Question for Alex on his course about writing a stellar resume as a SWE
I have a question about Alex's course, "Get More Interviews: Write a Stellar Resume as a SWE."
Alex mentioned that labeling oneself as a "full-stack" engineer can be a trap for junior engineers, and it's better to focus a resume on either backend or frontend stacks.
I unfortunately fall into this category - I have about 1.5 YOE and take on a role of a full-stack SWE. Though I prefer backend development and feel stronger in it (I'll say its about a 65-35 for backend vs frontend), I feel my backend skills alone are not enough to secure a strong backend role. Given this, I’ve primarily been applying to full-stack positions.
Does anyone have advice on what I should do? I know this question is primarily for Alex but feel free to share your experiences on how I should navigate this!
Thank you!
![Senior Software Engineer [E5] at Meta company logo](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasestorage.googleapis.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Ftech-career-growth.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fcompany_logos%252Fmeta.jpeg%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Da7a5bcc0-e178-4b5b-b71e-09bf6c6aefae&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
![Entry-Level Software Engineer [L3] at Google company logo](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasestorage.googleapis.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Ftech-career-growth.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fcompany_logos%252Fgoogle.jpeg%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D780356ef-3efc-4728-9eb4-d909b75bb4a6&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Discussion
(5 comments)- 1
4 months agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course HeroDigital ink is cheap: I recommend applying to both back-end and full-stack positions. If your work is more back-end leaning, your resume should naturally be pretty fitting for back-end roles. In this market, interviewing really is a numbers game, especially for junior engineers like yourself: https://www.jointaro.com/course/ace-your-tech-interview-and-get-a-job-as-a-software-engineer/struggling-send-more-applications/
Just make sure that you aren't causing cognitive dissonance by labeling yourself as a "Full-stack engineer" or "Back-end engineer" explicitly on your resume and LinkedIn. A bigger overall theme of the course is "Show, don't tell". Don't tack a label onto yourself - Just show your accomplishments and let employers naturally draw their own conclusions. Pitch yourself as just a "Software engineer".
- 04 months agoEntry-Level Software EngineerTaro Community
Thanks Alex! Just another question as I go through the course - where do you reckon I should put the skills section? Should it go above/below the work experience or it doesn't really matter? Thank you!
- 2
4 months agoFounding ML Engineer @ Lancey (YC S22)The skills location bit is one of the things I think doesn't really matter. Recruiters know to skim/skip/parse out as needed so whatever you feel fits best. I tend to default to bottom but it honestly doesnt make a difference imo
- 14 months agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
Yeah, skills section could go top or bottom. It's skimmed by the recruiter and I feel like the main purpose is to pass the ATS check for certain keywords (and location doesn't matter for that).
- 04 months agoEntry-Level Software Engineer [OP]Taro Community
Thank guys for the tips!
