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I have a great deal of trouble remembering points I want to make in an interview, so it occurred to me to include an About Me section. There is a great deal that doesn't make sense to me about interviews though, so I wanted to ask.

I don't think I'm very concerned about whether it's common though, so much as appropriate, and won't be looked down on or anything.

I am looking for a job as a programmer at a large company.

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    What would you put under the "About Me" section? If you write education there, then title that section "Education". If you list your work history, title it "Work Experience", etc. – Brandin Mar 10 '17 at 18:35
  • If it's information that's not standard for a resume (education, work, skills/languages/frameworks, etc), then it may be best to put this in a cover letter. You can convey a lot of soft skills in a cover letter, and other things that may be relevant to the employer/position that wouldn't otherwise make sense on a resume. – silencedmessage Mar 10 '17 at 18:37
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    I've seen them in examples, but I've always thought they're for people who don't have enough experience to really fill up their resumes. – AndreiROM Mar 10 '17 at 18:39
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    @TheWanderingDevManager Correct me if I'm wrong, but given that there's a "resume" tag on this SE, isn't resume advice, particularly a question about "where should I put this information on my resume?" a completely valid question? It has a definitive answer (here, there, or nowhere at all) and is easy to provide answers explaining why and how to do it ("include it here to reflect this, don't include it at all because it's not necessary"). The direction of the question is a little vague, but the question itself seems just fine. – Zibbobz Mar 10 '17 at 19:12
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    I think what you actually need is to bring notes to interviews and/or practice more. – MissMonicaE Mar 10 '17 at 20:30
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A resume is already an 'about me' about you, so adding an 'about me' section would be redundant at best.

You should instead consider what you would be adding in the 'about me' section, and break it up into a distinct group (or set of groups).

Remember - a resume is a document made to reflect your work experience and qualifications for the job you're applying for - so if the information isn't relevant to the job or your ability as an employee, it's best not to include it.

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  • The points I'm referring to are more about what kind of person I am than anything, not directly related. Trying to make them interested and want to get to know me. – donutguy640 Mar 10 '17 at 19:02
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    @donutguy640 Unless they're related to what type of employee you are, I wouldn't recommend it - if it is though, I'd include them as something along the lines of "Personal Qualifications", and list them as positive attributes about yourself rather than anecdotal experiences. A resume really isn't for the employer to learn about you anyway - it's for them to check if you qualify for an interview. The interview is where you make your first impression. – Zibbobz Mar 10 '17 at 19:08
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On resumes, are About Me sections a thing?

Not that I've ever seen. To me, they would seem silly.

If you have trouble remembering points you want to make, you need to practice more, and slow down when you are talking during your interviews.

Hopefully, you shouldn't have too many points you want to make. Instead, you should be concentrating on the questions you are being asked.

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  • I've tried practicing more, don't think speed is my problem, and already focus on their questions. – donutguy640 Mar 10 '17 at 18:57
  • I suppose I'm the overly nervous type, I do good to remember one. Some people have test anxiety, I think I have interviewing anxiety. Thank you for your answer though, that's what I was after. – donutguy640 Mar 10 '17 at 19:08
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    @donotguy640 - Interview anxiety is a thing. You may be helped by practicing in a different way - are you currently practicing with a mirror? Then finding a friend to practice with might be better. Are you practicing with a friend you are comfortable with? Then pushing yourself to find an acquaintance willing to do a session or two might better prepare you for interviewing with a stranger. – Lyrl Mar 10 '17 at 20:49
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    @donutguy640 To add to Lyrl's excellent advice, you might even graduate from the acquaintance to an actual stranger. A friend of mine was very anxious for interviews and after I'd done a few sessions with him and he'd done a mock interview with a mutual friend, I asked one of my friends whom the anxious interviewee didn't know yet to do a mock interview with them. Practice makes perfect and the more experience you get talking to unknown interviewers, the less likely you are to stress out over it when push comes to shove. – Cronax Mar 14 '17 at 13:39
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So, I know you already accepted an answer, but I want to to put this in for other people's future reference.

I work as a creative (graphic/web development) and I have a fully designed resume. I have a small "About me" section on my resume that has this little blurb of text:

Hi! I’m Name, a hybrid graphic designer and front-end web developer living in City. I'm a 70s muscle car fanatic who loves to work with his hands, ask me about my Roadrunner!

When I got hired by my company, this was one of the things they brought up. They have never seen it on resumes before, but loved that I included a little 'personality' to my resume/CV. Sure enough, they asked me about my personal hobbies related to this.

I've been here a year and a couple months now and my manager disclosed that the combination of portfolio, designed resume and my personality is what moved my to the top of the list.

I lived in a city 9 hours away from where I am now, they only impression of me they had was based off the colors of my resume and that little block of text on it.

In short, it probably is directly related to the field you are in, but I don't think showing a little 'outside of work' personality is a bad thing either. Especially if you are applying for a place where you can't meet them in person easily.

I also don't think having a little different of a resume is going to penalize you, most people take the first template from a resume generator anyways. Might as well use it to stand out a little.

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  • This is pretty much what I had in mind, glad to hear it worked for you. I think I may try it soon. – donutguy640 Mar 11 '17 at 4:31
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    This is all a very good point - for some companies, standing out and advertising yourself IS a good track to take - especially in something face-forward like graphic design. So it definitely matters which industry you're applying towards. – Zibbobz Mar 11 '17 at 5:24
  • I got a job due to a similar section on my resume, but it was picked by someone who doesn't normally hire people. I think if someone in HR had reviewed it, it would have worked against me. So you never really know what will help or what will hurt. – Kat Mar 4 '18 at 18:35
  • @Kat I think it also just has to do with how the company you're applying to looks at culture. If they put a heavy focus on their company culture, they'll be more interested with your skills and you as a person. If they just want you for work, and not much else, they'll probably look at your for just your skills. I also think the field you are in could be a factor. I'm a web/graphic designer, but for someone who is working in a more strict role like a CPA, Lawyer, public servant, etc, it might just be extra info that is not needed. – knocked loose Mar 5 '18 at 18:24

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