How to find good feedback on CV

How would you go about getting no-nonsense feedback on your CV? There are plenty of snake oil sellers who do that. Of course I'm not interested in exchanging a lot of cash for snake oil. I asked everyone, family, the university's career's office, a cousin who works in HR and used to work as an IT recruiter. My CV is basically correct, but I'm a science brain, not a humanities brain. I think my CV isn't effective enough and I feel like there is a problem with it that isn't obvious. I have already followed all the obvious and common sense advice. I'm doing a PhD, there is certainly not a lack of skills going on. It's also tech, the CV isn't supposed to be a work of art. All the advice I have received so far on this issue is, frankly, stupid. "Be more interested" (I obviously am interested and display interst and engagement), "send CVs and engage in an ambitious open source project that you first need to find god knows where then work on it so much that it's a full time job while sending so many CVs and cover letters fitting it to each and every job posting that it's a full time job" (the day has only 24 hours and I have one body with one health), "let chat GPT do write resumes for you" (yeah that requires as much fixing as manual fixing for each and every resume), "just be yourself and more enthusiastic", and so on...

If your CV isn't getting the responses you want, the problem could be with a lack of available jobs and not necessarily something wrong with your jobs history or skillset.

A lot of advertised jobs on job websites for example aren't even real jobs, they simply go up to give the pretense that a company is meeting recruitment quotas.

vergil96 said:

My CV is basically correct, but I'm a science brain, not a humanities brain. I think my CV isn't effective enough and I feel like there is a problem with it that isn't obvious.

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I always hated the CV or Resumé format because it's a very dry format that doesn't allow you to sell yourself.

A better option is to use something like Microsft Publisher and make a colour brochure about yourself, complete with a picture of your smiling face. Do list your basic details near the beginning of your brochure but then go further and elaborate, explain how your unique mindset and extraordinary intelligence makes you a much better candidate.

The fact that you used an irregular format will make you stand out from the crowd and mark you as someone that thinks outside of the box. HR departments will have to sort through hundreds of resumes for each position, yours will stick in their memory.

I got positions in the past by unconventional methods, once I wrote a letter to trade magazine when an article appeared about a assembly plant wanting to try a reverse onus system for chemicals the were receiving, I wrote an audacious letter to the chemical supplier and told them I am the guy you need to do this. Yes I got the job did what I said I could do, changed the industry. Imagine what you could do with your education have confidence in your ability. Being on the spectrum, I'm not into hyperbole, got this across in interview.

Like with dating the rules are different for us. In both cases I did not know I was on the spectrum. Now being retired,
married for over 40 years I can see how to do things more suitable for us.

I used to be a writing tutor at a university and helped a lot of people write CVs. Here in NYC, it is best to have only one page, and to only have information that is relevant to the position you are applying for. (Which, unfortunately, means you may have more than 1 CV). People have short attention spans these days and won't spend a lot of time reading. So, if you are looking for a research or teaching position, only put jobs that have experience that would be used in the type of job you are applying for. Summarize your responsibilities at each job, only putting the important stuff. They can ask you for more details if they need them during an interview. Don't worry about having time lapses in between jobs, (if you had a non- relevant position or took time off from work). They can ask in the interview. For research jobs or professor positions at a university, also list any grants for research, or awards for research that you have achieved. If you have space, you can also list publications. If not enough space, you can just include a link to your ORCID page that will list them all there. If you do not have an ORCID account, it is free. Here's a link:
ORCID
If you do not have a lot of job experience, list any internships or volunteer experience that is relevant. Also list any academic awards under your education/ degree info.

That's all you really need on the CV. (You probably have already heard all of this, and your CV might be just fine.... and getting too much input over it has possibly made you feel it is lacking. People in NYC stress out over CVs because job competition here is fierce. I think it is best to keep things to what is essential and highlight one or 2 interesting points. Too much information will lose your audience.) The (short) cover letter would be where you show interest in their project or organization, and where you would show "your personality", and talk about your direction of research or the specific area/s within your subject that you specialize in, etc. (Timeline- style, of what you have done and what you want it to lead to, and why it is a passion or matter of high interest for you... keep this to a few sentences only).
Good Luck with the job search

I asked Chat GPT questions about my CV and tbh it didn't correct much or offer much advice that I didn't use yet. I think my CV must be quite solid if even Chat GPT doesn't correct it stylistically. I mean, Chat isn't a reliable source of information, but it knows how to write in good style. And knows corpospeak. It also confirmed my suspicions that they are actually looking for someone less competent as a junior programmer, but they can't wrap their heads around the fact that I have just one internship of work experience, but absorbed all the knowledge and more from my degree(s) and have all the buzzwords.

In turn, it also confirms my suspicion that such a job wouldn't be interesting for me at all and I thought it's the right thing to do to look for such a job, because everyone does it, but it isn't right for me and I would feel bored to death and wouldn't vibe with the culture at all either. I made the right move joining academia, initially I had the plan to get a basic programming job and then learn something more interesting, perhaps do a PhD in machine learning. But if I can skip right to the stuff that I actually want to do for the rest of my life and I'm not just checking "should" boxes and standing in a queue, that's even better. What I'm doing right now is genuinely interesting for me and I have made a lot of friends already, because we share passions and mindset.

Outdated said:

I always hated the CV or Resumé format because it's a very dry format that doesn't allow you to sell yourself.

A better option is to use something like Microsft Publisher and make a colour brochure about yourself, complete with a picture of your smiling face. Do list your basic details near the beginning of your brochure but then go further and elaborate, explain how your unique mindset and extraordinary intelligence makes you a much better candidate.

The fact that you used an irregular format will make you stand out from the crowd and mark you as someone that thinks outside of the box. HR departments will have to sort through hundreds of resumes for each position, yours will stick in their memory.

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I'm going to actually do it. And make a website. I think that's a good idea in the perspective of my freelance app development too, to showcase my offer.

You're right that the CV format is poor and I can't even make it a piece of writing that would be more attractive and easy to follow.

It will come in handy in the future. I have no plans of changing jobs right now, I'm convinced that I like my job and I'm making a lot of progress in terms of skills, but it's good to be prepared for future encounters with recruiters and managers.

Ronald Zeeman said:

I got positions in the past by unconventional methods, once I wrote a letter to trade magazine when an article appeared about a assembly plant wanting to try a reverse onus system for chemicals the were receiving, I wrote an audacious letter to the chemical supplier and told them I am the guy you need to do this. Yes I got the job did what I said I could do, changed the industry. Imagine what you could do with your education have confidence in your ability. Being on the spectrum, I'm not into hyperbole, got this across in interview.

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I did not get both of my jobs through job postings either. Just going about my life being myself.

Outdated said:

explain how your unique mindset and extraordinary intelligence makes you a much better candidate.

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How would you go about it? The straightforward answer is that I already know a lot (that is already listed) and learn quickly, everything I do is high quality. If they'd hire me, I'd do whatever needed and up to a good standard. But it doesn't sound specific enough for a resume.

I brag a bit about my diploma works right at the top of the resume. In order to show interest in AI and cybersecurity. Chat GPT would want to rephrase it so that it sounds in a way that I would be ashamed to sign with my name. "I am a passionate programmer" (as it arguments, in order to show it's not just school for me) and the such. You don't say things like that in real life. It's naive and childish. Also anyone could say that about anything, no offense. And it gives off "I don't know what I'm doing" vibes. When someone says "I'm passionate", it often means they have no accomplishments other than enjoyment of the activity. (I'm a passionate artist = my works are ugly and I can't hold a pencil or a brush straight or plan a composition. Someone who actually has good works will show them) It also sounds pointlessly boisterous, using adjectives to describe yourself does. But Chat has a point that I might need to be more into their face. Chat says to use more buzzwords like "project", but sometimes it rephrases something into corpospeak in a way that is so silly that I wouldn't sign it (shopping list app = shoppinglistonator *imagines a device by Dr Doofenshmirtz, a cartoon villain* )

Anyway, highlighting the most important projects is the way I would and did go about it, but I'm curious how you would approach it.

I've never been shy or afraid to promote myself, or at least that's what people see on the outside. On the inside I cringe at a lot of the things I say but I know they have the right effect.

I naturally would never mention words like Autistic, but the wording I used in my previous post would be appropriate. You need to tell them that you're not normal but in a good way. You're someone who grasps concepts more quickly and easily than others (you demonstrate that in here often enough) and that you are of unusually high intellect. Telling them that cybersecurity is one of your special interests would go down well. You don't have to explain the term "special interest", it sort of speaks for itself.

It seems a little cheesy but you have to tell them that you're better than anyone else.

I agree with what you say about the word "passionate", save that one for your next girlfriend.

Never beat around the bush or try to hint at things, tell it straight. When they ask why you want the job tell them there's two reasons - it's work you believe you would enjoy and you want the money. Don't bother trying to butter them up about how wonderful you think their company is, how well does that sort of talk go down when people try it on you?

vergil96 said:

I asked Chat GPT questions about my CV and tbh it didn't correct much or offer much advice that I didn't use yet. I think my CV must be quite solid if even Chat GPT doesn't correct it stylistically. I mean, Chat isn't a reliable source of information, but it knows how to write in good style. And knows corpospeak. It also confirmed my suspicions that they are actually looking for someone less competent as a junior programmer, but they can't wrap their heads around the fact that I have just one internship of work experience, but absorbed all the knowledge and more from my degree(s) and have all the buzzwords.

In turn, it also confirms my suspicion that such a job wouldn't be interesting for me at all and I thought it's the right thing to do to look for such a job, because everyone does it, but it isn't right for me and I would feel bored to death and wouldn't vibe with the culture at all either. I made the right move joining academia, initially I had the plan to get a basic programming job and then learn something more interesting, perhaps do a PhD in machine learning. But if I can skip right to the stuff that I actually want to do for the rest of my life and I'm not just checking "should" boxes and standing in a queue, that's even better. What I'm doing right now is genuinely interesting for me and I have made a lot of friends already, because we share passions and mindset.


I'm going to actually do it. And make a website. I think that's a good idea in the perspective of my freelance app development too, to showcase my offer.

You're right that the CV format is poor and I can't even make it a piece of writing that would be more attractive and easy to follow.

It will come in handy in the future. I have no plans of changing jobs right now, I'm convinced that I like my job and I'm making a lot of progress in terms of skills, but it's good to be prepared for future encounters with recruiters and managers.

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Once you get accomplishments, under you belt It takes care of itself. They know who you are. My Niece graduated with a masters so many accomplishments prior to graduation her link in profile spoke for itself.

I grew up in an era where CVs and resumes were unheard of except for perhaps in academic circles. We used to just write a letter of introduction as a job application, and we didn't have computers back then either so letters were hand written.

I had a collection of paragraphs worked out, each paragraph talking about a different talent or skill, or about a different aspect of my personality. I could mix and match different paragraphs to suit different jobs I was applying for.

Start with simple phrases that state different aspects of yourself that you think would make good selling points. eg:
Honest and hard working
Reliable and with strong work ethic
Highly intelligent and able to think outside the box
Quick learner or always eager to learn more

These characterisations of yourself are often every bit as important as your qualifications

Sorry if I missed this but what jobs are you applying for and where are they?

I've subbed for the hiring manager when staffing was critical at my clinic and I've seen a few really bad CVs. Some were way too long, included information that was totally unnecessary, and had poor spelling/grammar.

You need your CV to be short but include pertinent information related to the job for which you are applying.

Basically, your CV is what gets you the interview. If you put yourself in the manager position and review your resume in that fashion, then you may remove alot of insignificant information. Having a tight worded resume, mentioning only crucial details, but not every detail you feel is important really needs to be on resume. I will call, l will check back, l will ask if other positions are opening up, don't be afraid to ask questions. l have applied for one thing, and they use me for something else. Don't be afraid to ask at interview, if you felt it wasn't a good fit, do they know of other companies hiring. Put yourself out there, willing to ask these questions.

vergil96 said:

I'm going to actually do it. And make a website. I think that's a good idea in the perspective of my freelance app development too, to showcase my offer.

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I think it is a great idea to make a website and to put some of the apps, etc that you have made or other things you have worked on.... either links to them and/or info about them. That would show what you are capable of much better than a CV would. Do you have your freelance and independent programming projects listed on your CV? I think you should pick the best examples and list them on the CV as well, and then add the link to your website or wherever they can see it online. Freelance work and personal projects are considered work experience. Once your website is made, I would put a link to it on the top of your CV, under your name and contact info. I know a lot of graphic designers/ web designers who do this. It is the only real way to show what they can do... a digital portfolio. Wordpress is a really great platform for making websites, very customizable, if you don't already know web design. You could also make a Linked in page if you haven't already.

I included hypertext links to previous employers and accomplishments in my MS Word-based resume's. It was not as effective as I hoped it would be...

My youngest son takes videos of stuff he does on his job to show potential employers.

MC1Rcat said:

Wordpress is a really great platform for making websites, very customizable,

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I can do much better than Wordpress I can host a React app on AWS . React and other JS frameworks look really pretty.

MC1Rcat said:

Do you have your freelance and independent programming projects listed on your CV?

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It's a fairly recent development and I haven't finished the apps yet, therefore not yet. But I planned to, definitely that's a good point! One Android app, one web app on React. It's taking long, but doing something for the first time always does and each time is easier.

I think I might have sold my coursework as "personal projects". Ugh. I'll have to think more broadly about what to call work experience in the future.

Aspychata said:

Basically, your CV is what gets you the interview. If you put yourself in the manager position and review your resume in that fashion, then you may remove alot of insignificant information.

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Yes, this. Further, if you want your CV to stand out amongst the others, you should tailor the CV you send to each specific job. In other words, you start with your basic CV. Then, you pull keywords from the job description/advertisement and drop those into your CV as appropriate.

The human resources department of the clinic I work for has a software they use that searches for these keywords and your resume/CV is more likely to reach the hiring manager when it contains those keywords/phrases.