Tips For Constructing A Tech Resume'

I work at the Help Desk for a university in Ohio, and the student workers at our desk sometimes ask me to look over resumes they are constructing, some for the first time. They are interested in jobs in IT, but are unsure how to construct a useful techie resume. I came across this blog post today from someone in the industry, who looks at tons of these types of resumes all the time. He uses the name Rands, but it's not his real name. As he explains in his 'About' section:

My personal weblog. No, Rands is not my real name. I use my real name as a full time engineering manager of teams that designs phenomenal software. Yeah, that's me in the logo. I hadn't shaved in some time. My hair is longer now.

I've been writing here since April of 2002. I tend to write about four significant pieces a month, but changes depending on shipping schedules. Content varies from thoughts of being an engineering manager in Silicon Valley to writing to Vegas.

He passes on some interesting insights into what he's looking for in a techie resume, such as:

The terrifying reality regarding your resume is that for all the many hours you put into fine-tuning, you've got 30 seconds to make an impression on me. Maybe less.

It's unfair, it's imprecise, and there's a good chance that I make horrible mistakes, but there's a lot more of you than me, and while hiring phenomenal teams is the most important thing I do, I'm balancing that task with the fact that I need to build product and manage the endless stream of people walking into my office.

Lots to learn here, if you're writing your very first resume as a college student, or even if you've been around for a while, and just need to blow the dust off your current resume. Check it out!

Rands in Repose: A Glimpse and a Hook

Collision Detection: Science and More

I came across this blog on the way to something else entirely today. You know how that goes? Of course you do. In essence, that's what this whole blog is about, fun snippets of info I find on the web. But it's even more fun when I find it unintentionally, then I can't tear my eyes away from it until I read a the majority of this new page I'm on.

So it was when I found Clive Thompson's blog. From his intro, he writes on:

[...] science, technology, and culture. This blog collects weird research I'm running into, and musings thereon.

He also writes occasional articles for the New York Times and Wired, amongst others. His writing style is fresh and breezy, and he explains complex science concepts in easy-to-understand language. He recently posted on a medical study of sword-swallowing injuries, and one on a study about how just thinking about losing weight might help the body actually lose weight. Not all of these are original by him -- he finds interesting and unique articles from all around the web. But wow, if it isn't a compelling read. Go check it out yourself.

collision detection: a blog of clive thompson