Tell me more ×
Programmers Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional programmers interested in conceptual questions about software development. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 13 down vote favorite
4

Every programmer has a primary language that he works with most of the time and is therefore very familiar with. But there are also languages that you kinda know, in the sense that you used to know them really well in the past, but hasn't used in a while, or that you use them infrequently and therefore are not as immersed in them as you are in your primary language. You can definitely bring yourself to be productive with these languages, but you might need to re-familiarize yourself a little, look up a few syntax rules, and such. My question is- will you write these languages in your CV as languages you "know"?

share|improve this question
1  
Yes, you never know when your employer might need someone for that Chef project downstairs, and it is a rare programmer indeed that has mastered the drop sort. – Mark C Oct 6 '10 at 15:27

6 Answers

up vote 18 down vote accepted

Of course.

It shows that you are more than a "one trick pony" and have skills beyond those required for your current (and prospective job). It helps highlight the experience you have and shows that you can adapt to new technologies etc. as the need arises.

You should indicate how long ago it was you last used that language, how long you had been using it and what you were doing with it. In much the same way as you indicate how long you've been using your current skill set and what you've been doing with that.

share|improve this answer
1  
Agreed in all capacities. How do they know you have experience in those languages that you are not proficient in but have done some coding in without noting them accordingly. – Chris Oct 6 '10 at 13:27
up vote 5 down vote

I wouldn't just include a laundry list of languages. These should be incorporated into the descriptions of the projects that you have worked on, along with any other technologies (databases, frameworks, etc.). As a hiring manager I want to know what you did with these languages, not just a claim that you know them.

share|improve this answer
Good point - it's what I was getting at with my last sentence. – ChrisF♦ Oct 6 '10 at 13:30
up vote 4 down vote

I specify my previous employers and the languages/technologies I often worked with at that employer.

This way the recruiter sees how long ago AND for how long you worked with the languages/technologies.

share|improve this answer
up vote 3 down vote

I only include those languages that I would want to have to use again if I were hired for the new job. Things like COBOL don't go on the CV.

share|improve this answer
I should clarify this a bit I think. I would still mention in the area where I talk about that job that it involved that technology. I just wouldn't list that technology in the "proficiencies" section that most people have at the top of their CVs. – RationalGeek Oct 6 '10 at 15:48
hmm why not COBOL? – aggietech Oct 6 '10 at 16:22
Because I wouldn't want to ever code in COBOL again. :-) Hey, if you like COBOL more power to you. I, however, do not. – RationalGeek Oct 8 '10 at 13:01
up vote 2 down vote

I would put them on my CV with the obvious caveat that I feel comfortable answering any questions about it. I think the key is that you still feel you know it well enough now to discuss and answer questions about it. It can show that you are well rounded, can learn new things, and are not only stuck in what language.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

Yes, I put the number of years I've worked with the language and when I last used it, and also my level of proficiency.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.