Resume Hack (from Big Tech Hiring Manager)

Summary

The video offers valuable insights from a retired big tech hiring manager on optimizing your resume for tech roles. It emphasizes focusing on relevant keywords, avoiding unnecessary details, and tailoring your resume for ATS scanners to improve your chances of landing an interview. The speaker shares tips on keeping the resume concise, formatting correctly, and showcasing the right skills for the job. They also highlight why real work experience is more critical than personal projects, especially for junior engineers, and provide resources to help candidates stand out in the competitive tech job market.

Takeaways

• 😀 The job market is tough for engineers, with many facing rejections or no response at all after applying for jobs.
• 🔑 Keywords are crucial for your resume, as they help match your qualifications with what hiring managers are looking for.
• 📄 Your resume should be one page long, focusing on quality over quantity, highlighting relevant skills and experience for the job you're applying to.
• 🚫 Avoid irrelevant information on your resume; it dilutes your strengths, slows down hiring managers, and distracts from key points.
• 🤖 ATS (Applicant Tracking System) scanners are often the first filter in the hiring process, so optimizing your resume for ATS is essential.
• 💡 Do not use complex designs, colors, tables, headers, or columns in your resume, as they can confuse ATS systems.
• 🧑‍💼 Hiring managers want to feel confident that you're worth interviewing, especially since interviews are a significant time investment for companies.
• 📚 Companies primarily focus on your past work experience, skills, and education, as these help predict your potential success in the role.
• 💼 If you're an experienced engineer, emphasize relevant work experience and use bullet points to show the impact of your previous roles.
• 🐣 Junior engineers often struggle with the 'chicken-and-egg' problem of needing experience to get a job, but there are strategies to overcome this, as outlined in another video.

Q & A

What is one of the biggest mistakes job applicants make on their resumes?

One of the biggest mistakes applicants make is including too much irrelevant information, which makes it harder for hiring managers to see why they are the right fit for the role.

Why are keywords so important when writing a resume?

Keywords are important because hiring managers and ATS scanners often filter resumes by looking for specific terms that align with the job requirements. Including relevant keywords helps your resume pass through these filters.

What does ATS stand for, and why is it significant in the hiring process?

ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System. It is significant because many big tech companies use it as a first-line filter to streamline their hiring process by scanning resumes for relevant keywords and eliminating those that don't meet the criteria.

What is the recommended length for a resume, and why?

The recommended length for a resume is one page. This forces the applicant to prioritize quality over quantity, showcasing only the most relevant skills and experiences without overwhelming the hiring manager.

What is the hiring manager’s perspective when reviewing resumes?

Hiring managers are often dealing with hundreds or thousands of resumes and want to get through them quickly. They are looking for resumes that showcase the right skills and experience without too much irrelevant information, which slows them down.

Why is it advised not to use tables, colors, or images in a resume?

It is advised not to use tables, colors, or images because these elements can confuse ATS scanners, which might read the information incorrectly or fail to recognize important parts of the resume.

How can job applicants determine which skills and experiences to include on their resume?

Applicants should identify the target role and find the right keywords by analyzing the job description. This will help them focus on relevant skills and experiences that align with the position they are applying for.

What are the top three things companies care about according to the 2023 Future of Jobs Report?

According to the 2023 Future of Jobs Report, companies care most about past work experience, skills, and education when evaluating job applicants.

Why don't personal projects hold as much weight as production-ready code for junior engineers?

Personal projects don't hold as much weight because there's a big difference between personal code and production-ready code that supports real users. Production experience demonstrates the ability to handle real-world problems and work in a team setting.

What is the recommended font and formatting for a resume?

Basic fonts like Arial or Times New Roman, with a font size of 11 to 12 points, are recommended for ease of reading. The resume should be saved as a PDF to preserve formatting, and the margins should be consistent, starting with one inch all around.