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Ask YC: How to determine whether or not you should list a particular technology on your resume?

1 points by ia ↗ HN
Pretty much every job posting I see lists a bunch of "required" or "desired" or "preferred" technologies. Sometimes I've heard of them all, sometimes I haven't. However, I've never encountered a list where I feel I can truthfully claim significant experience with everything on it. Do you apply anyway? Additionally, how would you determine whether or not you are comfortable enough with a technology to list it on your resume, or apply to a job with that language in the title? For example, I've started learning python to build a db-driven website. But, just because I have something that works doesn't mean I now consider myself a python hacker... or should I?

3 comments

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sygzzy
I just learned enough awk to alter a tiny script written by someone else. It's so going on the resume.

Seriously - just apply to anything that sounds good - if they really are decent and the position is junior - or if it is a senior position it doesn't revolve around that particular technology - you can learn on the job.

ia
it sounds like your recommendation is to make sure i am competent/comfortable in the core technology, and then worry about the ancillary stuff as it comes up. is that right? i'm not worried about not knowing the answer to something in an interview (it's bound to happen eventually)--i am worried about someone thinking my resume isn't truthful.
noodle
i wouldn't claim proficiency in a language until i've used it for around a year and feel comfortable writing apps with it. i would claim exposure and experience for the other languages i've played with but wouldn't be comfortable with saying i could sit down and rattle out a solid program with them.

right now on my resume, i have two classes of languages: those i'm proficient in and those i have experience using.