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Question for Alex on his course about writing a stellar resume as a SWE

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Entry-Level Software Engineer at Taro Community5 months ago

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!

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Discussion

(5 comments)
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    Tech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
    5 months ago

    Digital 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".

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      Entry-Level Software Engineer
      Taro Community
      5 months ago

      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!

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      Founding ML Engineer @ Lancey (YC S22)
      5 months ago

      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

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      Tech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
      5 months ago

      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).

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      Entry-Level Software Engineer [OP]
      Taro Community
      5 months ago

      Thank guys for the tips!