A few days ago I heard that Google Recruiters' were holding a google+ hangout on May 13th at 1300 CST and I thought this was a good opportunity to see how my resume would hold up against their advice. It finished a little while ago, and I strongly recommend watching it (Tech Resume prep), if you are thinking about applying to any Google position. Until then, here are the highlights:
- Show your "Googliness". Google's motto is "don't be evil" so show that in your own way, show that you contributed to open source projects, show your passions outside of your work, show your projects outside of your "obligatory" work projects, show your contributions to your community, show that you have a knack to solve the "impossible". Write something so that when they ask themselves: "Would I want to work with this guy?" the answer is yes.
- When you are deciding on which position you are going to apply for, think carefully. Remember the volume of applications they receive; apply to the position most relevant to your interests and skills so that process goes smoother. Otherwise, even if you are picked, it might take some additional time until they route you to the correct recruiter.
- Resume
- Don't need objectives at the top.
- Start with your education, list classes relevant to the position.
- Put most recent and relevant work experience to the top. If you have a long list of experiences, try to shorten it to the most recent, unless you have been working in the same field for the last ~20 years.
- Try to keep it at most 2 pages, but if you have a long list of patents, publications, etc. put them on the third page and on.
- First page should be the most recent experience.
- Remember that recruiters don't necessarily have a degree in CS so don't explain things too technically.
- Explain what you did not what your company does.
- When you are explaining, it is better to "show" not "tell", so use real life examples such as projects in your explanations.
- ABSOLUTELY NO SPELLING/GRAMMAR MISTAKES.
- Throughout the process, everyone you are going to deal with will have your resume. That is your first point of contact. Make sure you know it very well.
- Cover letter didn't sound like a must but useful in situations such as explaining a long gap in your resume.
- You can connect to Google Recruiters through Google+, Linkedin, Google events. Also, there seems to be a "Happy Hour"(?) this friday. It won't "give you a leg up" but help you connect with them.
- TopCoder was suggested for interview prep. Make sure you know the basics very well.
These were my notes. I hope it helps. I apologize in advance if there are any mistakes. If you attended, and want to add anything to this list, let me know and I will add them here with a reference to you.