From: jvm@cc.gatech.edu (John V. Martinez)
Subject: Re: Entry Level Blues (some advice)
Organization: College of Computing
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 04:07:01 GMT

I was a brand new person looking for my first job not two years ago, and I
did find that there seemed to be no (or little) correlation between GPA/
experience and job offers. I had little experience and so-so GPA (3.2/4.0)
but had two really good offers; some friends of mine with 3.5+ and CO-OP
experience didn't fare as well.

Why? Marketing. (I know, it's a dirty word to all us engineers who would
like to believe that the world is a benevolent meritocracy and that if just
mind our own business and do a good job we'll get what we deserve -- but it
is a reality of life that appearances and presentation DO count.)

I'm not saying that being a "good engineer" doesn't matter; we all know 
people with 4.0's who are absolutely worthless problem-solvers. But getting
a job is not an *engineering* feat, it's a *marketing* feat -- it's selling
YOU. Look at it this way; you are going to be hired not on the basis of your
knowledge and ability, but on the employer's *perception* of your knowledge
and ability. It's your job to make sure that he/she perceives you as the best
person for the job. (this will be easier to do if you actually believe it 
yourself, but that's a whole 'nother story :)

So you're a new (or almost) grad; here are some things I found that
made a difference in my and my friends' job hunts.

[note: I am aware that there are less entry-level jobs than there are 
entry-level people -- there's nothing we can do about that. I'm talking
about what you should do to improve your odds of being the one who makes
the final cut.]

First: Resumes
	The main thing to remember about resumes is that they are the very
first thing an employer sees about you; for an entry-level person, the goal 
is NOT to provide the company with everything there is to know about you. The
goal is, first and foremost, to get you an interview.
	There are two aspects employers will look at, content and appearance.

   Resume Content:
	- Make sure your resume is absolutely correct (spelling, punctuation,
	grammar, capitalization) there's no excuse for messing up here.

	- On every job description, 
	  A) make sure the title is easy to spot and meaningful.
		try:	Application Programmer
		 or:	Testing Engineer
		NOT:	Summer Intern  - this says nothing!
	     Don't worry about whether it was your "official" job title;
	     Use whatever title you feel best describes what you did.

	  B) start the description with an active verb.
		try:	Designed and coded a major component of a...
		NOT:	Was responsible for the design and implementation...

	- If you are looking for a job in the (high-tech) computer field, think
	twice about listing software packages you know. You may think that
	listing all the word-processors and spreadsheets you know will help
	demonstrate what a computer-literate person you are, but to many people
	in this field, it indicates the opposite. (The reasoning is that, to
	a *real* computer-type, learning to use Lotus 1-2-3 is nothing to brag
	about - any bozo ought to be able to learn that in a couple of days...)
	Databases are sort of marginal - some specific database experience can
	be very valuable, as these sort of jobs usually can't wait for someone
	to train on the job. In general: don't list experience with shrink-wrap
	software packages unless you want to be hired to use those packages.

	- GPA: if it's under 3.0, don't list it - emphasize your experience, 
	and hope they'll give you an interview to explain.  If it's ok but not
	great, it may be that your GPA is being weighed down by non-major 
	courses. You might consider doing what I did, and breaking out 
	sub-GPA's if they are considerably higher:
		 GPA: ( 4.00 scale )
			3.20	overall
			3.79	software
			3.88	digital hardware

	* 	This also has the side effect that it might help you get past 
	the "GPA filter." I got an interview (and offer) from a company that,
	in general, didn't bother to interview people with under 3.5 GPA's. The
	interviewer _told me_ that she would have thrown out my resume if she
	had just seen the 3.20, but with a 3.79 and 3.88 in my major, she was 
	interested enough to talk to me and ask about the disparity. As a
	result, I was able to explain to her (truthfully) that my GPA was being
	weighed down by courses from another major which hadn't worked out, and
	that if one only considered the courses in this major, I would have 
	closer to a 3.75 overall.

   Resume Appearance: They may not want to consider appearance; they
	may not admit that they do, but all human beings are biased, to some
	extent, by appearances, so make sure your resume's layout, color, etc.
	biases them in your favor. The big no-nos are using more than two
	sizes text, excessive use of "nifty" fonts, too much or too little
	white-space and plain vanilla hand-typed resumes (boring!) If you are
	not comfortable with "artsy" things Invest $20 and get someone with an
	eye for graphics (maybe an ad major or budding architect) to do the
	layout for you. A couple of lines here and there, combined with
	effective use of indentation can make your resume an order of
	magnitude easier and more pleasant to read. (see how icky this long,
	unindented, uninspired paragraph is :)

Second:
	nahh - this is getting too long. If any entry-level types think
my "sage advice" :) is worth anything and want to hear more, drop me a
line and I'll write or post some more. I'm afraid I ramble too much and don't
want to get flamed by the net.police for wasting bandwidth :(

-(-- John
jvm@cc.gatech.edu





-(-- John V. Martinez (jvm@cc.gatech.edu) | NIC Handle - jvm | (404) 303-8212
          From Plato's REPUBLIC:          | Eccentric Genius by day,   :)
     "Qui custodiet ipsos custodes?"      | Starving Student by night, :)
"Who will clean up after the custodians?" | and all-around great guy.  :)