How to Summarize Engineering Knowledge for Your Resume

Over the last year, I've reviewed about 150 resumes for people from LinkedIn. I noticed I was frequently giving similar suggestions, so I fed in a sample of my feedback into an AI tool and asked it to summarize the most common themes. * Focus on Results and Impact: When describing your experience, emphasize the outcomes and impact of your actions rather than just listing your responsibilities or the tools you used. Where possible, quantify your accomplishments with metrics and use the “situation, action, result” format to clearly demonstrate the value you brought. Focus on the results and positive changes that occurred due to your efforts. * Improve Clarity, Conciseness, and Readability: Ensure your resume is easy to read and understand. Be concise in your descriptions, shorten long summaries and job descriptions, and remove any redundant or repetitive information. Pay attention to formatting consistency, including font sizes, bullet points, and spacing. * Be Specific and Provide Detail: When describing your roles and projects, provide concrete details about what you actually did. Avoid vague or generic descriptions and instead use stronger, more definitive language to explain your specific contributions. Clearly articulate the “what” and “why” behind your actions and initiatives. * Refine Language and Avoid Weak or Overused Terms: Use clear, direct, and impactful language throughout your resume. Avoid subjective terms, overused words like “leveraged” or “spearheaded”, and generic phrases that don’t convey specific information. Focus on using language that clearly communicates your skills and accomplishments. * Tailor Content and Structure to the Audience and Goals: Customize your resume for each specific job application by highlighting the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the target role. Consider reordering sections to prioritize the most important information and define any technical terms or jargon that your audience might not be familiar with. I wrote a more complete article about what I learned from this experience on my website, check it out below: https://lnkd.in/gYmGzhMV

I am a Senior Software Engineer working at Google with 7+ years of experience. I've seen resumes of 500+ software engineers while working at Flipkart, Uber & Google. Here are the 6 most important things I’ve learned about building a resume that actually gets interviews in 2025: ► 1. Don't write your resume before studying the market   Most engineers open a blank doc and start typing their achievements.   → Wrong move.  ✅ First, shortlist 10 companies you want to work at.   ✅ Open 20–30 job descriptions for the role you want (SDE1/SDE2/Infra/ML etc.)   ✅ Write down the common patterns in what they’re hiring for.  That’s your roadmap. Your resume should reflect what those companies care about,  not what you feel like writing. ► 2. Your bullet points are weak because they list tasks, not outcomes  Bad: “Worked on microservices for the payments team”  Better: “Built 3 backend services for the payments team handling 1M+ transactions/day”  Best: “Built & scaled 3 backend services to handle 1M+/day txn traffic with <150ms P95 latency” → Always answer:   What did I build?   How many users did it serve?   What changed because of my work? (Also, I am having an exclusive session on Resume Building where I will break down what works for your resume when applying to top companies. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gJrA2wfa) ► 3. Your resume is not a feature list, it’s a proof of value  Don’t just say “Python, Java, Kubernetes” in skills.  Say what you did with them.   → Used Kubernetes to reduce deployment time from 15 minutes to 2.   → Used Python to build an internal tool that saved 30 engineer-hours/week. No one cares what you know. they care what you’ve shipped. ► 4. Format like a professional → Avoid tables, sidebars & skill bars with dots.   → Use Calibri or Arial, 11–12pt font, 1 column.   → 1-page for <6 YOE. Max 2 pages even if you're a Staff+.   → Save as PDF. No Canva or screenshots. It’s your first impression Make it a damn good one! ► 5. Don’t include unnecessary details ❌ “Hardworking, quick learner, good communicator.”   ❌ “Team player with strong interpersonal skills.”  These are baseline expectations, not selling points.   You’re wasting space. Say something only you can say. ► 6. If you’ve been laid off, or switching roles. own the story  Use a 2-line summary to clarify it.   → “Laid off during org-wide restructuring in Jan 2024. Now seeking backend SDE roles focused on scale & infra.”  Clear, honest, and helpful for the recruiter. You get ~8 seconds of attention from a recruiter. If your resume doesn’t show value in the top third, it won’t be read. — P.S: I am having an exclusive session on Resume Building where I will break down what works for your resume when applying to top companies. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gJrA2wfa

As a recruiter for top tech companies, I’ve reviewed 1,000+ resumes. You only need to get these 5 sections right to land 6-figure interviews. 1. Positioning Statement Forget the generic “motivated team player” summary. Your top section should tell me in 3 lines: - Who you are - What kind of problems you solve - Where you’ve done it Example: “Backend engineer with 4 years of experience scaling infra at early-stage startups. Shipped distributed systems handling 50M+ requests/day. Currently focused on latency, observability, and developer experience.” If this section is clear, I’ll keep reading.  If it’s vague, I won’t. 2. Experience (But Structured Like a Case Study) Instead of dumping tasks, each role should answer: - What were you hired to do? - What did you actually build or own? - What changed because of your work? Bullet points should reflect results, not responsibilities. Redesigned caching logic → reduced API latency by 47% across 3 services. Led incident response for system outage → cut recovery time by 60%. That’s what hiring managers remember. 3. Company/Team Context Especially if you worked at a large company, give 1 line of context. “Worked on the Ads ML Infrastructure team at Meta, supporting $XXB in annual revenue.” It helps recruiters understand the scale and environment — fast. 4. Projects Section (Optional, but powerful) For newer engineers or people transitioning into tech, 1-2 serious projects can carry a resume. But only if you show real thinking and impact. Instead of: Built a web app using React and Node. Try: Built a budgeting tool used by 800+ users; integrated Stripe and Plaid APIs, reduced error rate to <0.3%. Show that you didn’t just code, you shipped. 5. Skills That Support the Story Don’t list everything you’ve ever touched. List the tools, stacks, and domains that match what you’re applying for. And reinforce them in your bullet points. “Python” in your skills section means nothing if your experience doesn’t prove you’ve used it in real scenarios. Your resume's job isn’t to tell your life story. It’s to get you in the room. If yours isn’t built to convert, it’s time to rethink it. Repost if this helped. P.S. Follow me if you are a job seeker in the U.S.  I talk about resumes, job search, interview preparation, and more. 

Are you a student or early-career professional struggling to get callbacks after submitting your resume? I’ve been there. During my first year of grad school, I blamed the job market when I didn’t get a single interview for nearly seven months. I started applying for Summer 2024 internships in August 2023, but didn’t receive my first callback until March 2024. Over time, I began refining my resume based on what the industry values and what it takes to stand out. That made all the difference. Here are some of the most important lessons I’ve learned: 1. Keep the Format Simple Avoid horizontal lines, text-heavy formatting, or excessive bolding. They clutter your resume and make it harder to read. Could you stick to one page? If you can’t explain your work clearly and concisely, you’re not ready to present it. 2. Don’t Just List Tools or Describe the Problem, Explain What You Did Many students focus too much on the business problem (“Built a dashboard for retail analytics”) and gloss over the engineering behind it. Even worse, some just list the tools used: “Used Python, Flask, and AWS to build a service that did X.” Instead, go deeper. What did your Flask service do, exactly? What challenges did you face? What decisions did you make? As engineers, we’re expected to show technical depth. If your resume can’t reflect that, you’ll struggle to stand out, especially for technical roles. 3. Be Realistic with Metrics Many resumes include lines like: “Improved model accuracy from 12% to 95%.” This kind of stat, usually influenced by generic advice from career centers or the internet, raises red flags. It often signals that the project wasn’t technically complex to begin with. Instead of inflating numbers, focus on what you improved, how you improved it, and why your work mattered. Strong technical framing > flashy percentages. 4. Clarity > Buzzwords You might write something like: “Leveraged CUDA for token-level optimization of transformer inference under real-time constraints.” It sounds cool, but what does it mean? This happens when people assume the reader will be as familiar with the project as they are. But if someone in your field has to guess what you did, you’ve already lost them. Don’t rely on buzzwords to do the talking; let clarity drive the message. 5. Your Resume Isn’t for You Your resume isn’t meant to impress you. It’s intended to communicate what you’ve done to people who don’t share your background. Most first-round reviewers aren’t ML engineers or CUDA developers. They often rely on keyword checklists and rubrics to decide which resumes move forward. The one thing that matters is: Can you clearly explain what you did and why it mattered? That’s it. Feel free to put your thoughts in the comments. Follow me for more advice!

Feeling the ground shift after recent semiconductor layoffs? It's a tough spot. Uncertainty can be unfamiliar and overwhelming. But remember: Your deep technical expertise is incredibly valuable, even when the market cycles. The immediate challenge? Translating that complex experience onto a resume that cuts through the noise. If you're wondering where to even begin, start here: Brain Dump First, Structure Later: Before stressing over formats, list everything. Don't filter yet! ·     Projects: Specific chips (design, verification, test, integration, etc.) ·     Process Nodes: Your hands-on experience (e.g., 10nm, 7nm, 5nm, 3nm+) ·     Methodologies and Tools: UVM, DFT, specific EDA tools (Cadence, Synopsys, etc.) ·     Key Achievements: Performance boosts, power reductions, yield improvements, efficiency savings, productivity increases. ·     Intellectual Property: Patents, publications, key presentations. Quantify Your Impact (Speak Their Language): Numbers resonate powerfully. Aim for specifics like: ·     Reduced power consumption by 23% while meeting performance targets. ·     Cut verification cycles by 4 weeks by implementing advanced UVM techniques. ·     Improved process yield by X% through [specific action]. (Even estimates are better than nothing!) Highlight Adaptability and Transferable Skills: The industry evolves fast. Show you can evolve too: ·     Experience across domains (Digital, Analog, Mixed-Signal, RF, Power, Process, Test). ·     Knowledge of emerging tech (Chiplets, Advanced Packaging, HBM, Silicon Photonics). ·     Familiarity with AI/ML hardware acceleration demands. ·     Proof of cross-functional work (Software, Systems, Manufacturing). Tailor Your Story: Your core skills can be angled differently. Customize your summary and highlighted achievements for: ·     IDMs vs. Fabless vs. Startups ·     EDA Vendors or IP Providers ·     Foundry Services ·     Specific Application Areas (Automotive, Data Center, IoT, Comms). What's the biggest hurdle you've found when translating your complex semiconductor experience onto a resume? Share your thoughts. This industry needs your talent. Your next great role is out there. I'm happy to connect if you need support from a career coach and professional resume writer. See my services described at ShimmeringCareers.com. #semiconductor #layoffs #jobsearch #careeradvice #resume #resumetips #hiring #engineering #vlsi #asic #soc #eda #foundry #fabless #ChipEngineers #TechLayoffs #Intel #AMD #HP #TSMC

Most people can’t land a better job because of one thing: Their resume. If you've been in the same role or company for years, recruiters may assume you’ve plateaued, even if you're solving harder problems than ever. Here’s how to make your resume 3x more effective (without changing jobs): 1. Highlight evolution, not repetition. Instead of repeating the same responsibilities under a long tenure, show how your scope expanded. → Led X → Mentored Y → Shaped Z. Growth over time = momentum. 2. Translate work into business value. Don’t just list what you built. Say what it changed. → “Improved API performance” → “Cut load time 42%, increasing user retention.” Show impact. Not tasks. 3. Frame internal wins as external proof. Shipped a tool that only your team uses? → Frame it as operational excellence. → Frame internal adoption as user traction. 4. Cut passive language. Avoid: “Responsible for...” Use: “Built,” “Led,” “Reduced,” “Shipped,” “Improved.” Every bullet should start with action. 5. Update your framing. Hiring managers want engineers who think beyond code. Frame cross-functional work. Show collaboration. Show ownership. You've done more than you think. You just need to show it like someone who belongs at the next level. Follow me for more content to help you land your next role.