The most relevant and interesting insights from this chapter are certainly Anderson's discussion of reader-centered writing as opposed to writer-centered writing when creating a resumé and his discourse on the strategies behind writing a convincing application letter. When creating a resumé, he suggests researching the employer and tailoring your resumé in such a way that it communicates how your skills and experience will answer a specific need within the company. Additionally, he offers many helpful insights on how to be more concise, specific, and direct in the language you use to create a resumé. These tips on being reader-centered from Anderson are definitely quite relevant to creating a good resumé.
Additionally, Anderson gives strong strategies for writing a convincing letter. Most employers, he points out, will rarely give your resumé much attention if your application letter does not convince them of your value in fulfilling their companies needs. He also discusses how a key strategy when writing a cover letter is to see yourself through the potential employers eyes by asking yourself the employer's question, "Why do you want to work for me instead of someone else?" (p.47) Something else that he strongly suggested that you tell the employer what your next step will be in contacting them about a potential interview. His discussion on the strategies used in writing a good application letter truly are relevant to getting hired in the real world.
The first job I am potentially going to apply and tailor my resumé for is for a UI Developer opening in a company called Dynatrace, and the second job I am potentially apply for is a lead web developer position in a company called Kore1. My strategy for creating my resumé will be to search the company websites and linkedin pages for both companies and find exactly what their company goals and visions are. The job opening is quite clear for both positions, so I will not have to work too hard to find what the employer is looking for in an employee. Additionally, I may attempt to find similar positions and what other secondary qualifications are key to highlight in my resumé.
My goal will be to have a one-page resumé with an experiential emphasis. It would be one-page because I want the potential employer to not be over-loaded with irrelevant information. Two pages seems to be too much information to highlight what I can do effectively. From observing the market for this kind of job, I have discovered that most employers hiring computer science related jobs are more impressed by past accomplishments than a list of skills. Although skills are important, my ability to use these skills in the real world are more important to this type of employer.
My experience developing multiple websites in the company I started will be useful for the lead web developer position. Also, my experience creating iOS and Android apps at my current job will be useful in applying for the UI developer position. My work in this class would be something to add as a secondary skill since this type of work would definitely require good technical communication.
This resumé is a bit raw, and I hope to create a better one in this class: