Career Advice from a Software Developer, a Search Engine Marketing Expert and Squawkfox

I recently stumbled across a couple of blogs (mostly through CodeProject, if memory serves) with smart career advice. Whether you’re employed or unemployed, an active job seeker or a passive one, I think you’ll find the following three entries worth bookmarking or sharing with friends.

Jay Fields: Questions to Ask an Interviewer

Jay Fields is a software developer who writes about Java, testing and personal branding (among other things) on his succinctly named blog, Jay Fields’ Thoughts. Most recently, he penned a list of questions software developers should ask hiring managers during job interviews. The questions Fields proposes are designed to help developers determine whether a prospective employer is respectful of developers’ needs and knowledge. Make sure you read the comments, which include additional perspectives from other developers and hiring managers.

MakeUseOf: How to Safely Vent About Your Job or Your Boss Online

MakeUseOf reviews new “cool, free and useful” websites and web applications. For example, if you’re looking for applications that will help you cover your online tracks as you surf the web, MakeUseOf has websites that can make your digital footprint disappear.

As for career advice, last week MakeUseOf offered 10 sites where employees can leave their unvarnished opinions about their jobs and managers, and where job seekers can get a sense of what it’s like to work for the organizations that have been reviewed. MakeUseOf’s reviews of these sites aren’t in-depth, but if you’re looking for an outlet for your ire, you might want to check out one of these sites. Just be careful what you write: Posting negative reviews can get you sued, unfortunately. And obviously, take the negative opinions you find with a grain of salt. You never know who’s writing out of spite, who has an axe to grind and who’s just plain crazy.

Squawkfox: 6 Words that Make Your Resume Suck

Squawkfox, a technical writer and Ironman Triathlon finisher who likes to wear her hair in pigtails, offers some of the best free résumé writing advice I’ve read. We’ve published some good résumé writing tips on CIO.com, but nothing with Squawkfox’s characteristic sass. You’ve probably read recommendations like hers before (focus on specifics and details; “Show, don’t tell”) but what differentiates her résumé writing advice from others are the specific examples she uses to illustrate her points and the way you can immediately and easily apply her advice to your own résumé.  As a matter of fact, I’m off to polish up mine now!