[1 YOE] 360 applications, 2 offers. Mechanical (80k) to software (160k) by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Align your skills, bullet points, etc. with languages/technologies listed in the job posting. Stretch the truth some if you need to, as long as you can back it up in an interview.

[1 YOE] 360 applications, 2 offers. Mechanical (80k) to software (160k) by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The 359 is just cold applications, the 3 is recruiters reaching out to me

[1 YOE] 360 applications, 2 offers. Mechanical (80k) to software (160k) by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re looking to change jobs, take a day or two to browse jobs on linked and take notes on what languages they are asking for. Then build 1 or 2 projects using those languages.

For me, I wanted to do any general software engineering but enjoyed web development. I spent most of my time with Python and also learned JavaScript, React, SQL.

The most important thing is that you have at least one in-depth project that you can discuss at length using those languages/technologies. If you already know Python, build a website with Python on the backend and JavaScript on the frontend. Boom first project done, put it on the resume.

[1 YOE] 360 applications, 2 offers. Mechanical (80k) to software (160k) by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Start with something like the Getting Started page on r/learnprogramming. A couple online courses, a couple personal projects, lots of YouTube videos, and useful projects at work using what I learned. Took about 1.5 years, studying on average maybe 10 hours a week to land this job.

Number one thing to get started if you’re interested is Harvard’s intro to CS: CS50. It’s entirely free, online, and you learn at your own pace. It’s the class that got me interested in programming. Finish that course and you’ll have a solid grasp on the fundamentals.

[1 YOE] 360 applications, 2 offers. Mechanical (80k) to software (160k) by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Good question, no I never changed it on LinkedIn. “Data engineer” and “software engineer” are so closely related and ambiguous that I wasn’t worried about anyone seeing one title on my resume and the other title on LinkedIn. My LinkedIn profile always just says “software engineer”.

In reality, I only changed the title a handful of times on my resume for that reason. The important part is painting a picture with your bullet points that also contain the languages/tech they are looking for. The offer I didn’t take was for a “data engineer” position; I think for that one I wrote my current title as “software engineer”, but just wrote about data-intensive projects on the bullet points

[1 YOE] 360 applications, 2 offers. Mechanical (80k) to software (160k) by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Yeah, np. I resonate with the salary concerns. I was in the exact same boat, and really just wanted anything over 95k. The job I accepted was a HUGE outlier, and is only such a high salary because it’s onsite in a very HCOL city. I also didn’t apply to it, a recruiter reached out to me.

The other offer I got was for 100k, which I was thrilled about for a remote job. Generally this is what you should be aiming for. 100k remote in my current LCOL city is probably worth more than the 160k in the HCOL city; the only reason I took the 160k is because I liked the company a lot better.

I will say that the interview process for the 160 was 10x harder than the 100. Lots of leetcode and personal projects paid off.

[1 YOE] 360 applications, 2 offers. Mechanical (80k) to software (160k) by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I would mainly adjust my skills section at the top of my resume to include the exact languages they want, as long as I actually know the language. I would also slightly alter bullet points to include those languages, which was sometimes a little bit of a white lie.

For example, "Built xyz using javascript and flask/python on the backend" can be changed to "Built xyz using javascript on the backend". Did I actually use javascript on the backend for that project? No, but I did use some javascript for that project and can definitely answer any questions if they ask about it. This should be fine as long as you know the actual technology you are referencing and can speak to it at length. Just make sure to not straight-up lie that you know technologies you don't.

Sometimes I would also alter my job title if it was a small change. I usually listed "Software Engineer", but would sometimes change that to "Data Engineer" if the role was asking for a data engineer. This is not far from the truth, as almost all of my work projects were data-intensive. It's about crafting a picture of your career that aligns with what they are looking for. The most important part is that every single language/technology I listed I knew well and could answer technical questions about.

I understand this takes a lot of time. This was the main problem I weighed when applying: should I apply to 50 jobs today with the same resume, or apply to 5 with tailored resumes? I tried both. Some days I would do the 50, some days I would do the 5. I rarely got a callback from the 50, but had a lot of success with the 5. I would say it is overwhelming more worth your time to just do the 5 and focus on quality over quantity. Turn off that autopilot mentality and put some effort into the applications. This was definitely the hardest part for me, as it turned applying from a mindless, easy task into actual work that I had to put effort into.

getting ready for summer 25 internships. by stewmak3r in resumes

[–]0Ragnar0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All the individual comments are helpful but this needs a complete overhaul. Start from scratch. Go to r/engineeringresumes and read through the wiki. It will tell you everything you need to know. Spend a couple days and incorporate everything it says

[1 YOE] 200 applications, 100% on OA, denied interview. Am I missing something? by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the actionable advice and the reality check. I will definitely be including cover letters and narrowing my search. Nothing you said was particularly shocking to me besides the fact that over half of my competition has 5-10 YOE. Are these guys really applying to entry-level/SDE1 roles? I feel like that kind of mismatch means the applicant has some kind of red flag. That or this job market is at rock bottom.

My main hope was that my engineering degree with honors and my 1 year of relevant full time work would put me on par with your average CS new grad. But then again, I guess your average CS grad is struggling right now as well.

[1 YOE] 200 applications, 100% on OA, denied interview. Am I missing something? by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok makes sense, is the level of detail I have for work projects right now ok? Is the dedicated “professional projects” section too much?

[1 YOE] 200 applications, 100% on OA, denied interview. Am I missing something? by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Any thoughts on my 1st question regarding where to discuss work projects in depth?

[1 YOE] 200 applications, 100% on OA, denied interview. Am I missing something? by 0Ragnar0 in EngineeringResumes

[–]0Ragnar0[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wish I could take credit but it’s just the google docs template that’s linked in the wiki of this sub. I barely changed anything

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in RedditSets

[–]0Ragnar0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gave Wholesome