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| write-effective-content | Write effective resume content | Learn how to effectively write your software engineering resume for FAANG |
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Next, fill up your template!
It is daunting to start on a fresh slate, so I recommend you start by making a laundry list of bullet points under each section, then optimizing it accordingly. This prevents excessive attention placed on premature optimization.
Do's for ATS readability
- If a divider is required between information, use "|" (pipe character) or tabs
- Use simple bullet points
Don'ts for ATS readability
- Do not use images, pictures or diagrams
- Do not use tables
:::tip Expert tip
To maximize efficiency in applying for several job types, create and keep updated a "Master resume" which you basically use to maintain an exhaustive list of all points under every section of your resume. When applying for each job, you can make a copy of the Master and eliminate or optimize points as necessary.
:::
1. Professional summary
The professional summary, if written well, will be the most effective and important part of your resume. From my experience as an interviewer, I generally may not have the time to read into the detail of resumes - hence summaries which directly address why a candidate is a good fit for the job greatly improves their chances of capturing my attention.
Start with a resume headline
Always start with a concise, one line description of yourself
- Fewer than 10 words
- Summarizes your experience relevant to the job description
Examples:
- Software Engineer at Company X with strong fundamentals in front-end technologies
Summarize your best selling points
Below the resume headline, include a summary of yourself which expands on your resume headline.
- 4 or fewer points, in bullet or paragraph form
- Include most important skills and experiences relevant to the job applied, quantifying them where possible
- Keep in mind to answer the question of "Why am I a good fit for this job?" - while writing the summary
2. Contact information
Must-haves
- Name (Should be included at the very top of the resume)
- Personal phone number
- Never include your work phone number here
- Location - City, State, Zip
- Just enough for recruiters to determine if you are a local or international candidate
- Email address
- Never include your work email here
- I recommend Gmail if you are using other email services
- LinkedIn profile
Good-to-haves
- GitHub profile URL
- Personal website URL
- Stack Overflow profile URL
- Medium profile URL
- Competitive coding profile
- Codechef
- Hackerrank
If a divider is required between information, use "|" or tabs
Where relevant, indicate achievements in coding platforms, for example, max ratings, ranking, number of stars, badges.
3. Skills
Include programming languages and tech stacks:
Structure in the following manner:
[Skill summary] : [List skills separated by "|"]
- Programming languages - If impressive, include your familiarity by the number of lines you have written, for example "Over 10,000 lines"
- Frameworks
- Databases
4. Work experience
List your work experience in a familiar format and reverse chronological order. Every job listed should have:
The company, location, title, duration worked following this structure
[Company or Organization], [Location] | [Job Title] | [Start and end dates formatted as MM/YYYY]
Example
Facebook, Singapore | Front End Engineering Lead | 08/2018 - Present
List of top accomplishments, including:
- Scope of job and skills required
- Accomplishments listed following this structure
-
[Accomplishment summary] : [Action] that resulted in [quantifiable outcome]
-
5. Education
Most software engineering jobs will require at least an undergraduate degree. However, unless you are a recent graduate or do not have much work experience, it should not be prioritized above your work experience.
Use the following format, eliminating information where it is not relevant:
[Degree Name], [Year of Graduation - write expected graduation date if not graduated]
[University Name], [Location]
GPA: X.XX / 4.0 (List GPA if more than 3.50/4.00, or more than 4.3 under a 5-point system)
List key achievements, including leadership positions, skills, societies, projects, awards, etc.
Example:
BSc in Computing, Computer Science, Graduation Year 2015
National University of Singapore, Singapore
GPA: 3.82 / 4.00 (Magna cum laude)
Dean's List, Valedictorian
President of hacker society
6. Projects
Include at least 2 projects you have contributed to, outlining your key contributions. Always try to link your project name to GitHub or somewhere the hiring manager can view your project.
facebook/docusaurus
Maintainer and lead engineer for Docusaurus v2, a static site generator which powers the documentation of many of Meta’s Open Source Projects - React Native, Jest, Relay, Reason, etc. Used by 7.6k > projects on GitHub.
7. Awards, accolades and certifications
Only include achievements related to the job application and try to quantify your achievements. A good format to use would be
[Year] [Quantification] [Competition]
Example
2016 | Best All-Round Product out of 50 teams | Facebook Hackathon