. Since so many of you have asked, here is my CV that led to a job offer!
Tip 1: Showcase your tech stack. The easiest way to do this is to list the stack under a previous project that you have worked on. Another way is to showcase your projects on GitHub. I also included a section in my CV called “self study” where I listed courses, books and podcasts that I have used to teach myself about software development. Keep in mind I didn’t include the whole list, only those that I thought were necessary for the position I was applying for.
Tip 2: Use Action verbs to demonstrate your experience. Examples include: “applied”, “improved”, “implemented” (Imperial College in London has a more extensive list). An example of what was in my CV from the end of 2016 is: “Ensured quality with unit and integration tests and applying TDD”.
Tip 3: Tailor your CV to the position you are applying for. This means your CV might differ for each job application you have! I like to proofread my CV (many times) and only focus on weeding out what isn’t necessary for each job I am applying for. As an example, I recently applied for a job that mentioned clean code in the job ad so under a section called “self study” I included Clean Code by Robert Martin.
Tip 4: Include your interests. This will give you something to talk about during the interview and it is your chance to show a bit of personality. Be specific if you can. For example, in my CV I have “reading fantasy and non-fiction”. I actually recently got asked at different interviews, which book I was reading. (For those of you who are interested, I was reading Morning Star at the time and it was awesome!)
Additional resources from well-known universities:
- Resumes, CVs, Cover Letters and LinkedIn — MIT
- Writing an effective CV— Imperial College London
- Bewerbungstipps (German) — RWTH Aachen
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- How to network as a software developer
- How to write a cover letter as a software developer (cover letter included)
- Interview questions for every software developer
- Learning material — software development, a list of learning resources, starting with Introduction to Computer Science
