Hi Wil,
I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that reddit has found your Open Letter website and the peanut gallery is chattering away. Take their comments with a large grain of salt and skepticism, but I would encourage you to read through and try to pick out some constructive bits of criticism from all the noise. I know reading personal criticisms and attacks can be difficult, and I also know that being unemployed can be emotionally taxing, even depressing. After graduating Cal EECS in 2000 I worked for a small startup for just under a year before it went out of business (like 90% of them did at that time), and I ended up being unemployed for a few months. It was hard. I got depressed. I started to feel like there was something wrong with me. I also went through a lot of frustration — I knew I was a good software engineer, and that anybody would be able to see that if they’d just give me a chance, but I couldn’t get my foot in the door. I’m good in interviews, but I had to get a callback first. I spent a lot of time sending resumes to job ads and just hearing nothing in return.
I have a couple of specific pieces of advice for you after reading your letter and your resume. I hope I can phrase my recommendations constructively. I’ll start with the easy one:
First, on your resume: put the most interesting/valuable things first. I don’t know what AMPL is (even though there’s a good chance I may have used it in IEOR 162 or something). Put it last or leave it off. Sort everything by relevance, not alphabetically.
Second, I’d take down the letter. You may want to replace it with a sort of cover letter that presents your own strengths, not your perceived weaknesses in the hiring decisions of the companies you’ve applied to. Try to put yourself in the mindset of a prospective employer, and think about what they would want to see. This perspective can be hard without having been on the other side of the interview table. Speaking from experience, for a college grad, I expect to see, first and foremost, an eagerness to learn.
I know you just kicked ass at one of the top Universities in the world, you have a great education, and you feel good about yourself. And you should — you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished, but it doesn’t end there. I was arguably a better Computer Scientist on graduation day than I am now. But since then, I’ve become a much better software engineer. This is in part due to continuing to learn new technical skills, but mostly it’s due to the experience of working with lots of different people on lots of different types of projects, and being able to learn how to effectively work in different roles on a team.
You also need to position yourself according to your strengths. Are you trying to apply as a software engineer, or as a consultant to analyze and optimize their business? If the latter, what are your relevant qualifications and experience? What’s your track record? Stick to your strengths. You should try to get hired by a company that’s looking for a good software engineer, by showing them that you are a good software engineer. Don’t try to convince a company that you understand their business better than they do and can show them how to do it better. Even if it’s true (which, to put it bluntly, is doubtful given your level of experience), it comes off sounding very arrogant.
I hope this is still constructive, and that you can gain something from it.
Good luck, and Go Bears!
Vineet
Doorstop 