Resume Résumé Pushing
My summer plans came true, but I've entirely failed to blog about them. The next post is a short summary, but this one's about my new activity: finding employment.
My next adventure is finding a job. I've just updated my résumé. I still like my unorthodox "this is the real me" style, but I've kept my normally-formatted résumé for employers that want consistency of form and bulleted lists that are easy to scan. I was part of the hiring process at Tyler, so I know the importance of a piece of paper that can be compared side-by-side. On the flip side, the quirky version might stand out more in the filtering process. Feel free to pass it around or use it as inspiration for revising your own resume. Let me know if you'd like the LaTeX files I used for the PDF versions.
What kind of work am I looking for? My résumé's mission statement says My mission is to write software which kicks ass. I want to work with smart and creative people on projects which are worth doing right and which help people in creative ways. I am especially interested in GIS, artificial intelligence, human language, cognitive science, and programming languages.
There are two key things I'm looking for in a job. The first is what I'm working on -- there are certain domains that get me very excited intellectually: language, thinking, maps and science. And while I can enjoy writing and debugging programs in any domain, I'd much rather work on something that piques my excitement. The second important factor is who I'm working with. I've got two degrees and some professional experience under my belt, but I know there's a lot about computer science I can still learn and I want to work with awesome people I can learn from. When I left Tyler, most of my opportunities for learning were self-directed, and while I'm good at figuring stuff out on my own, it's a lot more effective to learn from someone in the same room than from a book or website.
What about location? Location is very important to me, but I'm open to locations that will in the future be very dear to my heart. Staying in Colorado is certainly an option -- staying at my parent's house when I'm not on the road reminds me how much more I enjoy Boulder than random Denver suburbs. I love the mountains, the weather, the people. But software companies seem drawn to cool cities, too. I'm sure I would enjoy living in the Bay Area, which is good because a plurality of software jobs are there. I've never been to Seattle, but the Pacific Northwest's got enough mountains and neat people to keep me occupied, even if the rain can be a downer. I can dig the heat and landscapes of the Southwest. And I'm sure there are several places on the East Coast I could live, even though I'm a laid-back westerner at heart. In short, at this stage of my life, what I do is more important than where I do it.
I haven't really done a job search before. I got a job with Tyler because they found my résumé on CU's website and gave me a call. I hadn't been planning to get a job right after graduation (in a sense, this summer has been a replacement for post-graduation wandering), so I accepted the offer without looking around. Any advice on what job websites are hot? I'm updating my LinkedIn profile. I've got an old Monster account to update, but I'm sure some more have come along lately. Got any friends I should be networking with?
It's a tough economy (though I hear the software sector is doing a lot better than most), but I'm confident I'll find something awesome. I've been planning ahead and I've got money in the bank, so I'll be fine if the search takes a while. I don't have a huge social network or great social skills (hey, I'm looking for a programming job), but I'm an interesting enough guy that I can stand out, even in a crowd of other geeks. And I've managed to avoid any anchors: I don't own any real estate, I'm not involved in a romantic relationship, I don't have any filial duties that I can't fulfill at a distance, and I don't have any space-time commitments until Violet's wedding in April. In short, when I find the right situation, I'm ready to pounce. In the meantime, I've still got time to play, so let me know if you've got any fun plans.
My next adventure is finding a job. I've just updated my résumé. I still like my unorthodox "this is the real me" style, but I've kept my normally-formatted résumé for employers that want consistency of form and bulleted lists that are easy to scan. I was part of the hiring process at Tyler, so I know the importance of a piece of paper that can be compared side-by-side. On the flip side, the quirky version might stand out more in the filtering process. Feel free to pass it around or use it as inspiration for revising your own resume. Let me know if you'd like the LaTeX files I used for the PDF versions.
What kind of work am I looking for? My résumé's mission statement says My mission is to write software which kicks ass. I want to work with smart and creative people on projects which are worth doing right and which help people in creative ways. I am especially interested in GIS, artificial intelligence, human language, cognitive science, and programming languages.
There are two key things I'm looking for in a job. The first is what I'm working on -- there are certain domains that get me very excited intellectually: language, thinking, maps and science. And while I can enjoy writing and debugging programs in any domain, I'd much rather work on something that piques my excitement. The second important factor is who I'm working with. I've got two degrees and some professional experience under my belt, but I know there's a lot about computer science I can still learn and I want to work with awesome people I can learn from. When I left Tyler, most of my opportunities for learning were self-directed, and while I'm good at figuring stuff out on my own, it's a lot more effective to learn from someone in the same room than from a book or website.
What about location? Location is very important to me, but I'm open to locations that will in the future be very dear to my heart. Staying in Colorado is certainly an option -- staying at my parent's house when I'm not on the road reminds me how much more I enjoy Boulder than random Denver suburbs. I love the mountains, the weather, the people. But software companies seem drawn to cool cities, too. I'm sure I would enjoy living in the Bay Area, which is good because a plurality of software jobs are there. I've never been to Seattle, but the Pacific Northwest's got enough mountains and neat people to keep me occupied, even if the rain can be a downer. I can dig the heat and landscapes of the Southwest. And I'm sure there are several places on the East Coast I could live, even though I'm a laid-back westerner at heart. In short, at this stage of my life, what I do is more important than where I do it.
I haven't really done a job search before. I got a job with Tyler because they found my résumé on CU's website and gave me a call. I hadn't been planning to get a job right after graduation (in a sense, this summer has been a replacement for post-graduation wandering), so I accepted the offer without looking around. Any advice on what job websites are hot? I'm updating my LinkedIn profile. I've got an old Monster account to update, but I'm sure some more have come along lately. Got any friends I should be networking with?
It's a tough economy (though I hear the software sector is doing a lot better than most), but I'm confident I'll find something awesome. I've been planning ahead and I've got money in the bank, so I'll be fine if the search takes a while. I don't have a huge social network or great social skills (hey, I'm looking for a programming job), but I'm an interesting enough guy that I can stand out, even in a crowd of other geeks. And I've managed to avoid any anchors: I don't own any real estate, I'm not involved in a romantic relationship, I don't have any filial duties that I can't fulfill at a distance, and I don't have any space-time commitments until Violet's wedding in April. In short, when I find the right situation, I'm ready to pounce. In the meantime, I've still got time to play, so let me know if you've got any fun plans.