Ask HN: Focus of a resume? (Writing vs. code, etc)

4 points by unknownian 11 years ago | 3 comments

I'm a freshman in college looking for jobs that are interesting, and I've realized that my resume focuses almost exclusively on programming as opposed to other skills. I saw an offer for a job that asked for writing samples, but the job application system only accepted resumes. Does anyone put links to writing samples in their resumes, or have a similar experience with competing mediums in their CV?

r3bl 11 years ago |

Running a regularly updated blog and linking to it in your resume is a great way to do both.

You can pretty much write about anything that is related to your education, your programming skills, your choice of algorithms, and so on.

Don't worry too much about your writing style in the beginning and just keep posting. Once you write about 50 posts, you'll see that your writing style will improve a lot. In my example, I have started writing blog posts about a half of a year ago. Now, my writing skills have improved so much that my article is going to be published on Opensource.com during this week.

So basically, I've put in my resume the link to my personal blog alongside links to my online portfolio and my LinkedIn profile. The rest of my resume is now pretty much the same and I do have a way of showing my writing skills.

unknownian 11 years ago | |

Thanks! I've done this, but my latest post is a rant and I wonder if that comes off as abrasive. I don't want the idea that a potential employer might turn me away for strong opinions to influence me. What do you think?

JoachimSchipper 11 years ago |

Generally, you should tailor your resume to the job/company (at least to some extent). So feel free to add some more writing-focused information for this job, and to de-emphasize your programming experience.

It's also not uncommon to put a link to a blog in a resume. ;-)