u/madlyinlou

https://preview.redd.it/z4f7804dvfbh1.png?width=1334&format=png&auto=webp&s=ae5d54e0771e95daaf66bb6bda9acb3523d83146

I am just not getting interviews at all. Please tear apart my resume, would love to get feedback I can work with!

Edit: Just a clarification. My official full-time role at the gas company is in IT support/operations, where I’ve been for over a year. I took that up because the job market was bad and I really needed a job to stay afloat. However, I’ve been actively working toward transitioning into SWE, so I started taking on engineering-focused work internally.

The project listed on my resume under that role is the internal tool I independently designed and developed after identifying workflow problems, while collaborating with developers at the company for guidance/integration. They’re not my primary day-to-day responsibilities, but they are real tools built in a professional environment.

The startup and research experiences are separate work I contribute to outside my full-time role, mostly because I’m trying to gain more software engineering and AI experience. I still consider them valuable because they involve real development, collaboration, and technical ownership.

Hi everyone!

I’m setting a goal for myself to become competitive for Google/Big Tech SWE roles around Jan–Feb (roughly 6 months from now), and I want to make sure I’m preparing the right way.

For context, I have a CS degree and about 1–2 years of software development experience. I’ve worked on full-stack projects and have professional engineering experience, but I don’t have a “big tech” name on my resume. I know the timeline is ambitious, but I genuinely believe consistent, focused preparation can make a big difference, and I want to give it my best shot.

From reading Reddit threads, blogs, and interview experiences, it seems like the biggest areas are:

• DSA / LeetCode
• System design
• Behavioral interviews
• Having strong projects + resume impact

I have the sys design interview prep books by Alex Xu, and then there's LeetCode for DSA. Tbh, my main concern is getting even the first interview. The resume, the connections, etc.

My questions:

1. Beyond DSA and system design, what else should I focus on over the next 6 months to maximize my chances? Or is there a specific strategy I should implement for these two?
2. Are there any “gold standard” resources you think are worth using? Books, courses, blogs, GitHub repos, mock interview platforms, anything.
3. How important is networking/referrals realistically? I see a lot of conflicting opinions. Do referrals significantly improve your chances of getting an interview, or is the resume still the main factor?
4. Following up on the previous question, for people who successfully networked into Big Tech without already having Big Tech experience, how did you approach it? Did you cold message engineers/recruiters on LinkedIn (or somewhere else?), build relationships over time, attend events, or do something else?
5. If my resume is decent but not exceptional, what are the highest ROI things I can do in the next few months to make it stronger?

I know there are no guarantees, and I’m okay with that. I just want to make sure that I spend the next 6 months doing the right things and leave no stone unturned.

Thanks in advance for any advice — I really appreciate it!

Hi everyone!

I’m setting a goal for myself to become competitive for Google/Big Tech SWE roles around Jan–Feb (roughly 6 months from now), and I want to make sure I’m preparing the right way.

For context, I have a CS degree and about 1–2 years of software development experience. I’ve worked on full-stack projects and have professional engineering experience, but I don’t have a “big tech” name on my resume. I know the timeline is ambitious, but I genuinely believe consistent, focused preparation can make a big difference, and I want to give it my best shot.

From reading Reddit threads, blogs, and interview experiences, it seems like the biggest areas are:

• DSA / LeetCode
• System design
• Behavioral interviews
• Having strong projects + resume impact

I have the sys design interview prep books by Alex Xu, and then there's LeetCode for DSA.

My questions:

1. Beyond DSA and system design, what else should I focus on over the next 6 months to maximize my chances? Or is there a specific strategy I should implement for these two?
2. Are there any “gold standard” resources you think are worth using? Books, courses, blogs, GitHub repos, mock interview platforms, anything.
3. How important is networking/referrals realistically? I see a lot of conflicting opinions. Do referrals significantly improve your chances of getting an interview, or is the resume still the main factor?
4. Following up on the previous question, for people who successfully networked into Big Tech without already having Big Tech experience, how did you approach it? Did you cold message engineers/recruiters on LinkedIn (or somewhere else?), build relationships over time, attend events, or do something else?
5. If my resume is decent but not exceptional, what are the highest ROI things I can do in the next few months to make it stronger?

I know there are no guarantees, and I’m okay with that. I just want to make sure that I spend the next 6 months doing the right things and leave no stone unturned.

Thanks in advance for any advice — I really appreciate it!