Critique my C.V
Author
Hey, I was wondering if someone could take a quick look of my C.V and see if it's ok. Anything you think I should put in there for a junior games programming job? Change the wording? Spelling mistakes etc. Please, let me know.
Agreed -- there's way too much white going on. For contrast, back when my resume was a 1-pager, I had between 450 and 500 words.
A second observation is that the words you do have tell me essentially nothing about you, your skills, or what you've done in terms of practical application.
I know its always difficult as a fresh grad because you think to yourself "I haven't done anything" and so the common fallback is to just list everything you know that might be remotely relevant. Avoid that approach as best as you can. If you have the problem of "I haven't done anything", think about individual and group projects you did that were most interesting, and if that isn't fruitful, put the resume on hold and go do something worth talking about.
Also, an employer doesn't care a whole lot about what libraries, IDEs, or software packages you know -- they expect that programmers are computer-literate in general, and will be able to pick up their particular suite of tools on your own, or with minimal supervision. It can be OK to list a few, but generally only if you are particularly expert with them, or if they are something relatively new but of great interest in the real world.
Likewise for individual classes, don't list everything, and certainly don't break it down by year -- In my own resume I have in my "skills" section one bullet point that talks about the mathematical areas I'm capable with, and I think another that talks about interesting computer science topics I'm capable with. The other bullets are related to soft-skills, time-management, and similar non-technical areas. This becomes more true as you gather more experience in the work-place, but in general a resume is not about what you know, but how you can and have applied it practically (whether professionally, academically, or self-practice)
I say this as someone from the states, so take it with a grain of salt because I know the expectations of CVs/Resumes are very, very different between the US, Europe, and other places (say, Japan -- where they fully expect you to write an essay about how your leadership as captain of the school soccer team will translate to leadership in the company) -- but I'd start fresh essentially, you can pull maybe a quarter-page of usable content from what you've got there. Aim for one reasonably-dense page as a goal.
A second observation is that the words you do have tell me essentially nothing about you, your skills, or what you've done in terms of practical application.
I know its always difficult as a fresh grad because you think to yourself "I haven't done anything" and so the common fallback is to just list everything you know that might be remotely relevant. Avoid that approach as best as you can. If you have the problem of "I haven't done anything", think about individual and group projects you did that were most interesting, and if that isn't fruitful, put the resume on hold and go do something worth talking about.
Also, an employer doesn't care a whole lot about what libraries, IDEs, or software packages you know -- they expect that programmers are computer-literate in general, and will be able to pick up their particular suite of tools on your own, or with minimal supervision. It can be OK to list a few, but generally only if you are particularly expert with them, or if they are something relatively new but of great interest in the real world.
Likewise for individual classes, don't list everything, and certainly don't break it down by year -- In my own resume I have in my "skills" section one bullet point that talks about the mathematical areas I'm capable with, and I think another that talks about interesting computer science topics I'm capable with. The other bullets are related to soft-skills, time-management, and similar non-technical areas. This becomes more true as you gather more experience in the work-place, but in general a resume is not about what you know, but how you can and have applied it practically (whether professionally, academically, or self-practice)
I say this as someone from the states, so take it with a grain of salt because I know the expectations of CVs/Resumes are very, very different between the US, Europe, and other places (say, Japan -- where they fully expect you to write an essay about how your leadership as captain of the school soccer team will translate to leadership in the company) -- but I'd start fresh essentially, you can pull maybe a quarter-page of usable content from what you've got there. Aim for one reasonably-dense page as a goal.
I know its always difficult as a fresh grad because you think to yourself "I haven't done anything" and so the common fallback is to just list everything you know that might be remotely relevant. Avoid that approach as best as you can. If you have the problem of "I haven't done anything", think about individual and group projects you did that were most interesting, and if that isn't fruitful, put the resume on hold and go do something worth talking about.
This. Cannot stress it enough: Personal projects are very important. You will never be a good developer if you never actually develop anything. Anything will do too, although things focused for the field you're applying for would certainly help, it doesn't have things that demonstrate a much broader set of skills.
Also, an employer doesn't care a whole lot about what libraries, IDEs, or software packages you know -- they expect that programmers are computer-literate in general, and will be able to pick up their particular suite of tools on your own, or with minimal supervision. It can be OK to list a few, but generally only if you are particularly expert with them, or if they are something relatively new but of great interest in the real world.
Or any libraries that you're an active developer on.
(say, Japan -- where they fully expect you to write an essay about how your leadership as captain of the school soccer team will translate to leadership in the company)
Hmm, mine was a book on the application and performance optimization methods of solving the tentacle problem.
Author
Thank for the feedback.
This was my original game C.V and I made that one as I wasn't sure on the design. Is is any better?
This was my original game C.V and I made that one as I wasn't sure on the design. Is is any better?
Author
Thank you for the feedback.
This was my second attempt at a game C.V, so I'll give you my first one to look at as well. From what you've told me, it seems to more "right." I did try to attach it, but I'm not allowed it tells me.
So excuse the horrid layout. Assume its all good in a word doc.
Contact Information
27 Cables Wynd House
Edinburgh
EH6 6DF
Tel: 07506 515 559
Sean O’Brien
Games Programmer
About Me
I am a young and passionate programmer with a strong interest in creating 3D computer graphics in games. I am currently investigating how CUDA and OpenCL can help improve the performance of computer games as part of my final year honours project.
I hope to one day get a job working in the games industry that can help me improve my skills as a graphics and games programmer.
Education
2008 – 2011 Glasgow Caledonian University
Software Engineering (Games Development)
2nd Year Modules - Games Programming 1
- Object Oriented Software Development
- Software Modeling, Analysis & Design
- Game Design
3rd Year Modules - Games Programming 2
- Mathematics for Computer Games 2
- Software Processes & Practise’s
- Console Programming ( iPhone Development )
- Artificial Intelligence for Computer Games
4th Year Modules - Games Programming 3
- Mobile & Ubiquitous Computing ( Android Development )
- Serious Game Design
- Professional Issues
- Honours Project
Projects & Roles
Below you will find a list of the complete games I have worked on as a programmer. You will find the role I was placed in, along with the list of tasks I was assigned to do. Not included here is the smaller projects I worked for my own personal growth, but a sample selection can be found within my portfolio.
Zombie Shooter 2D ( XNA ) Lead Programmer
- Creating the menu & GUI layouts
- Implementing the turret
- Assigning tasks to fellow team members
Quark ( XNA ) Game Play & Tools Programmer
- Implementing the game state management system
- Creating control system
- Level Progression System
- Allow designers to edit levels through a text file.
- Implement Farseer Physics Engine
Holy Moly ( DiectX 9 ) Games Play & Tools Programmer
- Craft menu system with Crazy Eddie GUI library
- Implement Xbox controls
- Creating track via text file
- Create Sky box
- Allow objects to be placed via a text file
HardCoreSinkopation ( XNA ) Programmer & Designer
- Designing initial game concept & levels
- Score board
- GUI objects
- Created during the 2010 Scottish Game Jam and
placed 3rd overall
Unending Wave ( Unity3D ) Programmer
- Spawning all of the objects on screen
- Collision Detection and removal
- Created during the 2011 Scottish Game Jam and placed 8th overall
Taffy's Sweet Bunny Dreams (Unity) Programmer
- Creating a day and night cycle
- Bug fixes
- Main game play
- Created during the 2012 Scottish Game Jan and placed 2[sup]nd[/sup] in the best art category and 2[sup]nd[/sup] at that months IGDA meeting in Glasgow.
Technical & Personal Skill Base
The following are a list of programming languages and programs that I have a knowledge base of.
C / C++ DirectX 9 & 10 Eclipse
C# XNA Xcode
Java Cocos2D Microsoft Visual Studio
Unity OpenGL / OpenGL ES Android Development
iOS Development
Excellent time keep Can work as part of a team
Ability to work to a deadline Can work independently
Quick to learn new skill sets Willingness to offer ideas & opinions
Additional Information
Whilst I have only been programming for a short period of time I have never let my lack of understanding or knowledge stop me in achieving what I wanted to do. An example of this is during the 2010 Scottish Game Jam. The group I ended up working with had decided to make their game in Unity3D, something I had never used before. Instead of complaining about it and trying to get the group to switch to something I have mode knowledge of, I sat down and spent the first 10 hours of the even learning how Unity3D worked. This ended up with myself needing to create the 2 key systems of the game; the object spawning and collision detection.
I also do this with other topics I have no knowledge of and set out to create simple demos of how certain game aspects are done. Currently I’m working on expanding my knowledge of DirectX 10 as well as researching GPU programming through the use of OpenCL and CUDA.
References
References are available upon request.
This was my second attempt at a game C.V, so I'll give you my first one to look at as well. From what you've told me, it seems to more "right." I did try to attach it, but I'm not allowed it tells me.
So excuse the horrid layout. Assume its all good in a word doc.
Contact Information
27 Cables Wynd House
Edinburgh
EH6 6DF
Tel: 07506 515 559
Sean O’Brien
Games Programmer
About Me
I am a young and passionate programmer with a strong interest in creating 3D computer graphics in games. I am currently investigating how CUDA and OpenCL can help improve the performance of computer games as part of my final year honours project.
I hope to one day get a job working in the games industry that can help me improve my skills as a graphics and games programmer.
Education
2008 – 2011 Glasgow Caledonian University
Software Engineering (Games Development)
2nd Year Modules - Games Programming 1
- Object Oriented Software Development
- Software Modeling, Analysis & Design
- Game Design
3rd Year Modules - Games Programming 2
- Mathematics for Computer Games 2
- Software Processes & Practise’s
- Console Programming ( iPhone Development )
- Artificial Intelligence for Computer Games
4th Year Modules - Games Programming 3
- Mobile & Ubiquitous Computing ( Android Development )
- Serious Game Design
- Professional Issues
- Honours Project
Projects & Roles
Below you will find a list of the complete games I have worked on as a programmer. You will find the role I was placed in, along with the list of tasks I was assigned to do. Not included here is the smaller projects I worked for my own personal growth, but a sample selection can be found within my portfolio.
Zombie Shooter 2D ( XNA ) Lead Programmer
- Creating the menu & GUI layouts
- Implementing the turret
- Assigning tasks to fellow team members
Quark ( XNA ) Game Play & Tools Programmer
- Implementing the game state management system
- Creating control system
- Level Progression System
- Allow designers to edit levels through a text file.
- Implement Farseer Physics Engine
Holy Moly ( DiectX 9 ) Games Play & Tools Programmer
- Craft menu system with Crazy Eddie GUI library
- Implement Xbox controls
- Creating track via text file
- Create Sky box
- Allow objects to be placed via a text file
HardCoreSinkopation ( XNA ) Programmer & Designer
- Designing initial game concept & levels
- Score board
- GUI objects
- Created during the 2010 Scottish Game Jam and
placed 3rd overall
Unending Wave ( Unity3D ) Programmer
- Spawning all of the objects on screen
- Collision Detection and removal
- Created during the 2011 Scottish Game Jam and placed 8th overall
Taffy's Sweet Bunny Dreams (Unity) Programmer
- Creating a day and night cycle
- Bug fixes
- Main game play
- Created during the 2012 Scottish Game Jan and placed 2[sup]nd[/sup] in the best art category and 2[sup]nd[/sup] at that months IGDA meeting in Glasgow.
Technical & Personal Skill Base
The following are a list of programming languages and programs that I have a knowledge base of.
C / C++ DirectX 9 & 10 Eclipse
C# XNA Xcode
Java Cocos2D Microsoft Visual Studio
Unity OpenGL / OpenGL ES Android Development
iOS Development
Excellent time keep Can work as part of a team
Ability to work to a deadline Can work independently
Quick to learn new skill sets Willingness to offer ideas & opinions
Additional Information
Whilst I have only been programming for a short period of time I have never let my lack of understanding or knowledge stop me in achieving what I wanted to do. An example of this is during the 2010 Scottish Game Jam. The group I ended up working with had decided to make their game in Unity3D, something I had never used before. Instead of complaining about it and trying to get the group to switch to something I have mode knowledge of, I sat down and spent the first 10 hours of the even learning how Unity3D worked. This ended up with myself needing to create the 2 key systems of the game; the object spawning and collision detection.
I also do this with other topics I have no knowledge of and set out to create simple demos of how certain game aspects are done. Currently I’m working on expanding my knowledge of DirectX 10 as well as researching GPU programming through the use of OpenCL and CUDA.
References
References are available upon request.
This topic is closed to new replies.
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