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Wow. Thank all of you guys for your quick replies. It means a lot. I can't relocate right now; don't have the money, and I might have to rely on my emergency stash to survive past December.
1.) I have my resume out on Monster and my state's Talent Bank, but am not aiming for recruiters/staffing agents (though they've been calling me about it from Monster). I don't know anything about them, and I want a direct hire (no contract work) in the first place. So, I haven't been paying them the most attention. Should I start using them? So far, I've been applying to postings that match my experience, and that hasn't gotten me too far.
2.) Whenever I find a position that matches my experience, I typically keep the same resume, but craft a cover letter where I try to match all of their listed requirements with my qualifications. Should I be morphing the resume as well? As of now, I only change the resume if the posting says they don't want Cover Letters.
3.) Does work really heat up in Feb-May? My unemployment isn't going to last past December. I've got money to last for about 2 months after that (barring no disasters). Crap.
4.) As I mentioned before, I plan on making a portfolio I can show off to prospective employers once I'm done learning what I can about C#. However, I don't know what project I can do or how to set up a site on a webhost (told you I'm rusty). I can probably scrounge around on sourceforge for projects to help with or code to inspire me, but do any of you know of a good, cheap web host I can use for a site that won't see very much traffic?
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More often than not, companies don't necessarily care that you know a particular language, they are more interested in what you did with it. For example, "Used <language> to integrate accounts payable with the distribution center inventory, resulting in a 15% reduction in time spent gathering parts."
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous
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"extensive experience" already looks weak.
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Do you think it be something concrete, like "Over 2 years academic and personal experience writing small programs in C++, Visual Basic and [all the other languages I've encountered], with over 50 programs written."
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It helps to have a solid article (with your code) on CodeProject, showcasing your original work. When I was looking out to for a change, I quoted a couple of my CodeProject articles on my resume; my current employer looked at that code, and I believe, was convinced enough. Of course, you need to work on an original problem, making sure that none of the work done for your past employers is getting posted.
Also, I feel that employers look for problem solving capabilities using a language, rather than expertise in that language itself (unless it is a compiler company you're applying for).
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'Qualified and trained in C++, Visual Basic and SQL.'
'Commercial experience in FoxPro and .Net'
Currently gaining experience in........
?
You should be working on home projects for the last one. The world is your oyster.
Just supplying a piece of paper and saying 'yes please' will not get you employment.
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Instead of "extensive", you may use "experienced/skillfull in" something. In my opinion, the experience gained from course work is considered to be good experience as long as you are confident for what you learned. Certainly it might not be the real business world solution you coded. But the technology involved and skills required are all applicable to the real world.
TOMZ_KV
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If you lie cheat tweak your experience in the world of software, you will be busted the first week of a new job (unless you're working by yourself). Tell the truth and express the level of enthusiasm you have. Software takes two things: aptitude and enthusiasm.
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Look, the purpose of your resume is to help a perspective employer determine if you are what they are looking for.
Never overstate your skills. I have questions that tell me your C level of experience, and the minute I detect dishonesty, you are out.
On the other hand, if you are willing to learn, have mostly college experience, then you should stating that. In my opinion, you are an entry level developer. You should try to go back to the CC/Univ you have attended an enlist help from their Career Development, check their job postings. They are looking for people with your skills. Also, if your are NOT listing your GPA (at least your major GPA), it is a red flag to me. I have a perfect GPA in my major, I list that...
Next, the biggest mistake people make (IMHO) on a resume is telling me what they DID. I want to know what IMPACT you had. (So you wrote reports, big deal. But developing a set of reporting templates to allow managers to more easily generate their own reports. That is IMPACT.) Don't lie.
Finally, having worked in Career Development at Mich. State... Let me emphasize:
1) The purpose of the cover letter is to introduce and point out what on your resume should interest them
2) The resume exists to see if there is a match, determine what type of skills, and provide a basis for further questions, which hopefully requires an interview to go over. The resume should get you the interview, not the job.
3) The interview(s) get you the jobs.
Note: on an interview, I brought a BRAND NEW day planner with me. The guy asked if I used it, liked it, etc. Then he asked me to hand it to him so he could flip through it! Luckily I was honest up front and said I just started using it because of the interviewing schedule!!! (2 weeks back, it was all blank!)
I wish you luck.
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I must confess that this problem is not new to me. My advice to you is to have 2 resumes. One should represent your true status, and then the second should represent your desired status. Your field is quite easy to develop some experience. When you develop a project (using codeproject and other resourceful websites), understand the project thoroughly so that you can easily explain it. If it's a web application you can host it on the internet. Then you can put something on your resume about this project.
Like someone said, it doesnt have to be done through paid employment. Use the desired technologies and have faith in yourself, then you will get your job.
Fortēs fortūna adjuvat.
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Be honest. You don't have "extensive experience" but do have experience.
On my resume, I list the number of years I've worked with Windows and Windows CE/Embedded, since those are the jobs I want. Then I list "Key Technologies" without any reference to how experienced I am with them. In the jobs section, I repeated which technologies I used in that job, letting that speak for itself. During the interview, I expand on them in response to inevitable questions, giving specific examples on what problems I solved, how I solved them and how they helped the company and their customers.
Job interviews are a two way street. Not only am I trying to sell myself to them, I'm trying to determine whether I want to work for them. Their questions and what they concentrate on tell me a lot.
Finally, if you put VB on top, you'll get VB jobs. Is that what you want? It appears you want to de-emphasize the VB itself. Change your resume to reflect that. In other words, your resume is a sales tool and if you scream "I DO VB" on it, don't be surprised when those are the only interviews you get. In your case, you are a junior programmer, so I'd emphasize your problem solving skills. And be patient. You may need to take one job and work into another (no just fiction; this happened at the company I was at three years ago and was starting the process with a PHP guy at my current place before he jumped ship to another company.)
And, to repeat myself and advise above: DO NOT LIE. (If I even suspect a lie in a resume, I toss it.)
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Yeah, I feel really stupid that I had "extensive experience" on there now, without even thinking about what that meant outside my context. This resume is mostly a carry-over from my fresh-out-of-college days with my latest work history in there. At the time, I did feel pretty confident in C++/VB. Now I'm looking at intermediate interview questions to get an idea of the things I should be studying and my brain is melting. So, I have to do something more accurate.
Thank you guys again for all your help. I have a meeting scheduled with my Alma Mater's Career service today. I'll let you know how it goes.
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Hey guys. I just got back from a meet with a lady at my college's career center, and a talk with a previous professor of mine.
When I voiced my concerns about exaggeration, the lady suggested several things, like:
-"Course work completed in [all the languages listed in my resume]". This seems very weak to me, but is the most accurate.
-"Experience in [all the languages listed in my resume]". Just cut off the "extensive." This seems like an easy fix. However, what if an employer calls me in and I still don't have the experience they're looking for?
The professor recommended the second one above, but said later that he probably isn't the best one to talk about these things (he hasn't had to apply to a job in years). He's going to refer me to someone else who might be better. Still, I think it's a toss up between the two above. I don't know which one to go with though. Like I said, I want to be accurate without being scoffed at (even though I'm aware people aren't expecting those 2 years out of college to have serious company experience under their belt)
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......It's a holiday tree! 
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
modified 3-Dec-13 20:08pm.
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Do I take you correctly that you're saying the post is trolling?
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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Troll the ancient yuletide carol.
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Yes... I figured you were trolling in relation to the spate of posts/emails/spam that are all about how you can't call say Merry Christmas any more etc...
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Actually, I am not familiar with the spate of posts to which you refer. I was out driving and I saw a sign on a lot that said "Holiday Trees," and I thought it very funny.
If you are offended, then I apologize.
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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I'm not at all offended... And the sign you spotted is exactly the kind of thing I'm referring to - it's not a holiday tree, it's a Christmas tree!!
I see how I misread your post though, and now it's my turn to apologise. 
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Oh I can definitely see how the post might be misinterpreted in that light. I'll add a
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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I prefer a birthday bush.
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The perfect accompaniment to a birthday suit!!
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I have been remiss in not posting these more often. Enjoy.
The Colorful Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi[^]
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
me, in pictures
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