Четверг 15 Мар 2007, 11:15

If you are considering applying for a programming/tech job at Last.fm, your application will probably end up in my inbox. After reading countless such emails, I feel compelled to share some advice which will make my life easier, and improve the chances of your application being successful.

Chose a sensible email subject "Job application" is not a good subject line. Try including the name of the job you are applying for.

Be concise you don't need to attach a separate covering letter, or write a 5000 word email to accompany your resume. We only ask for a "short blurb".

Word documents? Maybe it's just personal taste, but I don't like getting resumes in Microsoft Word format. PDF, HTML or even plain text is preferable. It feels wrong to send an editable document.. plus it's a proprietary format so it might look weird if i print it with openoffice.

Listing programming languages I am sick of resumes with a section entitled "Programming languages" which just list all relevant languages with no qualification:

Programming languages: JAVA, C++, PHP, SQL, HTML, Microsoft Access

This is useless. At least indicate your level of competence or years of experience for each language. (This one is worse than useless actually, as it boasts Access as a programming language - you get the idea tho). I could dig through the description of your previous jobs and try to figure out how experienced you are in each language, but should I need to?

Personal Statement I don't know if anyone reads these.. I tend to skip them and look for the skills/past experience section.

That's it off the top of my head.. Check out our jobs page and spread the word to any of your friends who might want to apply.. if you refer a successful candidate I'll give you a free subscriber account upgrade ;)