Include an industry "in-joke" hidden in resume?

[T3sl4co1l]

Speaking of appropriateness for audience --

If this is a general resume that you send around everywhere, leave posted on your website, whatever, then keep it professional.

If you are customizing your resume for a particular target company (which is recommended anyway, at least with a cover letter), do whatever you think is appropriate for that company's culture.

Tim

[Red Squirrel]

It really depends on the environment I guess, like if they are easy going they might think that's great, but if they are uptight "corporate" types they may not even ever have heard about that joke or simply not think it's funny.

I would be tempted myself to put it in but I'd probably leave it out.

I actually want to build an encabulator at some point as a gag, it will be a big rackmount box with lot of dials and lights and I'll call it a Network Encabulator. 

For those who never seen it:



Chrysler also has their own version:



"Too much gas in the fuel system"  gets me every time.

[Halcyon]

I actually want to build an encabulator at some point as a gag, it will be a big rackmount box with lot of dials and lights and I'll call it a Network Encabulator. 

Is that based on the 1968 model Gonculator?

[jolshefsky]

I wasn't sure what you had in mind when I read the title, but I think an entire fantastical entry of work experience is a bit too much. I think adding in an "Easter egg" so-to-speak would be fine if you're clever about it, but—like Easter eggs in software—should not even be detectable, nor burden any part of the whole. If you can spin your cover letter so the first word of each paragraph spells out, "All your base are belong to us," you have written a far-too-long cover letter nobody would ordinarily notice. Or if you can make naked lady ASCII art out of an otherwise readable resume, please post a copy here.

[Galenbo]

True, but a resume (or any professional document) is not the place for "fun". By all means during your interview, built rapport and have a bit of a laugh with the interviewers (if they are the type of person), but if I were to read something like that on a resume, it gives me the impression that the person is a bit of a clown. Best to be professional when it's in writing, especially since you really aren't sure who is going to be reading it.

True, also, the one who reads the resume and understands the joke, can not know if the rest of the resume is a joke too.
That could be a problem when he has to defend his choice to his superior.

[Brumby]

... another reason to hold the joke for an interactive situation, that is, the interview.

Being 'cute' by using humour is not a bad thing if you find the right audience in the right frame of mind in the right situation.  Being there to make the call to either present the joke or not (not to mention tonal inflection and body language cues) is much less risky than dropping it into a document and waving goodbye.

IMHO

[Tomorokoshi]

Being 'cute' by using humour is not a bad thing if you find the right audience in the right frame of mind in the right situation.

Yes, being too cute by 3 dB could drive up resistance on the part of the interviewer.

[Brumby]

Indeed.  Adding any additional impedance to ....


No, no, no, no, no...

NO!

I am NOT going to get sucked in.....

I am NOT going to get sucked in.....

I am NOT going to get sucked in.....

I am NOT going to get sucked in.....

I am NOT going to get sucked in.....