Anybody in the computer field out there?Follow

So here is my situation (not a rant, just some history so you all know where I'm coming from):

I have been an intern software engineer for about 18 months now with a little startup software company in my town. It has been the best experience ever for me. When I started, I knew the the little bit of C++ they taught me at the local community college, and now, I'm quite proficient in C++, Java/Swing, Visual Basic/VBA, and have an understanding of HTML, UML, XML, JNI, ATL COM, etc. Funny thing is though, I really know nothing of hardware, but that's besides the point:)

Anyhow, so I go into work last Friday in a pretty good mood. I had been working on this new project for a week now and it was very interesting and fun (ya I know, I actually like my job). About midday, my boss takes me outside and says he has to talk to me. Now, he had done this 3 times before and I ended up getting a raise. This time, however, I could tell a raise was not in my future...

Make a already long story short, I was let go because the company wasn't making any money, as is such with the software industry it seems. To say the least, I was crushed as I thought I had a future with this company. I even turned down an offer from a long time friend (16 years) to become a web developer at the place he works at.

So my long awaited questions is this: Have any of you ever gone through this? I have been joining these online job search engines for the past 3 days. I simply give them my resume, and employers might see it in their databases. Are these search engines a waste of time? I have submitted my resume to at least 13 companies since Tuesday. Anyone know the standard time it takes for them to get back to you?

Another thing, most companies that are looking for recent grad's want at the minimum, a Bachelor's degree. Even though I only have an Associate's degree in Computer Science, I have almost 2 years of real world experience. You think this would make a difference?

Any help would be much appreciated.

P.S. Job offers would be better:)

How's this for a resume? Too much, too little? Should hobbies section be taken out? Hopefully some professional resume readers post at allakhazam:)

Note: Formating may be off a bit...

Education: 2002 - 2004 Dutchess Community College
Poughkeepsie, NY
Associate’s In Computer Science
Dean’s list

Experience: 2002 - 2004 Informeta, L.L.C.
Poughkeepsie, NY
Software Engineer

Participated in the concept, design process, implementation, and debugging on the following projects:

1. Took existing C++ libraries and with the use of ATL Com and VBA, created a graphical user interface by which the customer could make use of the C++ libraries through Microsoft Excel.

2. Created an HTML based help system for company product.

3. Using Ghost Install Professional Edition, created a GUI installation for the company product.

4. Process that allowed Input/output from/to Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets through Java.

5. Created a GUI, which allowed the editing of a Baysian Network through Java.

6. Network-licensing capabilities for company product using API’s from Rainbow Technologies.

7. In house field reactivation method to update Rainbow Technology license keys with information such as expiration dates along with a desktop GUI to use the above functionality.

8. Creating of various desktop applications using Swing.

Experience: 2002 – 2003 Teaching Learning Center at D.C.C.
Poughkeepsie, NY
Assistant Teacher in Faculty Software Training

Assisted in helping the Dutchess Community College faculty obtain a better understanding of following various Microsoft applications such as Word and Excel. Helped create small academic web pages for the faculty using Microsoft Front Page. Created multimedia presentations through the use of Microsoft Powerpoint. Some light C++ and VBA/Access programming.

Hobbies: Designing game modules using the Aurora Toolset bundled with Neverwinter Night’s made by AAA company Bioware.

Edited, Thu Jun 3 11:05:55 2004 by Adaramus

Thanks for the input:)

Thanks ElvannKrem. Especially for the simplification of #'s 1-4. It's great how you broke them down.

About the Baysian networks, well....I cannot remember how many of my friends would ask me what I do at work, and then they would just stare at me dumb founded, as if I was speaking an alien language.

That said, I guess I will take that off. I guess it would lead to some confusion. I guess when I put it on there, I though "Hmm, this will make me look smart" :)

Lastly, about my hobbies. Well...I was thinking that putting anything that had to do with independent programming would let them know how much I love it. I'm still deciding on that one...

Anyhow, once again, thanks. Anyone else's opinion/true stories would be great.

In my neck of the woods (Milwaukee) development jobs are hot...VERY HOT. One of the biggest problems you are facing is people are looking for seasoned developers, hence people breaking into programming right now are having a tough time finding entry level jobs into the industry. Fortunately you've broken through this ceiling and have hard core experience to show for it. Trumpet this on your resume!

OK...now for formatting. I assume what you have posted is a synopsis of your resume and not the full thing. If it is...you’re in trouble. Time for a major resume rewrite. You have 2 years under your belt, so you will most likely want to follow a chronological resume format (instead of functional format). Most of my IT recruiters always recommend an end section that describes in table format with bullet points all of the software, hardware, or programming languages you have proficiency with. By proficient this means direct hands on experience for at least 6 months (not something you simply read about in a book). One of the best learning tools for designing a good resume is to see what other people have written. Ask some of your friends, family and peers for a copy of their resume and watch the style carefully. If you’re fairly new to the job world writing a good resume is one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do. Learn from the experience of others.

Another major point to make is when describing your accomplishments you want to describe directly how your work directly contributed to a direct benefit to the business or to a revenue stream. Instead of writing "Process that allowed Input/output from/to Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets through Java," consider "wrote a core java module that allowed direct integration with Microsoft Office as part of a key feature for <name of software product>. The software sold over 2 million copies." Don't trivialize your accomplishments by making yourself look like an MS-Office jockey that can only write VBA scripts. If you were a core developer for the company then state exactly what software products you worked on and how much revenue or business they generated. Cost savings or increased productivity is also something to trumpet. Yup…writing these core accomplishments are hard.

One resume format you might want to consider:

[personal contact information including email]

[career goal] (believe it or not this does get read)

[Employeer contact information & dates]

[core accomplishment at employer]

[education history]

[certification & class history]

[table of software/hardware/language proficiency]

You will also want to spend time collecting personal and professional contacts. Many companies will ask you for references. Ask the president of your former company if he would kindly be a reference. You seem to have a good relationship with him, so you might be surprised to find out that he will write a letter of recommendation or be a contact. There’s nothing like having a president as a professional reference. Remember that it is good practice to only put people on your reference list that have known you well for over a year. Again you want professional contacts (people who can directly vouche for your work) and personal contacts (people who can vouche for your character). It is good habit to let anyone on your contact list know before-hand if you get an interview and they may be contacted.

Last but not least contact your friends and find out if there are any recruiters they have worked with and would recommend. A good recruiter can give you great advice on your resume, and often their salary is paid by the employer that you get hired by. Be careful about the recruiter contact. Reputable recruiters won't take a piece of your salary or charge you any fees. These are completely paid by the hiring employer. Job boards are a good way of getting exposure, but networking and working with recruiters will get you much farther in your job search.

p.s. If you’ve been job hunting for some time and are still not getting any interviews consider working for a consulting company under contract work. Often these are 6-9 month contracts and you can build up even more experience.