Tech Resume: Let’s pull it all together

Over the last few months I discussed ways to develop and improve your resume presentation. Topics included Keys to a Strong Resume Summary to Body Language during a Tech Interview. 

The following highlights some of these discussions:

·         August 26, 2015 – Keys to a Strong Resume Summary

o   Your resume summary should summarize your entire resume.

o   The summary should use keywords that recruiters will see during a keyword search.

·         September 8 – Know your Audience

o   Make sure that you have the skills required to meet the needs of a job requisition.

o   Feel great about going to work, it will show in your confidence.

·         September 15 – A Tech Resume Needs More

o   Provide enough details in your resume that your technology strengths are transparent.

o   Highlight some of your accomplishments from every tech project.

·         October 6 – From Tech Resume to Tech Interview

o   Your resume needs to reflect your ability and passion to contribute.

o   Understand that it’s a process to share information.

·         October 13 – 106 Tech Interviews in 2 days

o   Searching for candidates is about finding a great fit.

o   Experience is required, but the desire to learn, adapt, and apply knowledge stands out.

·         October 21 – When you have 48 hours to hire Tech

o   Workforce planning will affect your opportunities.

o   Maintain connections with recruiters by attending social events.

·         October 28 – Body Language during a Tech Interview

o   Be aware of your body language, even if it’s a Skype interview.

o   Stay engaged in the interview and maintain eye contact.

In addition to the above recommendations for improving a resume, I evaluated resumes from candidates who were hired in the last 24 months. Using a random number generator I selected a representative sample of 10 resumes. Several important patterns emerged. 100% of the resumes included:

·         First and Last Name

·         Phone Number

·         Email Address

·         Experience

·         Education

·         Technology Skills

·         Bullet points after each job title to describe Experience

·         The average resume length was 4 pages.

As crazy as it sounds, the first and last name, phone number and email address are not always included in a resume. I made a point to check for this information to emphasize the importance of including it. As many recruiters might agree, we receive far too many resumes that do not include a method for contacting the candidate or a resume only includes an email or a phone number but not both. The easier it is for a recruiter to reach you, the better.

Author: Dr. Eduardo Diaz, helping you exceed expectations.

Let a Tech Recruiter Review Your Resume

When was the last time you had your resume reviewed by a technical recruiter? Getting a professional perspective of how your resume is presented can make the difference between getting an interview and getting overlooked. There’s no cost to you. I’m happy to help you improve your chances of landing your next job.






Here’s what to do:

1. Like this post
2. Share this post
3. Email your resume to Eduardo.Diaz@acesred.com with the subject “Please Review my Resume”

I will respond to your email with feedback about your resume:

1. Summary
2. Content
3. Recommendations

Author: Dr. Eduardo Diaz, helping you exceed expectations.

About the Author
Dr. Eduardo Diaz is an organizational leader who applies peer reviewed research findings into actionable performance measures. He is an expert at identifying key human factor variables that influence individual and team performance outcomes. He is also a key talent acquisitions leader at Alexan Consulting Enterprise Services, LLC (ACES) in Sacramento, California where he manages a database of over 5,000 technology candidates.
His experience in identifying highly productive talent through applied quantitative measures has forged a unique recruiting process, best hiring practices, and identification of skill sets that support increased organizational team performance. His assessment process was developed in collaboration with his colleagues in Osnabruck, Germany and he continues to further develop its applications with the goal of supporting the selection process for teams planning to embark on long duration space missions.

When Friends Get Together for Tech

A long-time friend and I recently got together ‘again’ to develop a new app. We decided to challenge ourselves with something new and original so we both enrolled in ASP.NET Framework and Developer courses. Clearly he’s excelling at learning the language, where it takes me a little longer for some of the concepts to sink in. After all, he’s a developer through and through and I’m a tech recruiter with a background in organizational development. However, we both understand each other’s strengths and we know our areas of opportunity. We also work very well together so to us, this is exciting!

However, the reward of developing a new app goes far beyond just setting and achieving goals. Working with technology and overcoming the challenges that we will face is an outlet for us. It’s how we get together and hang out. It’s our way of stretching and pushing ourselves beyond our limits and challenging our abilities. In some way, our friendship is connected through the development of technology.

When you go to work do you go because you enjoy working with your friends, do you go for the challenge of technology or both?   

Author: Dr. Eduardo Diaz, helping you exceed expectations.

Data Driven Approach to Hiring Talent

Have you ever worked with someone who empowered and motivated you to do more? What about working with someone who drained your energy or made a project take longer than necessary? What if you could go to work knowing that your team was designed based on having traits that support a positive and productive work environment? What if there was actually a psychological assessment tool that could identify and assemble the perfect work team? This might sound like Myers-Briggs or other Personality Tests, but many personality measures only scratched the surface of what is being developed to support a data driven approach to hiring talent. As many of us know, the cost of hiring the right candidate could cost a company millions when you take into account the impact of one individual and their influence on an entire team and the organization. One wrong team member could promote a negative work environment or improve a team’s drive to do more.

In September of this year I touched on the topic “The Future of Identifying Top Talent”. I briefly discussed new psychological assessment tools that could improve the recruiting process. To continue with is topic I would like to share a little background on how I came to understand a data driven approach to hiring talent.

In 2001 I was introduced to several professors who were working on understanding human factor variables known to influence human behavior. One of the professors, Dr. Marilyn Dudley-Rowley, completed and published her work on deviant behavior in extreme environments. She challenged me to read her work (which was roughly the size of an encyclopedia). After reading her dissertation, asking questions and learning more about human factor variables, in 2002 she invited me to join her at UC Berkeley for a presentation about what she coined the “third quarter phenomenon”. When we arrived at the university she asked me to set up the microphone and welcome guests as they made their way to their seats. When a small group of doctors and scientist arrived she turned to me and introduced me to the group. Unaware of her intentions, she asked me to present her research findings…and I did.

The third quarter phenomenon is a point in time when a team will either achieve greater success or massive failure. Depending on team design it could go either way. Dr. Dudley-Rowley’s research identified significant variables in team design that could lead to success or failure outcomes. It was my job to carry her legacy and the legacy of other research scientists to identify and verify exactly what these characteristics were and to find a way in which we could measure their impact on individuals and teams. As I continued my research on the subject, more and more questions developed to which I read books and literature covering industrial-organizational psychology, motivational behavior, personality assessments, cross-cultural issues and a host of work place design and human factor variables. Then in 2012 I developed and implemented my research questions. I discovered ways to measure these characteristic variables known to influence team outcomes.

In 2014 I completed a research project that identified measurable characteristic variables which explained how one individual could influence others based on these characteristics. Yes, environmental factors play a role, which leads us to applying the data differently depending on surroundings. Discovering this new method for measuring psychological variables of an individual and correlating how it impacts an entire team’s ability to achieve success was a long process. As I continue inviting organizations to apply this process, I will publish the results for the benefit of everyone.

When we consider a data driven approach to hiring talent we extend far beyond knowledge and skill sets that traditional recruiting has accomplished. The new data driven approach is looking at identifiable and measurable psychological characteristics that can be assessed. These variables are then correlated with team performance and combined with other research findings like the third quarter phenomenon. The goal of a data driven approach to hiring talent is to support the development of teams that are more likely to succeed than by chance alone. Imagine that in just a few years we could have a data driven talent index helping to support the recruiting selection process.   

Author: Dr. Eduardo Diaz, helping you exceed expectations.

About the Author

Dr. Eduardo Diaz is an organizational leader who applies peer reviewed research findings into actionable performance measures. He is an expert at identifying key human factor variables that influence individual and team performance outcomes. He is also a key talent acquisitions leader at Alexan Consulting Enterprise Services, LLC (ACES) in Sacramento, California where he manages a database of over 5,000 technology candidates. 

His experience in identifying highly productive talent through applied quantitative measures has forged a unique recruiting process, best hiring practices, and identification of skill sets that support increased organizational team performance. His assessment process was developed in collaboration with his colleagues in Osnabruck, Germany and he continues to further develop its applications with the goal of supporting the selection process for teams planning to embark on long duration space missions.