Hi everyone,
I’ve been applying for jobs for about 3 months now. So far, I’ve only gotten 2 initial phone screenings, but nothing beyond that. I thought maybe some of my job search tools may not be up to par. I would appreciate any feedback on my resume, cover letter and portfolio site. I am especially looking for constructive criticism on any of them. Thank you guys so much!
Hey envincebal
I had a look at your stuff and to me it looks pretty good. Hard to say what the issue is from a distance, but I would say keep challenging yourself and continue on working to get better. It might just be that you need to up your skills a bit more. Do one of the other two fcc certifications or just build a bunch of awesome looking layouts based on designs from dribble or something like that.
I am just starting applying for jobs myself - so can’t guarantee it works, but if you keep getting better I am sure you’ll get there.
If I had to say one thing on your materials, I would say maybe write a bit more about the position you are applying for in the cover letter and why you are interested in working there specifically. Maybe you’re doing that already, but it’s not really coming through in the example you attached.
Best of luck and keep at it - I’ve got my fingers crossed for you.
I’m new to the web dev. path myself, but do have a lot of experience hiring employees as part of my previous work, and I’d say your materials look clean, organized and reasonable, but are lacking a pop or unique quality that will make you stand out in a giant stack of candidates.
Add more details about your education - what makes your learning path unique, valuable, or prepares you better than other candidates?
Also, I personally think summary statements are subjective: half of the world will tell you to write it one way, the other half another way. That said I see yours as essentially saying that you want to work for a company to help them make money and to become better at what you do.
Is that really why you like to code? I like when prospective employees are honest on a summary or objective portion of their resume. For example: I want to make people’s lives easier using my skills in web development. Or: I love solving problems using technology that other people find difficult or confusing. These aren’t my summary statements, and they shouldn’t be yours, but its helpful to read someone’s statement that goes beyond, “work for a company, make money, and improve.” The business should expect these things from ANY employee, so what do YOU offer that is unique, and especially valuable?
@faktotum85 Good call on that! I was aiming towards a pure front-end role but it seems like every developer job today wants at least some knowledge in both front and back end. I will definitely start looking at the other certifications.
No I haven’t been doing that much. But I will focus on the individual company more in the future.
@mikeposthumus Awesome! Since you have a lot of hiring experience, I’m glad you think my material is clean and organized. I do agree that my cover letter does come off as a bit generic. I will edit it to make it more personal and unique.
Honestly, I was conflicted as to whether I should add a summary at all or not specifically for the reason you said. Some say it’s necessary, some say it’s pointless and detract from the “six second” screening rule. In the end I added it but decided to make it short and sweet as a compromise.
To answer your question, yes that is one reason I like to code but it’s not the only reason. I just thought it was the reason that was most relevant to potential employers. I also like to code because I love technology in general and the idea that I can potentially build anything I can think of. But I do see your point that my answer is probably the run-of-the-mill answer that they have heard a million times over.
Thank you both for your insight! It really helps a lot!
Yeah, personally, I don’t like summary/objective statements on resumes. As someone who’s done a lot of hiring, I’ve never seen a summary statement that endeared me to a candidate. For resumes, I want to the meaty info—work experience, work accomplishments, any personal projects of significance (if applicable), and basic info about education. I want to be able to look at a resume and quickly surmise the basic qualifications of the applicant, and to be able to quickly re-check this info. I prefer summary-statement-style narratives weaved into the cover letter.
Good luck with the job hunt! Kudos to you for sticking with the hunt for so long and thinking of new resources to help boost your materials. 