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I am a new graduate and starting to apply for jobs. While designing my resume, I decided to include links for the code samples that I have worked on (I have pushed them on GitHub, for example). I have a few questions on how to provide the links.

  1. Should I provide only my GitHub profile link or links for each project?

  2. If I provide links for repositories, the resume looks full of links. What is the best way to handle this situation?

  3. Is there a better way to give hyperlinks, for example google instead of http://www.google.com? If I provide them like this, the recruiter might not know what it links to. So can I provide a side note stating that the links are the links for the repositories?

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I recommend creating a traditional resume with a simple link at the top:

An interactive version of this resume, including links to work I've published online, is available here: http://goo.gl/92Pfmc
//just an example - doesn't go anywhere//

Then you can create an online version of your resume that is formatted beautifully and dynamically provides links in any number of ways, including buttons, sidebars, etc. Show your skills instead of just writing about them and linking off to something out of context.

The way this applies to your specific questions is thus:

Should I provide only my GitHub profile link or the links for each project?

With your new interactive resume, you can provide several links seamlessly, with ample context for each project as an expandable feature of a web page.

If I provide the links for repositories the resume looks full of links. What is the best way to handle this situation?

Your standard-format resume now will have only one link at the top. The interactive version on the other side of that link will not look full of links any more than any good website does.

Is there a better way to give hyperlinks, for example google instead of http://www.google.com? If I provide them like this the recruiter might not know what it links to. So can I provide a side note stating that the links are the links for the repositories?

Again, your standard-format resume now will have only one link at the top. You'll introduce it, so even though it's in a shortened form that can easily be typed in if someone prints out your resume, people will still know what they're getting when they go there. On the interactive version of your resume, you'll have all the usual tools for providing information about a link's target, including mouseover text.

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Executive Summary

There are many possible ways to provide a link, but none of them will work 100% of the time.

  1. Understand the issues with how companies handle resumes
  2. Think about what will best represent your skills
  3. Execute

Resume Formatting

Just because the resume you send works in whatever format you send it in, never make the assumption that the people on the receiving end will end up maintaining your format.

You could send a PDF which gets scraped using OCR so they can screen your resume.

The plain text could be put in a separate 'company-standard' format that excludes the hyperlinks.

The document could be handed to hiring managers on paper only.

The safest thing to do is assume that hyperlinks will not work, and someone needs to be able to access the document on paper.

Sell Yourself

So my guess is that a link to your github profile won't tell me much about what you actually spent time on, or why these projects are meaningful, or if you've ever got them working properly. Even if an interviewer had infinite time (they don't), it would still probably be quite the task to sift through all the code you've ever written.

You should find out what best sells your skills.

Applying for a gaming company and you've written your own game up on Github? Link directly to that project along with a blurb about why it's important.

Applying for a job that requires supporting a team with tools? Send them a list of tools that you've created with a link to easily find them all in one place if they want to look deeper.

Applying for a job as a lead developer? Link to a project(s) that you've led with several contributors and explain why you are a good fit.

Applying for a job that requires you to be self-motivated? Explain what percentage of your projects you've completed and give a link to your profile (completed and not).

The point is that there is no "one-size fits all" method to write a successful resume, and the best ones will be modified to meet the needs of the people doing the hiring (even if it is more work on your end).

Execute

There are a dozen ways to make this easier on you. You can use URL Shorteners so that even when printed it is easy to type in. You can have a personal domain where you can set up an easy-to-type page that has the relevant information for that employer. You can put in a hyperlink to the document with the URL added as a footnote in smaller text 'just in case'. Or anything else you can think of.

So long as you know what they want, provide it in a format they can access, and make it take as little in time and headaches as possible, you shouldn't have a problem.

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Generally a paper resume or file-based resume is still the norm. This may change over time, but many people still want something printable. In the interest of supporting ALL audiences, I think you want to make your resume as minimally linked as possible.

Figure that every reader is going to read your resume slightly differently and make different opinions based on their own role, knowledge and experience. The goal is to give a broad view with enough points of reference for interesting review and discussion. The goal is NOT to highlight everything you've ever done. Code samples are nice, but if they are dominating the resume, then you are missing a lot of other key information like education, work history and descriptions of your work within teams.

To specifically answer your questions:

  1. Should I provide only my GitHub profile link or links for each project?

    Profile link. Go with the fewest links so you can provide your own words for the resume. If you have worked in several different repositories, reference them by the names shown in GitHub. If you are providing code samples, group them all in a single repository and if you feel that it needs explanation, put it on the front page of the repository.

    My initial thought would be to provide this at the end. Something like:

  2. If I provide links for repositories, the resume looks full of links. What is the best way to handle this situation?

    See #1 - don't do it. Only list the repositories if you have something meaningful to say or explain.

  3. Is there a better way to give hyperlinks, for example google instead of http://www.google.com? If I provide them like this, the recruiter might not know what it links to. So can I provide a side note stating that the links are the links for the repositories?

    You really don't want a resume that needs extra explanation - most people glance a resume, look for keywords and points of interest - they aren't reading for comprehension. If you have to put in a footnote or a sidebar item, things have gotten too complicated. Generally, providing a short, typeable URL as

     http://domain/shortpath

    is fine - people won't be thrown by the lack of "www" these days, but the http is a good tip off that this is a website. I specifically say "shortpath" because if this is a long path, you've got to give them some way to type something quick and redirect.

    Providing a clickable link in a document should be fine these days - but you can never really assume that someone won't print it out - so don't make the clickable link your ONLY point of reference.

Keep in mind that a resume is a summary of experience - not a demonstration of ability. If you really want to provide a comprehensive body of work, the more applicable format is a portfolio. I've seen UI experts with portfolios - both online and hardcopy - but I haven't seen software engineers with portfolios.

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It sounds like you are wanting to submit your resume with hyperlinks, so as an electronic file rather than basic text. I applaud your creativity, but want to add a word of caution. For most companies, there is an applicant tracking system in place for dealing with resumes. As @jmac said, your resume will be scanned or parsed in some way to get it into their database. That way it can be searched, matched to jobs (that you didn't apply for), and easily passed from person to person for review.

If your resume does not work within their system, they have to decide what to do with it: 1)somehow treat your resume differently than every other one that they process (and it is a process); or 2)they simply discard it because it doesn't fit. I'm afraid that in most cases that is what would happen.

As to your actual question: I suggest that you include a shortened link to your git-hub profile (with a brief description/explanation that that is what the link is for). Then make sure that your profile has clear links to the projects that you want seen.

With all that said, go ahead and make your interactive or hyper-linked resume. You my have one of those rare opportunities to personally hand it to a decision maker, and they may be impressed with it. But don't use it as your everyday resume that you submit to most job postings.

(As a disclaimer, I work for a company that develops HR software, so I know how the process works in our system, and for core functionality, most applicant tracking systems are similar.)

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If I provide links for repositories, the resume looks full of links. What is the best way to handle this situation?

Although there are variety of ways to put links on resume like: Using URL shortening service, cutting www or http, there is one more simple way to handle this

  • Embed the link into the Project Name where it appears on the resume (this fulfills the purpose if soft copy of the resume is used, links become visible when hovered, i.e. clickable links)
  • Right after the word which has hyperlink embedded, use a hyperlink number superscript inside a square box. At the end of the resume, include a section "List of Hyperlinks", where you mention full URLs (or shortened URLs) with corresponding superscript number.

EXAMPLE:

Your Project[1] and My Project[2] are included in this resume now.

List of Hyperlinks:

  1. https://github.com/yourproject
  2. https://github.com/myproject

It serves the purpose for the digital version as well as the print version.

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