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I have just finished my Advanced Diploma in Computing, and I am currently looking for a job as a junior .NET Developer.

There are few Languages/Technologies that I’ve used in real projects, like: C#, Visual Studio, WinForms, ASP.NET, LINQ, SQL Server, CSS, HTML, etc…

However, there are also some Languages/Technologies like C/C++, Java, WCF, WPF, and others that I know about, and I have played around with for a while, but I have no real experience on. I mean I haven’t developed any real projects with them, I am just aware of their existence and what they are for.

My question is:

Should I write those Languages/Technologies in my resume? Should I write “Familiar with” and just list them? Or should I discard them all and stick only with what I am comfortable with?

I am interested in an answer that does not apply specifically to students or entry-level positions, like the similar question does:

Community
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omsharp
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    Hi omsharp - although the circumstance is slightly different in the question I've linked to (2nd year student versus a new graduate), the answers are the same as regards familiarity vs experience. – jcmeloni Jul 16 '12 at 21:30
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    I'm voting to reopen this question because I am interested in an answer that does not apply specifically to students or entry-level positions, like the linked question does. – Rachel May 23 '13 at 14:24
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    @Rachel - This question is asking about an entry level position as well... I am currently looking for a job as a junior .NET Developer. – IDrinkandIKnowThings May 23 '13 at 18:56

3 Answers3

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In your case, you should list the technologies you know in two (or more) categories. List the ones you've worked with significantly in one category, and the others in a "Basic Experience" (or similarly titled) category. It shows that while you have a solid skillset in one area, you aren't limited to it and have some (if minimal) experience with other technologies.

Sticking strictly to what you are comfortable with could limit your potential job options. If I see you have some exeperience in the field, but it looks like you know absolutely nothing about the technologies my company works with, I might pass you over for someone who's more skilled in the areas that matter to me. However, if you list that you have some basic skills in those areas, I'd expect your knowledge and experience gained working with your primary technologies would be at least somewhat transferable, and that you could develop your skills.

The only benefit I could see of not listing them would be if you wanted a job specifically working with the technologies with which you are most familiar, and you wanted to cut opportunities outside that area out of your job search.

yoozer8
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Under no circumstances would I list technologies I don't know. If you list them, the interviewer gets to ask you technical questions about them. If you don't know the answers, then you look bad. The more experience you claim to have, the more likely the interviewer is to not be pleased when you can't answer basic questions. If you have no real work experience (I would consider a major open source project as real work experieince, but not a couple of days of fooling around with it) with a language, it should not appear on your resume.

HLGEM
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    I would add that, "The more experience you claim to have, the more likely the interviewer is to" ask you the complicated questions about this technology (and consequently, "not be pleased when you can't answer..."). I've seen that happening from both sides of interview table. If someone claims skills in technology I am familiar with, I typically ask about it as a means to verify their claims and get general idea on whether resume reliably reflects their skill level – gnat May 24 '13 at 06:44
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If the number of technologies that you are really skilled in is small, then you might want to push the limits a little on what you include. But I'd be cautious to include some qualifying words so if you are quizzed, you can say, Hey, I said I only knew a little about it. For example, on my resume I have on occasion said things like "some PHP", indicating yes, I have written programs in PHP, but I don't claim to be particularly proficient at it. That one word "some" tips off the reader without going into a long discussion. And frankly, I don't want to go into a long discussion about what I DON'T know, I want to fill my resume with what I DO know.

When you say you are "aware of their existence and know what they are for" ... well, there are lots of things that I know exist, but I don't mention them on my resume. Like, I know that nuclear reactors exist and what they are for, but I haven't the vaguest idea how to design or build one. So I don't put nuclear reactors on my resume. That would just set up totally false expectations. And what if an interviewer happens to pick one of these things that you really know nothing about as the thing to quiz you on? If he asks one or two questions and you don't have right answers, he may not give you a chance on other things but just assume that you're trying to bluff your way through the interview and he's caught you.

You list a fair number of things that you claim to know well. That should be plenty to make your resume look credible. If you've written a couple of small programs in some other language and you think it's important, you could put it on a resume with a serious qualifier, like "have played with C++". But if it's just a matter of, you've seen the name "C++" on course listings or in want ads but all you know about it is that it's some sort of programming language or something to do with computers ... I definitely would NOT put it on your resume. You're just setting yourself up to look bad.

Jay
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