Our non-technical training this week was about resumes. We were supposed to have a resume clinic to go over our resumes and work on improving them. Since several of the recruiters weren’t able to make it, there were some of us that didn’t get to talk about our resumes. This is one of those areas that I’m most uncomfortable with. I know how to write a resume for a teacher, but when it comes to a web developer’s resume, I feel a little overwhelmed. Maybe it’s because I’m so new at this. I’m not sure what to put where, and I’m definitely not sure how to go about relating my past experiences to technology.

For example, how could I use my cosmetology experience for web development? I guess I have some experience talking with clients, understanding what they want, and living up to their expectations. I have even had some situations of misunderstanding there as well. I’ve had a couple of clients ask me for something specific but it doesn’t turn out the way that they expect. I always felt like I’ve delivered exactly what they asked for and seen it as “the customer just doesn’t know what they want.” If I really think about it though, I’m sure I could have asked more questions and even done more reflective listening, where I’d restate what the client was asking for in my own words. This would have ensured that I completely understood what they wanted, and, hopefully, that would have removed chances of miscommunication.

My teaching experience has been a little easier to translate. I have always tried to incorporate technology into teaching, as the question of “how can technology improve the way we learn?” has been one of my interests for a long time. I can also mention the fact that I’ve had to manage a whole class. (I hope that managing adults is easier than managing 4th and 5th graders.) I also had to assess students’ learning and adjust lessons based on that.

I am looking forward to working with the recruiter to work on my resume. I’m hoping that he or she will have additional ideas for how I can best present my varied experiences on my resume. I’ve set a goal for myself. I plan on starting to send out my resume about three weeks before the bootcamp is over. I am hoping that this will lead to me having a job lined up when I’m done.