I got my first internship through a standard corporate application with only 4 CS courses under my belt. I tend to interview well, and there was a lot of interest in my resume because I was a returning student. Two of the three people who interviewed me did the same thing, so that wound up being my "in".
I got my first real job through Monster.com, I'm sorry to say. I had just moved to a new town and a company needed some help, so I went ahead and applied. It wasn't a great gig, but I wasn't trying to be selective at the time. I would not recommend using Monster.com and if I could go back in time to slap myself I would. I still get occasional calls from recruiters for a 4-year old resume.
The best advice I can offer you is that, however you brand yourself on your resume, tell the truth in an interview. Don't exaggerate or fabricate, and if you get to the limits of your knowledge don't be afraid to say so. Think of it as an extension of "underpromise and overdeliver". I never put anything on my resume I'm not prepared to talk about for at least half an hour precisely to avoid any hint that I'm making shit up as I go.
Thanks everybody for the great advice. Looks like networking makes things easier. Not my favorite thing to do but I guess I have to suck it up. I am more of a lone wolf ... like to do my own things ...
I also like taking part in programming competitions ... wondering if they help in resume ...
Comments
I got my first internship through a standard corporate application with only 4 CS courses under my belt. I tend to interview well, and there was a lot of interest in my resume because I was a returning student. Two of the three people who interviewed me did the same thing, so that wound up being my "in".
I got my first real job through Monster.com, I'm sorry to say. I had just moved to a new town and a company needed some help, so I went ahead and applied. It wasn't a great gig, but I wasn't trying to be selective at the time. I would not recommend using Monster.com and if I could go back in time to slap myself I would. I still get occasional calls from recruiters for a 4-year old resume.
The best advice I can offer you is that, however you brand yourself on your resume, tell the truth in an interview. Don't exaggerate or fabricate, and if you get to the limits of your knowledge don't be afraid to say so. Think of it as an extension of "underpromise and overdeliver". I never put anything on my resume I'm not prepared to talk about for at least half an hour precisely to avoid any hint that I'm making shit up as I go.
Thanks everybody for the great advice. Looks like networking makes things easier. Not my favorite thing to do but I guess I have to suck it up. I am more of a lone wolf ... like to do my own things ... I also like taking part in programming competitions ... wondering if they help in resume ...