A detailed analysis of my resume which got me interviews at Google and Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Microsoft, Microsoft, and other companies.

My resume was a great help in getting interviews at Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Google+.

These interviews were obtained by me sending my resume to the blackhole. Also known as applying online,

Online applications are the most popular way people apply for jobs, but they also offer the lowest chance of landing a job due to the competition. But that’s exactly how I got all my interviews.

How did I do it?

This article will provide a line-by–line analysis of my resume to the following purposes.

• Describe the choices I made when creating my resume
• Why I believe that this resume helped me land interviews.
• How to create a better resume

This article was written because I had difficulty landing interviews when I first began looking for work. I would have found it extremely useful to have a real-life example of a resume to review.

How to land a job interview without landing it

Apply Online

Most people are familiar with the online application link provided by every company. This is the classic career website that displays a variety of job titles. You may not be qualified until you read the job description.

It’s a job description that contains a lot of words you may not have heard of or may have hoped to have heard. It has an innocent-looking Apply button .

Regardless of any doubts you might feel about your qualifications, apply anyway because it is what you want.

Fill out the application form and press submit. Wait for a response.

You will get different results.

1. Phone Interview (yay! A chance at employment !!!)
2. Immediate Rejection (darn! Back to the drawing board).
3. There was no reply.

Repeat Until Success… Right?

Unfortunately, this is the normal process many people go through when searching for a job/internship.

You can apply to several companies. You may get a few rejections. You can apply to two more companies. You may get a few more rejections. You will keep getting rejected and no replies over and over.

We do this because we don’t know why. To get the same disappointing results, we spend so much time on the same task.

This is what everyone does in order to get an interview. We’re at least moving in the right direction, and there is hope. What other way are you going to get an interview?

Moving forward: Evaluating the Options

“Discouragement and failure are the two most important stepping stones to success.”

Dale Carnegie (autor of “How to Win Friends and Influence People”)

There are two possible approaches to the problem of not being interviewed:

1. Examine your resume/application
2. Asking questions about the interview process

This article will focus on the former because basically every company uses your resume to evaluate. We will be looking at my resume closely and learning how to create a compelling resume.

It is very difficult to get an interview through online applications. Your resume must pass many stages before it reaches the hiring manager.

It must be able to bypass online keywords filters, standout to a recruiter for approximately 6 seconds, and meet the expectations the hiring manager who will decide if you are worth interviewing.

Despite all these obstacles, I was able to get all of my interviews online. How do you get there? Trial and error . Since my sophomore year in college, I have applied for hundreds of software engineering jobs.

Although I received a lot of rejections when I first applied, I eventually learned to adapt. When I was a senior, I was extremely successful in landing interviews at almost all the companies I applied to.

This article contains the exact resume that got me all those interviews.

To get to this point, it took four years to do the real-life testing and iterations. This experience has led me to a list of resume writing principles that will help you create a better software resume. These principles have helped me get my dream job, and they can also help you.

It took me four college years to figure it all out. But you don’t need to do that. You can get all of the information right here, right away.

My goal is be the central point for all questions about how to get a job as a software engineer. This way you won’t waste time scouring Google for the best advice on how to create a software engineering resume that will get interviews.

You could spend your time writing your perfect resume.

This article will help you get started. Let’s take advantage of my past experiences, and let’s start the step-by-step guide to my resume!

Learn how to write a killer resume — by example

“Although there are many methods, principles are rare. A man who understands the principles of selection can choose his own methods. If a man tries different methods while ignoring the principles, he is likely to have problems.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let’s take a look at the resume again:

A Glance at the Essentials

Resume of one page

Your resume is not something that recruiters have to look at for hours. They typically view your resume for 6 seconds. Keep it brief and simple.

Sections (Headers, Education, Employment Software Projects, Skills, Skills)

In order of priority, place sections from the top to the bottom. For those looking to become software engineers, the’Personal projects’ section of this site is a must-have.

Consistent layout and font per section

Each section should have a consistent look. It is essential to maintain consistency in style as it improves readability. Readability is essential.

This resume is so effective. Let’s look at the bullet points numbered.

Who are you (1)

Target Audience – Anyone who is writing aresume

It’s easy to start. Your name. Your name.

There is no need to get fancy with fancy fonts or colors. Simple and straightforward is enough. This is important because it allows the recruiter to easily see you from a distance. A happy recruiter is one who does not have to do as much work as the others. Happy recruiters are more likely to offer you a job.

Summary: Make it easy for recruiters to read and find you name.

Contact Information (2)

Target Audience – Anyone who is writing a resume

Contact information should be as simple as identifying yourself. This is crucial. Please do not make a mess of all the other things in the world. This is how recruiters will contact you.

Recap Enter the correct contact information, or you will not be contacted.

Education (3)

Target Audience – Anyone who has a degree and is looking to create a resume.

This should be your first section of your resume if you have ever attended or been to college. It is an incredible accomplishment. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only 66.7 percent of high school graduates aged 16-24 are enrolled at colleges or universities. It’s a great accomplishment, so be proud and include it!

This tells recruiters that you are committed to education and learning. Technology is constantly changing, so this is a great way to show your commitment. This information is also an indicator of your success, so make sure you write it down.

Recap Write down what you learned.

Make sure you include relevant coursework that corresponds to the job for which you are applying. Although a course in History of Italian Gastronomy sounds delicious, it is not appropriate for a resume that aims to get you a job as a computer scientist.

This will greatly improve the abilities of both the recruiter as well as the hiring manager to review your resume and decide if you are the right candidate for the job. A happy recruiter will be more likely to interview you, as we have already mentioned.

Recap Include only relevant coursework.

Okay. GPA. Let’s not forget the main purpose behind a resume before we get into this.

A resume serves one purpose: to showcase your skills and achievements succinctly. Your resume should reflect your pride in what you do, as well as things that will impress. So that hiring managers and recruiters are interested in interviewing you, you want to present yourself in the best possible light.

Let’s get back to your grade point average. Your GPA should be easily visible. Don’t include a GPA below 3.0 on your resume. If it is not beneficial to your chances, you can remove your GPA from your resume.

This is a judgement call if your GPA falls between 3.0 and 3.2. Based on my personal experience, there are some companies that require you to have a minimum GPA between 3.0-3.2. However, these were mostly quantitative or financial companies. Software companies don’t care about your GPA. If your GPA is higher than 3.2, I will place it on my resume.

You don’t have to have a high GPA. This gives you the chance to be creative. Due to my poor grades in freshman engineering prerequisites, and humanities classes, my overall GPA was a mere 3.2. After I completed my degree and began taking courses in my major, my in major GPA (GPA calculated using courses in my major), was 3.44. This was significantly higher. That’s it. But make sure you qualify it as a departmental grade point average.

There are many ways to present yourself in the best possible light, even when the odds seem against you. This is just one example. There are many other ways to do this. Accept your successes and failures as part of who you are. Always be honest with yourself and focus on the positive aspects of you.

Recap: Your GPA does not define you. Your resume should reflect your best self. This is a key point to remember! This is a great opportunity to be creative and don’t lie.

Employment (4)

Target Audience : Students with experience in software engineering

Don’t worry if you don’t have any college experience. This is my senior year resume. I was looking for a full-time position. Although I had some work experience through summer internships, it wasn’t necessary for me to be considered for a job. If you feel that you don’t have enough to say, you can jump to the Personal Projects section.

Although it’s great to have work experience, not all work experience can be considered equal when looking for software engineering jobs. Only include work experience that is relevant to your job application. Don’t include work experience such as being a cashier or waiter in the retail industry. Your ability to manage money and serve food does not indicate that you are a good candidate for software engineering.

A recruiter’s goal in locating candidates for jobs that match their skills is to match them with the right job. It is important to only include work experience relevant to the job you are applying for on your resume.

This requires you to create a variety of resumes that are tailored for each job you are interested in. Similar to college applications, you would need to create separate essays for each university you applied to. Every college has its own vision, values, culture, and vision. It is nearly impossible to create a generic college essay that fits all. Your resume should be tailored to the job you are applying for.

A final note about dates. Your experiences should be arranged in descending order, starting with the most recent. This means that undergraduates should be mindful to include relevant and recent experiences. No one will care about your high school and middle school achievements. Don’t keep it if you don’t remember the lessons.

Summary: Create multiple versions of your resume for each job that you apply for. There is no standard format for a resume.

Writing a resume is difficult because you must describe your past work experience in a way that highlights your achievements.

What does it mean to have your descriptions be compelling and meaningful? This means that the recruiter must think, “This person has the skills we are looking for.” This person has had a significant impact on their previous jobs. We would love to interview this person and possibly hire them.

The Employment section’s primary purpose is to highlight the value and impact you have had at an established institution. You want to demonstrate to recruiters that your ability is dependable and can do the job well.

Laszlo Bock, the former SVP of People Operations at Google created the following formula to best display my achievements on my resume:

Laszlo Boock: “Accomplished [X] by measuring [Y] by doing[Z]”

This is evident in the first bullet point of my resume.

Increased battery life by 8% through the integration of a fuel gauge sensor. Also, created a battery saving mode

Let’s break it down.

X-Improved the device’s battery life

Measured with [Y]- by 8.

Doing [Z] – Creating a battery saving state and integrating a fuel gauge sensor

This formula was used in nearly every sentence of my resume.

Below is a list of verbs that you should and can use to help you get started.

These are some fill-in-the-blank sentences I’ve created for you to use as a starting point.

• _____ reduced by _____
• Redesigned _____ for _____.
• Implemented _____ by _____
• _____ through _____ has improved _____
• Used _____ to _____ for _____.
• Increased _____ through _____
• For _____, Integrated _____
• For _____ by _____, Incorporated

Recap Use the “Accomplished[X] as measured [Y] by doing[Z]” formula. This is the best and easiest way to show recruiters/managers how you impact them.

Finally, I conclude each work experience by giving a leveraged informationbulletpoint. This last bit has the benefit of allowing the reader to get a better understanding of the technology I’m familiar with. I will also list the technologies I used in the project.

I can also include a short, but clear ‘Skills section’ at the bottom of this resume. The bottom of the resume can be viewed by recruiters to quickly get a feel for my abilities. They can see which computer languages I’m proficient in. They can then look at my projects if they want to find out if I am proficient in a specific tool, framework or library.

Recap Including technologies in your descriptions can help you avoid online keyword filters for applying online. This will give recruiters a better idea of your knowledge and experience.

Personal Projects (5)

Target Audience: Students looking for software engineering internships/full-time positions + Unique section for software engineering applicants

You might understand the importance of this section if you repeat it enough, especially for those who don’t have any work experience.

Personal projects can be a great way to attract recruiters and hiring managers’ attention. It shows that you are passionate about programming.

Any programming project, including a Python script or Java program, a web page, or mobile app, can be considered a personal project. These projects demonstrate that you are interested in computer science and have strong desire to become a software engineer.

It is a great feat to take the initiative to create something by yourself. This shows you are committed to learning more about computer science and are willing to put in the extra effort. It is a great way to show initiative and genuine interest in the field.

Another benefit to working on personal projects is the ability to apply your skills to real-world work situations. Things that you don’t usually do at school, but you will do at work such as using standard frameworks/libraries, understanding full-stack web development, creating mobile applications, setting up a development environment, or programming efficiently with Vim.

Tip Make a personal website to showcase and document all your projects. This little trick will ‘virtually’ extend your resume beyond the limit of one page.

Personal projects are a great way to show passion and commitment towards learning the skills needed for a job you don’t have yet. This must-have element is essential for any software engineering resume.

“Build iPhone apps, web applications, or whatever else you want! It doesn’t really matter what you build, as long as it’s something. A fairly large project can be built in a weekend. You can transform your resume from mediocre to outstanding in just 3-4 weekends. This is something I have seen many people do.

Gayle McDowell (ex-Google Engineer, Author of Cracking the Coding Interview)

A personal project related to the job you are applying for is an excellent way to stand out in a company.

My internship at Autodesk was obtained by taking an interactive online computer graphics course through Udacity. I learned how to use the JavaScript library three.js. It just so happened that an internship in software engineering was available at Autodesk for someone who has a full-stack website as well as knowledge of three.js. (aka ME).

This technique needs to be used with caution. This strategy is not perfect. This strategy is only applicable to companies such as Autodesk that do not offer generalized software engineering internships, such as Google, Facebook, or Microsoft. It is better to learn the various disciplines of computer science when you are starting your career early. This is a great way to get started if you are looking for a particular company.

Recap:Personal Projects are essential. Start now if you don’t have one already! There is nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Skills (6)

Target Audience : Anyone who is looking for a job in software engineering

It all is explained in the title. This section should be simple, clear, and concise. You should list all relevant skills you wish the recruiter to see. Your chances of getting hired are greater if you list skills that match the qualifications section of the job description.

This will enable you to easily bypass the online keyword scan. This isn’t a foolproof way to bypass the online keyword scanner. But they will be more likely to interview you if they feel you are a good match for the job.

It is important to not just list the keywords in the job description to show that you are a good match. You will be quizzed on the skills that you claim to have.

You should include a description of your proficiency level to give yourself some flexibility. A proficiency level is useful for the recruiter to know which languages you’re most comfortable with and those you don’t.

I have chosen to use two levels:

1. Proficient – Languages I’m very familiar with and feel comfortable using.
2. Familiar Languages I am familiar with – Languages I know a lot about but don’t have the time to learn in detail right now.

There are also other options:

1. Advanced
2. Intermediate
3. Basic

Or

1. Expert
2. Advanced
3. Intermediate

Or

1. Fluent
2. Proficient
3. Familiar

Or

1. Working Knowledge
2. Basic Knowledge

Summary: To increase your chances of being interviewed for a job, cross-reference job descriptions and include key technical keywords in your resume.

The Key Takeaways

• Make sure that your contact information and name are correct.
• Include your education. You can leave your GPA off or use creativity!
• To effectively demonstrate the impact you have had on your previous employment, use the “Accomplished[X] as measured [Y] by doing[Z]” formula
• Personal projects are a good idea, especially if your past experience is not in tech.

Last Thoughts

Although my resume was successful in getting me interviews with several software engineering companies, it is not guaranteed that you will get the same results by following the principles and techniques that I have described.

This is my 2017 senior year resume. This is my 2017 senior year resume. It shows my interest and journey in software engineering. It is not worth copying as technology changes constantly and the talent hunt is an ever-changing endeavor. Use this instead as a reference.

This article and my resume can be used as a guide to help you become a better writer and communicator. Learn how to communicate your achievements and skills to others. This is a lifelong skill you will need everywhere you go.

Remember to be you when writing your resume!

Your resume lists all of your accomplishments, achievements, interests, and other relevant information. You want to be the best version of yourself. Have fun!