In this episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes review resumes, websites, and online presences, and discuss pros and cons, what you should focus on, and more!

Freshbooks - Sponsor

Get a 30 day free trial of Freshbooks at freshbooks.com/syntax and put SYNTAX in the “How did you hear about us?” section.

Linode - Sponsor

Whether you’re working on a personal project or managing enterprise infrastructure, you deserve simple, affordable, and accessible cloud computing solutions that allow you to take your project to the next level. Simplify your cloud infrastructure with Linode’s Linux virtual machines and develop, deploy, and scale your modern applications faster and easier. Get started on Linode today with a $100 in free credit for listeners of Syntax. You can find all the details at linode.com/syntax. Linode has 11 global data centers and provides 24/7/365 human support with no tiers or hand-offs regardless of your plan size. In addition to shared and dedicated compute instances, you can use your $100 in credit on S3-compatible object storage, Managed Kubernetes, and more. Visit linode.com/syntax and click on the “Create Free Account” button to get started.

Sentry - Sponsor

If you want to know what’s happening with your code, track errors and monitor performance with Sentry. Sentry’s Application Monitoring platform helps developers see performance issues, fix errors faster, and optimize their code health. Cut your time on error resolution from hours to minutes. It works with any language and integrates with dozens of other services. Syntax listeners new to Sentry can get two months for free by visiting Sentry.io and using the coupon code TASTYTREAT during sign up.

Show Notes

04:32 - Why does an impression matter?

• All of this stuff comes together to work in your favour when you are hunting for a job.

05:14 - What goes into an online presence?

• Twitter
  • Share what you know
• Online website
  • Design
  • Messaging
  • Effort
  • Personal life
• Blog
• Resume
• It’s not about being popular, it’s about relationships and positioning yourself as an expert. People mix up their hatred for “influencers” with having a rock solid network of people who they can help and who can help them.

07:25 - A couple stories

• @HenriHelvetica
  • You don’t know how many times I’ve tried to convince (esp people of color) to try a lightning talk. This stuff gets you to research, and you might even make discoveries.
  • I know it’s a step out of the comfort zone for many, and that’s cool, but don’t be upset at those who go for it, and land some work.
  • I do (did) lunch n learns @ Juno, and I started to end them w/ a post bootcamp life — tell them what it’s like, and to be active on twitter (share what you read, what you’re working on, listen to others, follow great devs, etc.). One person DM’d me to tell me she took that in and decided to try. “I never forgot that time you gave a talk at HY and one thing that you emphasized was to make your voice known on Twitter. You said that this has opened many opportunities for you and that’s been happening to me more and more recently. I never set out to build my account but the growth has indeed happened and along with it, opportunities from people I’ve never expected.”

09:40 - Ash Connolly

• https://ashconnolly.com/ https://www.notion.so/ashconnolly/Ash-Connolly-321c5a65350f477897ed025f4daa1bb0
• Software Engineer
• Using new tech with high end clients
• Review
  • Pros
    • Clean, simple design, but doesn’t feel like it’s missing something
    • Animations are a nice touch
    • Easy to see their work (e.g. photo, title, short paragraph, link)
    • Testimonials is good, I might change the word testimonials, but that’s small
  • Cons
    • Nitpick - footer emphasis color looks like a link
    • HTML is good, but missing some semantic tags like , , , too reliant on divs
  • Resume
    • Pros
      • Good idea of what Ash has accomplished (e.g. just by reading his summary, I’m left feeling impressed because of his client base and his extras like writing for FreeCodeCamp and Marvel Blog).
      • Work history - good way of describing what he did. “Carried out performance audits and site speed improvements”
      • Links to writings and side projects
    • Cons
      • Lists Brad Frost as someone who shared his post. This feels a little weird.
      • Nitpick - CSS & CSS3, HTML & HTML5 on the languages. In 2021, just put HTML & CSS.
      • Work history - WAY way too much. Keep it to one sentence and three or four bullet points for each job. Ain’t nobody gonna read all that.

20:48 - Matthew Bidwell

• https://matty.dev/
• Backend dev
• Not focused on dev
• Review:
  • Banging domain
  • It’s clear who he is, what he is about
  • Links to Twitter, Github and LinkedIn right away
  • Blog posts showing he knows what he’s talking about

24:42 - Leah Lundqvist

• https://leah.link
• Review:
  • Pros
    • Fantastic aesthetics on site
    • Good lead paragraph
  • Cons
    • I’m not sure what work she actually does
    • Github pages are great for digging but not curation or showing off
      • Same with Twitter
    • For instance, I saw on Twitter that Leah made https://app.airport.community/app/rec1CbVg4J5aqScUQ but there was no mention of it anywhere else. A page full of the most recent / best projects with quick links is essential for anyone.
    • Don’t make them hunt for it
  • Twitter review:
    • Unreal
    • Pinned tweet

31:04 - Ismail Ghallou

• https://smakosh.com/
• Best one yet
• Clear explanation right off the bat
• Dribbble - shows me he’s up on the latest
• Open source
• Testimonials
• Talks
• Blog
• https://twitter.com/smakosh - Twitter lines up
• Most recent tweets about tech

40:18 - Jhey Tompkins

• https://jhey.dev/
• Whimsey
• Sound!
• Good use of CSS and SVG animation

46:28 - Wes’ website

• websos.com
• Can’t view source
• Whimsey
• The right kind of animation
• The link to the Syntax podcast has no indication that it’s going to take you offsite.
• The background image is good, but not as good with a wide browser.
• Custom scrollbars are nice
• Overall the site is a delight

53:25 - Scott’s website

• scotttolinski.com
• Font’s a little big
• Link to documentary is great
• Bio should include links
• Page animations are great
• Showing personal life / interests is good
• Super fast

Links

• https://twitter.com/wesbos/status/1350961135269400580
• Syntax 298: Voice Coding is Really Good with Josh Comeau
• Josh Comeau
• Doug DeMuro

××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ×××

• Scott: Swedish Dishcloths
• Wes: Paper Wheels Knife Sharpening System

Shameless Plugs

• Scott: Testing with Cypress - Sign up for the year and save 25%!
• Wes: All Courses - Use the coupon code ‘Syntax’ for $10 off!

Tweet us your tasty treats!

• Scott’s Instagram
• LevelUpTutorials Instagram
• Wes’ Instagram
• Wes’ Twitter
• Wes’ Facebook
• Scott’s Twitter
• Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets