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OS Projects and Your Resume?
DavonZ asks: "Being that many readers of Slashdot may have contributed to Open Source projects, I thought this the best place to ask this question: What is the best way to outline our side projects into our resumes? I did the conversion of the C700 from Japanese to English, review hardware for nvmax.com, run MaxProjects which ports applications to the Sharp Zaurus, founded the Embedded Linux Developers Group and still maintain a full-time job with a semiconductor. How to I add these into my resume? I have been told not to; to only enter them into my cover letter. Others have told me to add a projects section. I have even been told that I shouldn't mention my projects at all. Which is the best approach? What are other Slashdot readers doing?"
If you resume contains a 'hobbies and interests' section, add them there. They aren't education related, and they aren't *jobs*, so don't place them in the main body of your resume.
A Cover letter would probably be the best spot overall though.
I recently got hired for a new job. While I was interviewing for the spot, I was asked more than once about more than one of the projects I've done. They seemed genuinely interested in what I'd done.
I think having a projects section as part of your resume is a good idea because it indicates that you take developing your skills outside of work seriously.
This is work experience just like any other job. The fact that you didn't get paid for it or that it was volunteer doesn't make any difference to someone looking at your resume. The point of the resume is to show what *related* work you have done in the past. So if you are applying for a software related position, your OS work is definately relevent work experience and should be listed with all your other work experience.
With resumes, size does matter and the shorter, "the better."
I find that this isn't true. If you only have two pages after ten years experience that says something about you. If you can't fit two years of experience into seven pages, that does to.
I think that resumes, like many things, are best in moderation.
You want something no shorter than is necessary to get your point across and no longer than is necessary to make sure the manager sees everything that might be germane to the position.
That said, I think my resume is about right, but may be getting a little long. I'm toying with the idea of having a traditional two or three page resume with an appendix of interesting material that wouldn't normally make the cut. For example, I already have one appendix that lists the really nice things my bosses have had to say about me over the years. I've had several positive comments about this. Then the skimmer type manager has what he wants, but the extra information is there for those who want a bit more depth.
One thing I've learned is that no two people on the planet will give the same advice regarding resumes. Their effectiveness is so dependent on the personality of the person reading them that all you have on your side is hope and luck. The most important thing you can do is to express your projects somewhere on the resume or cover letter and hope that it catches an eye or scanning machine or two.
If you have lot's of time, create a slightly different resume for each company based on your research and your estimate of their "atmosphere" or "corporate culture" or "Feng Shui energy displacement patterns" (that's as good as anything else, I guess).
Healthcare article at Kuro5hin
One thing I try to keep in mind is that the main purpose of my resume is to get me an interview.
Bearing that in mind, one tactic would be to put on the resume something general about contributing to FOSS. Then, they have to actually contact you to find out the specifics. This also helps keep the resume brief, which is a good thing.
Your average response here is going to be from an unemployed technozealot of some sort telling you what to do with your resume to get a job, that they don't have.
Your best bet is to make a resume that is the best representation of the work you are capable of. If you read it, and it looks like it describes you and you'd give yourself a job then get it out there and see what happens. You'll find out pretty quickly whether it's working or not, and if not make some adjustments and go at it again.
IMHO, people spend WAY too much time worrying about how to write the perfect resume when they'd already have a job if they'd put that energy directly into finding jobs and applying for them.
No Comment.
The thing is, you shouldn't have a resume. You should *create* a resume for every job that you apply to, that resume only listing what is of interest to that job.
Your c.v. on the other hand, should list all sorts of crap. Similarly, in academia, you're going to have lists of your publishing and the like.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
Generally, I think all relevant experience should go on a resume, including this kind of avocational programming and project work.
My only concern is that by alerting your potential employer to such projects you might find Intellectual Property issues - they might claim that such work is their IP and not yours, and/or they might write this into your contract.
This may seem overly paranoid, and it's a judgment call you'll have to make. I work for a University so IP is not really a concern, but when my wife worked in the corporate world there was some concern about off-time work that was substantially similar to her corporate work, and the definition of *substantially similar* can be pretty sketchy...
I did not design this game/I did not name the stakes/I just happen to like apples/And I am not afraid of snakes-AniD
One advice is be honst on your resume. It doesn't matter if you put your opensource experiences under Voluteering or Community sections.
From my experience as a project admin in two projects at sourceforge.net, I know there are a lot of people who join opensource projects just to get the names on their resume. So, what the project does is not that important. (For example, people can submit just one Linux kernel hack and claim themselves kernel developers on their resumes. Unethical, but possible.) The important thing is to be honst and state clearly what you have contributed (learned) to (from) the project(s). And if you have a very good relationship with the project admin, why not ask him/her to be your reference on your resume.
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Mathematics will always come back to hunt you down, in so many ways
Not that I'm anyone whose opinion is worth anything, but that sounds like the best advice I've seen in this thread.
As to the specific question at hand, I would probably list this as either "Related Experience" or "Professional Development" or any of 100 other euphemisms for "Stuff I didn't get paid much for, if at all, but makes me a better employee than I would be without it." Even if it's a "hobby" or "interest" I wouldn't call it that because that puts it in the same category as model railroading, teaching Sunday School, crochet, and jogging.
I do not have a signature
In general, people who are not interested in you want a short resume.
Someone who is actually interested, who is thinking of spending $80,000 per year in salary and expenses to hire you, will want to know as much as possible about you.
Not true... It says volumes when you can focus a broad range of skills and experience into a couple pages - and sell the business angle too. Surprisingly few techies get the latter. I've seen way to many four plus page CV's that go all the way back to some junior high internship. I've actually seen folks list logo. Argh!
The thing to be afraid of is the short interview... because they will want to know as much as possible about you. Just not on the CV.
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