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Engineering video

29:16 · 10 September 2026

why your developer resume is NOT getting interviews (and how to fix it)

Chapters 8 sections

  1. 0:00What Makes a Software Engineering Resume Stand Out
  2. 0:58Resume #1: Front-End Engineer
  3. 7:30Resume #2: Senior Full-Stack Engineer
  4. 13:39Resume #3: Front-End Developer

Key concepts in this video:

1. ATS Compatibility and Phone Numbers

Ensure you include a phone number with your local area code so ATS systems and recruiters recognize you as a local candidate rather than an unwanted remote applicant.

Watch section from 1:07 →

2. Resume Length and Experience Levels

Resumes with five or more years of experience should span two pages rather than being crammed onto a single page, which incorrectly signals a recent graduate mindset.

Watch section from 2:00 →

3. Resume Section Ordering

Place your professional experience near the top for human recruiters to see immediately, while moving technical skills to the bottom for ATS keyword matching.

Watch section from 2:20 →

4. Translating Job Titles for the Market

Avoid internal company nomenclature like 'technologist' or raw junior/intern titles that hurt your market value; use standard industry tracking titles like front-end engineer or developer.

Watch section from 5:57 →

5. Avoiding AI-Generated Walls of Text

Do not use AI-generated walls of text or overly verbose bullet points, as recruiters will quickly spot them, get bored within 30 seconds, and reject the application.

Watch section from 7:37 →

6. Signaling Seniority and Omitting Junior Traps

Omit irrelevant personal details like driving licenses or terms like 'apprentice' and 'enthusiasm' that signal junior status, focusing instead on senior-level outcomes and skills.

Watch section from 9:50 →

7. Expressive Bullet Points Over Metric Clichés

Write concrete, expressive bullet points detailing actual practices like clean code, design patterns, and solid principles instead of relying on meaningless percentage metrics.

Watch section from 23:46 →

8. Tracking Application Batches

Treat job hunting scientifically by tracking applications, maintaining stable resume versions, and applying in batches of at least 50 to measure response conversion rates.

Watch section from 26:54 →

Transcript

you'll be looking at an empty inbox three months from now. How does that sound? Okay? This is serious. This is life of that. This is the most important document. As well as from your passport. I know you written it with AI. And there's a mental thing that happens, which is, why would I bother reading something you didn't bother writing? Nobody cares about this. I have 30 seconds to find a great candidate.