by Shivy Mannengi, an TDE intern
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all settling into the semester well – I know it’s been a busy first month. This is Shivy Mannengi, an intern in the TDE department at the WashU CCE. I wanted to introduce the brand new podcast/blog series I’ll be coordinating over the next year. This podcast/blog series will dive into the world of career prep. For example, we’ll have guests from our very own amazing career coaches all the way to WashU alumni who work at big tech companies such as Google, Uber, and Apple. I would highly recommend you listen in, read the blogs, and connect with our resources to kickstart your knowledge of the process, especially if you’re an underclassman! And what better way to start than with 5 tips for your technology, data, and engineering resumes! Here they are below:
1. Lead with results and real numbers: Start each bullet with your outcome, then show how you did it. Use metrics that are relevant in TDE positions such as latency, throughput, accuracy, cost saved, time saved, or users impacted.
2. Prove it with projects and links: Attach two or three projects that match the roles you want. For each of them, give one line on goal, stack, and impact, and link to a repo or demo.
3. Make your skills section targeted and organized: Group skills by category so their resume software can find them fast. Include languages, data analysis tools, frameworks, cloud, etc, ordered by strength and relevance to the job posting
4. Write bullets with the X using Y resulting in Z formula: Keep bullets concrete and role-specific, especially on team projects
5. Keep it clean, one page, and ATS friendly: Use a simple layout, consistent dates, and 10–12 pt font. You shouldn’t use text boxes, images, or columns that can confuse parsers. Put Education at the top and match keywords from the job description naturally within your bullets.
I hope that helps! I know all of you have wonderful experiences to talk about, but it’s important to communicate those on your resume in the most efficient way possible, so you have the chance to talk about your story in an interview. In the near future, look out for the first podcast with Brett DeHekker, a career coach at TDE, who talks through the importance of utilizing career resources and addresses some misconceptions students might feel. Good luck to everyone in their midterms!
