Applications

My application strategy is to prepare as much as I can before companies start posting so that:

1. The time it takes to apply for each position is minimized
2. Whenever an interview opportunity arises, I am prepared

In economic terms, my strategy has a high upfront cost, but minimal recurring costs.

Resume

How your experiences and achievements make you the best candidate for the position

Technical skills

• Copy vocabulary from job descriptions
• Organize skills into groups (i.e., languages, hardware, tools/frameworks)

Experiences

• 3-point structure
  1. Overview/context/ of the experience
  2. Result/achievement (ideally quantitative)
  3. What you specifically did/learned
• Recruiters don't look at a resume very long, and often read in an F-pattern
  • Clear sections and headers
  • Concise sentences
  • Phrase sentences so that keys words are at the beginning

Length

• 1 page for US or larger companies, 2 pages for Canada or smaller companies
• Shorten resume by cutting experiences: consider relevance to the position and similarity to other experiences
  • Can put everything on LinkedIn and link to your profile in the resume
  • Can have multiple resumes for different types of jobs (e.g., software, firmware, hardware)
• Lengthen resume by padding experiences: consider mentioning transferrable soft skills
  • For example, Agile methodologies, proactive/self-motivated nature, leadership, communication, documentation
• If you don't have many relevant experiences, considering adding sections on work/volunteer experience and non-technical interests to differentiate yourself from other applicants

Cover Letter

Quick to write, yet high quality & personalized

When to write cover letters

For larger companies with lots of applicants, cover letters may not be weighed as heavily in the application process. Some companies make cover letters optional, or outright do not accept them. Here are some factors to consider when deciding whether to write a cover letter for a particular job when it is optional to do so:

• How much time do you have? Although writing cover letters is time consuming, and the job search is often a matter of quantity, quality cover letters should never be detrimental to your application; at the very least, writing one demonstrates your desire for the job. Thus, prioritize writing cover letters for the jobs that you desire the most.
• How strong is your resume? If you do not have a lot of relevant experience, use a cover letter to explain how you are a good candidate for the job.

Format

1. Introduction
   • Passion for role
   • Passion for company products/services/achievements/work culture
   • Mention personal contacts and other interactions with the company you have had
   • General statement about what makes you a good fit
     • Include vocabulary from the job description
2. Body
   • Describe relevant experience using the START technique
     • Situation - scene and context
     • Task - goal
     • Action - what you specifically did
     • Result - achievement (make quantitative if possible), what you learned
     • Transfer - how what you learned can be used in the position you are applying for
3. Conclusion
   • Thank the hiring committee for their time
   • Include how they can arrange an interview

Create templates

To reduce the time it takes to write a cover letter, prepare a template for each type of position you want to apply to:

• Testing
• Web/Mobile Application Development
• Data Analyst
• Gaming
• Hardware
• DevOps/Infrastructure/Site Reliability
• Robotics/Controls

These templates will vary in the experience they describe in the body paragraph and maybe in the terms used in the introduction paragraph general statement.

Job Search

Manage your time effectively

Gather information

• Attend info sessions, workshops
• Reach out to people working at the company
  • Managers, recruiters, staff, interns
  • Learn about the industry, company, and their personal experiences
  • Ask them about open positions and referrals
  • Mention them in your cover letter

Analyze results

I kept track of my applications using a table similar to the one below. I use it to analyze the results of previous applications to determine which positions I should apply to next. For example, if I see that I did not have much success applying to positions with greater than # applicants, or that require xxxx skills, I would avoid applying to similar types of jobs in the future, or revise my resume and cover letter to strengthen those areas.

Position	Company	Application Deadline	Resume/CL Template	Technical Requisites	# Applicants	% Confidence	Status	Notes
Embedded Systems Engineer	Intel	01/11/21	Hardware	Verilog, Linux, C/C++, Python	37	20%	Rejected	Need more relevant experience

I recommend creating this tracker using a software like Notion or Excel so that you can sort by column.

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Last update: January 4, 2023