Job Search Toolkit
Resume templates, real application funnel data and portfolio projects that get you hired.
Applicant Tracking System - software that screens resumes before humans see them
- •Use standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills)
- •Avoid tables, text boxes, headers/footers
- •Use standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman)
- •Save as .docx or PDF (not .pages or .odt)
- •Include keywords from job description naturally
- •Use full acronyms once (Natural Language Processing (NLP))
- •Avoid graphics, logos, photos (except header)
- •Use bullet points, not paragraphs
Keyword matching: ATS scans for keywords from job description
Resume Templates
Career Switcher to ML Engineer
Machine Learning Engineer
Backend Engineer transitioning to ML
- ✓Lead with ML projects and skills
- ✓Quantify everything (numbers, percentages, scale)
- ✓Show GitHub and portfolio prominently
- ✓Tailor resume to each job (use their keywords)
- ✓Keep it 1 page (2 pages max if 10+ years experience)
- ✓Use clean, ATS-friendly formatting
- ✓Proofread for typos (auto-reject if sloppy)
- ✗Don't lead with old non-ML work
- ✗Don't list every technology you touched once
- ✗Don't use fancy formatting (ATS can't parse it)
- ✗Don't lie about skills (you'll be tested)
- ✗Don't include irrelevant experience (waiter job 10 years ago)
- ✗Don't use generic summaries ('hardworking team player')
- ✗Don't forget to update LinkedIn to match
New Grad ML Engineer
Junior ML Engineer / ML Engineer I
Recent CS grad or bootcamp grad
Senior ML Engineer
Senior ML Engineer / Staff ML Engineer
5-10 years ML experience
Common Resume Mistakes
No GitHub link or projects
ML is hands-on - no projects = no credibility
Fix: Add GitHub prominently, showcase 3-5 projects
Listing skills you barely know
You'll be tested in interview and fail
Fix: Only list skills you can discuss in depth
Generic, non-quantified bullets
Can't assess impact or level
Fix: Add numbers: X% improvement, Y users, Z scale
2+ page resume for junior role
Recruiters spend 6 seconds per resume
Fix: Keep it 1 page, be ruthless about what's relevant
Fancy formatting that breaks ATS
Never reaches human reviewer
Fix: Use simple, clean formatting