Subj : Re: How much should I charge for fixed-price software contract? To : comp.programming,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.lisp From : Tim X Date : Tue Aug 16 2005 09:16 pm rem642b@Yahoo.Com (Robert Maas, see http://tinyurl.com/uh3t) writes: > > From: Ulrich Hobelmann > > you should have made more noise. Maybe you find it irritating. > > Maybe you despise that kind of people. But nobody cares. They got a > > job, and you didn't. It's about priorities. > > Please give me advice: After I have already FAXed my resume to a given > employment agency, how long should I wait before I FAX them another > copy? That depends on the agency. Pesonally, I only use them if I have to (ie company I want to work for only hires via that agency). I would send them the fax, ring the next day to verify they received it > > > I'd like to question how well these resumes are tailored, and how > > well they're presented. > > OK, you be the judge. Here is a resume I sent in response to a job ad > on May 26: OK. Lets assume you formatted it better than it is here. This looks like you put about 10 minutes into it. If it landed n my desk, I'd use it to stop coffee cups from leaving rings on the desktop. > Robert Elton Maas, Sunnyvale, CA > Voice: 408-749-0453 > Internet electronic-mail: rem642b@Yahoo.Com Resonable - but only just. Normally, you should include a postal address as well. Forget about "Internet electronic-mail" - its been around for a while now, you can just say E-Mail. Also, why the mixed case in the domain name - anyone who knows anyting knows that case is irrelevant in this context. > > EDUCATION: > Mathematics major at University of Santa Clara, Bachelor of Science > degree Make it brief! What about the year you graduated? i.e. 1967 B. Sci (Mathematics Major) University of Santa Clara What about the courses you have done since (Java, C, Data structures etc) > ACADEMIC/INTELLECTUAL HONORS, PROFESSIONAL LICENSES, AND PUBLISHED WORKS: > - Among top five (in whole United States) in William Lowell Putnam > undergraduate mathematics competition > - Report on nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation published > - Report on English-language programming for robot published Shorten the first one. For the published papers, where were they published, when and in what? Were the articles refereed? Put this last. > > PROGRAMMED IN THESE LANGUAGES: > - Java (on 3 platforms) > - C (on 4 platforms) C++ (on 2 platforms) > - Visual Basic > - Fortran (on 5 platforms) > - Lisp (on 5 platforms) > - Assembly/machine language on 7 different CPUs How long have you programmed in these languages? When did you lat use them? Drop the stuff about the platforms. > Platforms (programming environments) include: Macintosh, Unix+CGI, MS-Windows, > RedHat Linux Why Unix+CGI - there is no specific relationship here - you can do CGI programming on any platform which has a web server. Skip the brand names (ie. Red Hat). You want to just show you are familiar with and competent on these platforms. Again, give an indication of how long you have worked on each platform. > > MAJOR PROGRAMMING PROJECTS: > - Computer-assisted instruction for Calculus > - Laying out text mixed with mathematical formulas for printing or > display > - Information retrieval and indexing, including linked-text frames > - Packet-based client/server telecommunications, including handling > interrupts from I/O devices > - Effective algorithm for flashcard drill All of the above means nearly nothing. You need to re-work this to give more of an idea of what this means and why it is relevant to the job your applying for. > ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS/ACTIVITIES/EXPERTISE/EXPERIENCE: > - Wrote software to use SAX parser in Java/J2EE to convert XML to SQL > for update to relational database. > - Wrote software to build&update tables in relational database using JDBC/SQL. > - Used ANT to maintain compiled versions of J2EE applications as source edited. > - Wrote white-box unit-testing at all levels of software modules from > single lines of code to full application use-cases. > - HTTP, HTML, CGI. > - Used JCreator to build Java projects. this does more harm than good. It looks like someone who has no real experience and is trying to pad things to make it look like they have some skills. Re-work this to give a better impression - what databases did you use for this, what did you do it for etc. In fact, I would probably try and work this into something in the previous section. You can't call any of this a specific accumplishment - I would assume anyone working with data retrieval and databases and java would have all of this. Based on the above, I would assume you have no work experience at all, have no previous employers who are willing to vouch for you and not even any friends who are able to provide you with even a basic haracter refeence. If I bothered to read this resume, I would guess it was from a high school kid trying to get their first job (if not for the dgree). It shows no specific ability, gives me no idea of what your real skills look like and no idea why I would bother to interview you. In fact, I would possibly even be pissed off as it appears I spent more time reading it than you did writing it. Generally, I spend around two days preparing a job application. Yours looks like you put in as little effort as possible. Certainly not what I want from a new employee. > Here's another customized resume I sent for a different job ad on Jun1.15: > > Robert Elton Maas, Sunnyvale, CA > Voice: 408-749-0453 > Internet electronic-mail: rem642b@Yahoo.Com ditto > EDUCATION: > Mathematics major at University of Santa Clara, Bachelor of Science > degree ditto > ACADEMIC/INTELLECTUAL HONORS, PROFESSIONAL LICENSES, AND PUBLISHED WORKS: > - Among top five nationwide in William Lowell Putnam undergraduate > mathematics competition > - Report on nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation published > - Report on English-language programming for robot published > - Toplevel meta-index to the Internet (including Usenet and Bitnet) > published electronically and available via HTTP/WWW Huh? What is this? If its published and available via the web, why not include the url so that they can check it out? > PROGRAMMED IN THESE LANGUAGES: > - Java (on 3 platforms), including: applets, JDBC/ODBC, JSP, J2EE servlets, > XML parsing (SAX), JavaDoc > - JavaScript, including calls to Java packages > - C (on 4 platforms) C++ (on 2 platforms) > - Visual Basic > - Fortran (on 5 platforms) > - Lisp (on 5 platforms) > - Assembly/machine language on 7 different CPUs > * Platforms (programming environments) include: Unix+CGI, > Macintosh (systems 6.0.3, 6.0.5, 6.0.7, 7.5.5), MS-Windows, RedHat Linux ditto as above > MAJOR PROGRAMMING PROJECTS: > - Computer-assisted instruction for Calculus > - Laying out text mixed with mathematical formulas for printing or > display > - Information retrieval and indexing, including linked-text frames > - Packet-based client/server telecommunications, including handling > interrupts from I/O devices > - Effective algorithm for flashcard drill ditto > OTHER SKILLS/EXPERIENCE/EXPERTISE: > - HTML, SQL/databases (MicroSoft Access, CloudScape), WebServer applications Slightly better. > ONLINE (Web-accessible) DEMOS: > - Unix+CGI: http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/demos.html > - Applet: http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/Lab7a.class > - JavaDoc: http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/JavaDoc/Blab2/index-all.html > - JavaScript: http://www.geocities.com/rem642b/JavaScript/js1.html > - Multi-CGI-language education: http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/HelloPlus/hellos.html > - XML parsing (SAX): http://members.tripod.com/~MaasInfo/New/2005.6.12a.zip Your demos and web site look like crap - keep them a secret and don't offer them up. Alternatively, turn your website into something impressive, but don't let them see it as it is now! > Here's another tailored resume I sent to another job ad on the same day: > > Robert Elton Maas, Sunnyvale, CA > Voice: 408-749-0453 > Internet electronic-mail: rem642b@Yahoo.Com > > EDUCATION: > Mathematics major at University of Santa Clara, Bachelor of Science > degree > > ACADEMIC/INTELLECTUAL HONORS, PROFESSIONAL LICENSES, AND PUBLISHED WORKS: > - Among top five nationwide in William Lowell Putnam undergraduate > mathematics competition > - Report on nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation published > - Report on English-language programming for robot published > - Toplevel meta-index to the Internet (including Usenet and Bitnet) > published electronically and available via HTTP/WWW > > PROGRAMMED IN THESE LANGUAGES: > - Java (on 3 platforms), including: applets, JDBC/ODBC, JSP, J2EE servlets, > XML parsing (SAX), JavaDoc > - JavaScript, including calls to Java packages > - C (on 4 platforms) C++ (on 2 platforms) > - Visual Basic > - Fortran (on 5 platforms) > - Lisp (on 5 platforms) > - Assembly/machine language on 7 different CPUs > * Platforms (programming environments) include: Unix+CGI, > Macintosh (systems 6.0.3, 6.0.5, 6.0.7, 7.5.5), MS-Windows, RedHat Linux > > MAJOR PROGRAMMING PROJECTS: > - Computer-assisted instruction for Calculus > - Laying out text mixed with mathematical formulas for printing or > display > - Information retrieval and indexing, including linked-text frames > - Packet-based client/server telecommunications, including handling > interrupts from I/O devices > - Effective algorithm for flashcard drill > > OTHER SKILLS/EXPERIENCE/EXPERTISE: > - UML, API documentation of my own modules via JavaDoc > - proficient at rapid protyping&development&deployment via TDD > (Test-Driven Development based on unit-testing at all levels) > - developed major application which explored multiple data sources to > collect the best information, and consolidated it into database Major application? I really am beginning to think you have deluded yourself on what you have done - there seems nothing here I can classify as "major". I will also challenge your claim to proficiency at rapid prototypeing and development as there is no evidence you have devleoped anything other than a few very minor small apps. > ONLINE (Web-accessible) DEMOS: > - Unix+CGI: http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/demos.html > - Applet: http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/Lab7a.class > - JavaDoc: http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/JavaDoc/Blab2/index-all.html > - JavaScript: http://www.geocities.com/rem642b/JavaScript/js1.html > - Multi-CGI-language education: http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/HelloPlus/hellos.html > - XML parsing (SAX): http://members.tripod.com/~MaasInfo/New/2005.6.12a.zip > > Here's another custom version I sent to yet another job ad the same day: > Notice how they're all based on that same starting resume but I removed > different items in each and put in special stuff in each to better fit > the job from among the experience I have but which is relevant to only > a few jobs? I noticed that they were all based on the same flawed starting point - that was obvious. As to them being customized for specific jobs - although they had minor differences, these were superficial at best. Funny that if they were taylored for specific jobs how I couldn't tell what the jobs were. > > .doc isn't cool, but if it's what everybody wants, you should get > > used to it. > > I don't have any money to pay for MicroSoft Word for Macintosh, so > that's not an option for me here. More bloody excuses! If there is a will there is a way and it doesn't need money. I don't run Windows at home and have not done so for a very long time and don't have MS Word or Office. However, wehn asked, I can provide my CV in doc format with no problems. > > > For word processing you can get OpenOffice for free > > I have only 17 megabytes of unused space on my Macintosh hard disk. > How much space does the Macintosh version of OpenOffice need? More pathetic excuses. The only one who makes you a victim is you. Tim -- Tim Cross The e-mail address on this message is FALSE (obviously!). My real e-mail is to a company in Australia called rapttech and my login is tcross - if you really need to send mail, you should be able to work it out! .