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Resume Advice That Works

Real, actionable advice to help you stand out in today's competitive job market

Your Resumes Are Making Me Depressed and Ashamed

After reviewing over 200 resumes worldwide, it's clear that many job seekers are struggling with basic resume creation. This needs to change.

This is for the underdogs, the ones who don't have a rich uncle or a fancy degree. This is for the ones who have to fight for every opportunity others have handed to them. This is for those that have that DAWG in them.

If you are above a jr, most of this advice won't help you. I know you are thinking wow this is basic, you do not understand how many resumes I see that are just terrible.

History Lesson:

  • In the past, corporations could afford longer training periods for junior employees.
  • This was possible because "money was free" - who cares if we hire 10 juniors? Money is free, and I'll be gone in 2 years!

Current Situation:

  • Companies now need to focus on profitability (GASP! Actually make money!)
  • Shorter ramp-up time for junior employees: 3-6 months in the best-case scenario.
  • Companies are less willing to hire juniors due to costs.

Impact on Hiring:

  • Companies are reluctant to hire juniors because nobody wants to train them.
  • Realistically, ramp-up time could be 3ish months before they're ready to push to prod.
  • The "bill has come due" - the days of getting a junior role with a firm handshake are OVER.
  • This advice is for the underdogs, not nepo babies or MIT/Waterloo grads.

Common Resume Mistakes and How to Fix Them:

  1. EDUCATION AT THE BOTTOM, DAMMIT! Unless you went to a top-tier uni, then make it LOUD AND PROUD.
  2. NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR DOG OR HS BASKETBALL. Drop the irrelevant extracurriculars.
  3. Your skills are too weak. AI filters will crush you before a human even sees your resume.
  4. TOO MANY PROJECTS. Keep it to 2-3 MAX. Think like a business: How does this make the company money?
  5. Stop using STUPID buzzwords. You're not a "team player," you're a "collaborator." You're not a "hard worker," you're "results-driven."
  6. Being too humble. If you can make a fullstack Python and React app, WHY IS THAT NOT ON YOUR RESUME?
  7. Not playing the HR game. You need to PLAY THE GAME.
  8. Not tailoring your resume. If the job needs SQL, you better have SQL plastered all over that resume.
  9. Vague achievements. "I improved the website speed." BY HOW MUCH? 10%? 50%? 100%? QUANTIFY THAT.
  10. Missing keywords from the job description. If they say "React," you better have "React" on there.
  11. No LinkedIn or GitHub links. If you don't have these, you're already behind. GET ON IT.
  12. Using unprofessional email addresses. Get a professional email address.
  13. PLAY THE GAME. Get the certs, do the hackathons, join the clubs, do the projects, get the internships.
  14. YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL, YOU ARE NOT UNIQUE. You're a number in a sea of numbers. STAND OUT.
  15. Including irrelevant information. Nobody cares you were a lifeguard if you're applying for a dev job.
  16. Typos and grammatical errors. Easiest way to get your resume trashed. PROOFREAD.
  17. Cliché phrases without backing them up. Everyone's a "team player." What makes you different?
  18. Inconsistent formatting. Make it clean, organized, and easy to read. DON'T BE SLOPPY.
  19. ONE PAGE MAX. If you can't fit it on one page, you're doing it wrong.
  20. No real-world experience? Go freelance. Can't get clients? That's a skill issue. Work for free or show value that requires zero effort from them.

Wake up, people. The job market has changed. Your resume needs to show how you'll make the company money, not how well you played basketball in high school. PLAY THE GAME, GET THE JOB, THEN CHANGE THE WORLD.

Resume Template

**FIRSTNAME LASTNAME**  
[email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | www.linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname | GitHub: github.com/username
## **JUNIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER**  
◇—————————————————————————————————◇  
**Languages** • **Full Stack Development** • **Algorithm Optimization** • **Debugging** • **APIs**  
**System Optimization** • **Cloud Computing** • **Data Structures & Algorithms** • **Version Control** • **DevOps Tools**  
---
## **TECHNICAL SKILLS**  
**Languages:** C, C++, JavaScript, Python, Java, SQL  
**Frameworks/Tools:** React, Node.js, Express, Docker, Git, Jenkins  
**Cloud Platforms:** AWS, Google Cloud, Azure  
**Technologies:** RESTful APIs, Microservices, Linux/Unix, MySQL, PostgreSQL  
**Concepts/Methodologies:** Object-Oriented Programming, System Design, Agile Development, CI/CD, Test-Driven Development (TDD)
---
## **PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE**
**Software Engineering Intern** — *Company Name, City, State, Month Year – Month Year*  
- Collaborated with senior developers to build and optimize features for a web-based application using **React** and **Node.js**.  
- Improved API response times by 20% through debugging and optimizing SQL queries.  
- Implemented **unit tests** for new features, increasing overall test coverage by 30%.  
- Utilized **Git** for version control and managed code deployments via **Jenkins** pipelines.
**Freelance Web Developer** — *Remote, Month Year – Present*  
- Developed and deployed responsive web applications using **JavaScript**, **HTML**, **CSS**, and **Node.js** for small businesses.  
- Improved page load speed by 25% through performance optimization techniques.  
- Integrated **RESTful APIs** to add dynamic features, enhancing overall user experience.  
- Automated deployment processes using **AWS** and **Docker**, reducing manual overhead by 15%.
---
## **PROJECT EXPERIENCE**
### **Task Manager App** — *Month Year*  
- Developed a full-stack web application for task management using **React** and **Node.js**.  
- Integrated **MongoDB** for data persistence and **JWT** for user authentication.  
- Improved backend performance by 30% by optimizing API calls and database queries.
### **Sorting Algorithm Visualizer** — *Month Year*  
- Built a web-based tool using **JavaScript** to visualize different sorting algorithms like quicksort, mergesort, and bubble sort.  
- Optimized the algorithm's performance by 40% and provided real-time step-by-step visualization with customizable speed controls.  
---
## **EDUCATION**
**University Name**, City, State  
**Bachelor of Science in Computer Science** — *Graduation Year*  
- Relevant Coursework: Data Structures, Algorithms, Database Management, Software Engineering, Operating Systems  
- GPA: 3.8/4.0, Dean's List (All Semesters), Hackathon Winner, Computer Science Club Lead  
---
## **CERTIFICATIONS & ADDITIONAL SKILLS**  
◇—————————————————————————————————◇  
AWS Certified Solutions Architect • Google Cloud Certified • Git/GitHub • Docker • Agile/Scrum Methodologies  
Test-Driven Development (TDD) • Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) • Problem Solving • Team Collaboration  
---