Hi everyone, I'm looking to optimize my resume (link here) and would love some feedback on it. I also have two specific questions about it.
Of course, if there's another issue with my resume that I didn't mention in these two questions, please feel free to point it out, even if it's a nitpick. Also, if it helps, for context, I am currently looking to pivot from data engineering to backend development, so I am aiming for more junior level roles.
Thanks in advance!
Should I even include my personal projects in my resume?
It's true that most projects are effectively useless on a resume, but I do think it's better than nothing. Given that you're earlier in career, you probably need these to pad out your resume, and it is a bit strange to not have a projects section at all.
Now your goal should be to continue fine-tuning your projects and getting them users, so it becomes obvious that your projects have value on your resume 😊
Is my resume too short? Can a resume even be too short?
It's really awkward when a resume is shorter than 1 full page. I would try to add more material, particularly with the Meta section as mentioned before, falling back to "fluff" if you can't come up with anything. You can solve the recruiter going through fluff problem by front-loading the content on your resume: Best stuff first, worst stuff last. This is generally how you want to communicate in general anyways: Stack the important things at the top.
Worst case, you can increase the font-size by 1 to 2 points to take up more space 😆
Overall your resume looks good! The formatting and organization are great, and it's not too long.
My main piece of feedback is to stretch out your Meta section. I'm going to be real: So many recruiters are just only going to care about the FAANG-related part of your resume. You have been there for 9 months - I feel like that's probably enough time to have more than 3 bullet points?
Having the technical skills section at the bottom feels weird as well. It's already covered in the experience/projects section. It should either be at the top of the resume or removed entirely IMHO.
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