Are blog reviews or articles about the projects I've done useful to link to in a resume?

Question

Over the course of past several years I've released multiple applications (for Ubuntu Linux) written in Python, and some of them got very positive response and reviews on blogs related to user experience on Ubuntu and Linux in general. Since I'm currently applying for positions related to either Python or Linux, is it worthwhile to link to those articles in my resume? Would that work as public recommendation of sorts? If yes, how best to approach listing some of them?

Answer 1

As others pointed out - your links may go unnoticed or can add too much to your resume.This does not mean you should not include them. The real question here is not "if" but "how".

Let's try to break the people that will read your resume into "personas" or something similar and try to imagine what will they be looking for in your resume.

1. Human Resources - in most companies their job is to find matches that are likely to succeed and are in a rush as they have a lot of CVs to filter. They are pre-scanning and will most likely not look into too much technical details. The message for them should probably be that you worked with Python, under Linux and you had the other (soft) skills that it took to create, release, maybe support a product. Be creative here - to release an application it takes a lot of soft skills - determination, passion, courage, etc.

2. Technical people - In most companies - those people have to assure that you have the technical skills to get the actual job done without too much supervision, you won't break something and your code won't be bloated. However, they will also most likely like you more if they know that you had the skills that it took to create, release, maybe support a product (looks same as HR). And at this point they may be ready to dig a bit into what you did. So a link could help them get started. They won't spend too much time if they have too many CVs to scan, so be brief and to the point.

Both personas above will most likely skip a large list of links (especially in larger companies with more candidates). And the large list of links may "hide" something important, so you have to keep it as short and simple as possible.

1. Extract the skills it took you to create those applications (really, any skill you can think of - hard and soft).
2. Add them in the appropriate sections in the resume.
3. Come up with a single link in your resume where the above personas can find all the applications, explanations and references to the positive reviews that they generated and
4. Add that link to your resume.

Answer 2

I would not put the direct links in your resume. Perhaps have them compiled on a personal or project homepage which you then link from your resume. I would not spend a large amount of resume space on it but I would include it. Customer focused companies value such feedback because it shows your level of commitment to your work and that you are not simply there to check off some boxes and collect a paycheck.

It's also not a bad idea to have a small write up prepared for your applications as sometimes during the interview someone will be quickly going over your resume with you and it's a great way to concisely show off your work. (this would also be a good place to mention the feedback you have gotten)

Answer 3

Well, the best answer is both "yes" and "no".

I think I will explain this best by telling you how I designed my own "presentation" papers.

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The CV

My CV has two parts in one document.

CV - Part 1

This part of the CV contains the basic mandatory information: name and personal details, education, previous / current jobs and activities, overview of knowledge and technologies, hobbies... There are plentiful resources on the web on how you can / should create a CV.

Even though it becomes more and more difficult, I try to keep it a one-pager, without tricks (smaller font, smaller space between lines...). It must be nice and easy to read and understand.

This part will be read by everybody!!

CV - Part 2 In the second part of the CV (several pages, as needed), I provide all the details about past and current education and job experience which did not fit in the first page and are still relevant. I do not have any links to provide, as you do, but I am not afraid to present everything which is relevant.

Since it is still a part of the CV, I present the information as structured and as organized as possible. My target is to keep it as short as possible, but I do not decide on an arbitrary "size".

This part will be read by whoever wants / needs to read it.

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The cover letter

Usually I did not need to present this document to companies (maybe one exception). I have it just in case it is needed. It is designed just like any letter, using full sentences and beautiful words.

I chose to not repeat the details from the CV, but to provide some gluing-information to go along the CV. Some special words and nice bla-bla thrown in as "spices". In my case it fits on one page, but it can be as long as needed.

This part will be read by whoever wants / needs to read it.

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Bottom line: yes, you should sell yourself as good as possible. Present all the information which can help you, and be careful how you present it. Think about your audience while writing.

Answer 4

I'd think it'd all rather depend on who gave the review and how easy it is to encapsulate that into a one liner.

If some notable blogger gave you an Editor's Choice award, for instance, it'd seem a clear yes. On the other hand, if it's someone relatively obscure whose name wouldn't be familiar to those outside the community, or there's no suitably glowing headline you can pull out, there's a much tougher case to make. It's all valuable space you could be using to talk about your skills, after all.

Hyperlinks to full reviews would be right out. Someone with fifty resumes to review is just going to skim over them.