#SWE 2024 Internship Resume Review pls!

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oblique ruin
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sure can look later today

oblique ruin
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Some general feedback for now:

  1. Use the STAR framework
    • Situation – the situation you had to deal with
    • Task – the task you were given to do
    • Action – the action you took
    • Results – what happened as a result of your action and what you learned from the experience. It can be helpful to include some metrics if applicable, but don't take too much sole credit for things you did as part of a team. Remember, highlighting your ability to work in a team is a benefit not a drawback.
  2. Personally I think it's helpful to include a 'Personal Profile' section right at the top of your CV. This should be a sentence which states where you are in your career, and what you are looking for. The idea is to save time for the recruiters.
  3. Make sure that everything you put on your CV has a purpose. Every single word should be there for a reason. Really sit there and think about why you are writing certain things. Are you just finishing the sentence on auto-pilot, or are you writing with purpose? Remove the fluff/waffle.
  4. Make sure that everything you put on your CV is maximising its potential. If you list a job that is not related to CS, you can still get value out of it e.g., by demonstrating your people skills, ability to work as part of a team or ability to follow instructions. Were you a TA? Great - make use of it!
  5. Try and actually make your CV interesting. This can be a somewhat difficult one to get right. But just imagine yourself in the recruiter's position, reading mindnumbingly boring descriptions of React.js calculator projects. You don't necessarily need exceedingly impressive projects, you just need to be able to convey them well. This is strongly related to the STAR framework.
  6. It's key to achieve and maintain flow throughout your CV. Make sure your bullet points are cohesive, and aren't just written in isolation from each other.
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  1. Don't bloat your technical skills section. You don't need to write 'MySQL, MariaDB, Postgres, SQL'. Also remove skills you are not competent with. If you aren't comfortable being quizzed by an engineer on the skill, then remove it. If you divide it into subsections, ensure they actually make sense and are visually distinguishable.
  2. Don't just list all the courses you took under your Education section. We know you probably did 'Software Engineering' and 'Object-Oriented Programming'. You can include courses that are unique and/or very interesting to you, but ideally add some extra detail (particularly if they are relevant to the role). This can be a good place to briefly describe some coursework you did, particularly in order to highlight your ability to work as part of a group.
  3. It's helpful to include dates wherever possible (e.g., for experience, projects, etc.,)
  4. If English isn't your first language and/or you struggle with grammar, have a friend look through your CV for you.
  5. You probably don't need it to be any longer than a single page.
  6. If your CV looks empty, your margins are probably too big and/or your sentences are consistently not reaching the end of the line.
  7. Include links to the GitHub repo (and live site if applicable). Many recruiters won't pay attention to these, but it's far better than just providing a generic GitHub link at the top of your CV.
  8. Ensure your terminology is consistent, e.g., React vs react.js.
  9. If you are using acronyms, it's a good idea to write out the full version 'Point of Sale (PoS)' and then just refer to it by the acronym 'PoS' thereafter.