🤝[GET HIRED] How to write a good resume and maximize your interview chances
Your resume is the first step toward your dream tech job, and every word counts. Maximize impact, focusing on clarity, brevity, and tailoring your resume to each role. (🎁 Contains resume template)
Your resume is the first step toward your dream tech job, and every word counts.
Without a sharp, compelling document, you won’t even get the chance to demonstrate your skills in an interview. Writing in tech, I see the single, most important principle is this: Maximizing the ratio of useful data per word.
Focus on clarity and brevity to cut redundancy, and tailor your resume to the specific job description.
A single, generic resume doesn’t work anymore.
Write to your audience. Write a new version of your resume for each role type you're applying to, ensuring it aligns with ATS (Applicant Tracking System) requirements. This increases the likelihood of getting noticed.
⭐ In this post, you’ll learn:
The importance of using action-result formats to highlight achievements and quantify outcomes.
Best practices for organizing your resume, including formatting tips and essential sections to include.
Common resume mistakes to avoid, like using profile pictures, vague GitHub links, or STAR-format descriptions.
🎁 Bonus strategy: Make personal projects stand out from everyone else’s projects
📏 General Guidelines
Limit your resume to one page. Recruiters spend seconds skimming, so every line must add value. Avoid including pictures, which waste space and add no actionable data.
For formatting, use clean fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica. Ensure consistent alignment and styling for dates, bullet points, and headings. Use an ATS-checking tool to confirm your resume is machine-readable.
🔑 Key sections (Top to bottom)
Header
Include your name, email, LinkedIn, GitHub, and portfolio links. Mention your location, especially if relocation or visa sponsorship is relevant.
I consider the phone number optional here. If I am putting this document online, I don’t want my phone number publicly displayed. You could consider the same with email.
❌ Antipatterns:
I consider including a profile picture an antipattern. The space of the picture can be better utilized to include more information. Big companies have processes to hire based on datapoints, not in a profile picture. If you think a picture makes you more relatable, toward certain employer, then it means that employer is subject to biases regarding race or gender.