A key part of the full immersion program is providing guidance and support to students to help them prepare to land a job as a web developer at the conclusion of the program. John Harris of Experian came on site to the LearningFuze facility and provided his expertise and insight in creating a resume that is impactful, clear and memorable. John’s experience speaks for itself as he has been a recruiter in several different capacities for numerous years and is currently a Sr. Talent Acquisition Partner at Experian. John provided some insightful tips to each individual student to help their resume’s stand out when being reviewed:

• Make the resume clear, simple and limit distracting text, fonts, lines and colors.
• Left justify the text on the resume for ease of reading from left to right as it typical of any document.
• Ensure the font size is fairly similar and limit outsized text font that is distracting. John provided insight that one of the keys is to draw the reader’s attention to the details of the candidates experience and skills in the body of the resume.
• Remove potentially unnecessary language and descriptions such as an objective in the beginning of the resume. If an objective is included it should be succinct, clear and tailored to the job the candidate is pursuing while keeping true to the skills and knowledge the candidate possesses.
• Ensure that the technologies/languages are not only included in the “Technical Skills” portion of the resume but also in the body of the description under LearningFuze and other related work experience.
• Include the beginning and ending month and year for each position held under work experience and it should be right justified on the resume for ease in finding.
• Spelling and grammar are important and speak volumes about a candidate’s attention to detail. Check, recheck and have someone else review the resume!
• Create and include Linkedin URL on the resume
• Github and project URLs are a must to include on the resume!
• Highlight any relevant technical experience in previous work experience that is relatable to the position currently pursuing and certainly include softer skills utilized such as coordination, collaboration and communication.
• LearningFuze or coding bootcamp experience should be displayed under experience with an explanation as to what was learned and how. The skills obtained in the work like, project oriented environment is the key to being considered for a position and to move forward in the recruitment process.

Thanks to John for lending his time to the students to provide his expertise on building a quality resume that gives students the best opportunity to be seen by recruiters. Much appreciated!