Lessons from my experience of getting my resume shortlisted at AWS
4 simple steps to get your resume shortlisted at your dream company
I had zero cloud experience and still I got my resume shortlisted at AWS. You can get it too at your dream company!
Prior to my AWS interview, I submitted by resume to countless companies and got a chance to interview with 8 of them.
Frankly, at that time, I was not sure why other companies did not shortlist my resume and the 8 companies did.
And I get it, there is no easy way for recruiters to shortlist candidates when there are over 1000 applicants for a specific job role.
On a lighter note, like this Reddit thread, I thought probably I got lucky with only 8 companies and unlucky with rest of them :)
But then, unexpected happened.
I got a call from a recruiter at AWS for the initial screening of my profile.
I was thrilled because I was able to get my resume shortlisted.
There is a difference between the two:
My resume got shortlisted
I got my resume shortlisted
My resume got shortlisted means I got lucky!
I got my resume shortlisted means I have put efforts to make it happen.
In this article, I will focus on 4-step process that worked for me to get my resume shortlisted at AWS and learnings from it that you can use to get your resume shortlisted to the companies you are applying for.
The 4-Step Process
Find the right role
Update resume based on job role
Build network to get a referral
Be candid with the recruiter
In each section, I’ll share my experience and a key takeaway for you to help to get your resume shortlisted.
1. Find the right role
I often see people taking the easy route (I was the same) and applying for roles randomly, hoping they will land somewhere. They do not put in the required effort to shortlist the right roles for themselves.
🙋 My experience
I come from a .NET development background. I never thought there would be an opening at AWS that would suit my profile. I had to browse through hundreds of roles to find the roles that match my profile.
I shortlisted two roles:
Software Development Engineer (job role mentioned programming experience required in any language, including .NET)
Solutions Architect, Microsoft Developer Tools on AWS (job role mentioned experience required with .NET and Microsoft workloads stack)
And my referrer referred me to just one role.
Consider it luck or due diligence. The recruiter called to evaluate me for that one role I got a referral for.
💁 What most people do
Let me tell you a contrasting story.
After joining AWS, one of my LinkedIn connection reached out asking me to refer them. I agreed, and they provided me with a list of 20 roles I should be referring them to. Obviously no one is going to refer anyone for 20 roles, so I asked them to narrow it down to 3 roles max.
Out of curiosity, I asked if they have applied for AWS before. The person shared a screenshot that showed they have applied for 52 roles over a past year and have not got shortlisted for even one. I asked the rationale behind applying for so many roles and they said, “The more roles I apply for, the more chances of my resume will be picked up by someone. Right?”
Now, that is logical! I can’t argue with that. The probability is definitely more. But still it’s a probability and definitely it was not working in the candidate's favor. So, my advice is to always put in effort to find the right role before applying.
💡 Takeaway
It takes time and effort to narrow down the role you want to actually apply for instead of applying for all suitable roles. Do your due diligence.
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2. Update resume based on job role
There are a lot of tips on resume building on the internet, so I’m not going to focus too much on it here.
However, please avoid following common mistakes I have seen people doing.
❌ Mistakes to avoid
I need to make a 1-page resume so let me cramp 3 page content into 1 page by lowering the font size and the margins.
My resume needs to have all possible keywords in the world for my resume to get shortlisted.
When I say I customize my resume based on job role, I mean I use the same generic cramped resume highlighting (in bold) the keywords that are there in the job description.
🙋 My experience
I had enough experience of getting rejected by applying randomly to roles using the generic resume that detailed my previous experience.
I realized I needed to highlight skills that were required for the role and not just the skills that I had based on my previous experience. And when I say highlight, I don’t mean making specific keywords bold. I mean getting rid of extra stuff in my resume.
All Amazon jobs have two sections: basic and preferred qualifications. I ensured my resume had keywords matching 100% of the basic qualifications and at least 30% of the preferred qualifications. Yes, the preferred qualifications section had one of the bullet points as “Experience working with AWS technologies”. I had none, but I was fine with the other qualifications required.
Best way I found is to have a main overarching resume. It can be as long as you wish with your skills and achievements in multiple disciples - like as an engineer, architect and as well as a project manager. I know we all have varied and diverse experience in our careers.
Pick and choose from this overarching resume the relevant content to create the resume for the role you are applying for. It has to be a different resume if you are applying for an architect role vs a manager role.
💡 Takeaway
Go through the job description thoroughly and ensure your resume is very specifically tailored to it. Highlight your experience around the key words mentioned in the job description.
3. Build network to get a referral
This is where your network and well-wishers help.
🙋 My experience
I was not even thinking of applying for AWS. Yes, I was applying for jobs and looking for a new role, but frankly not in FAANG companies. I always thought they were out of reach for someone like me.
One of my seniors, with whom I had a great rapport and who knew I was looking for a new job, encouraged me to apply to Amazon.
He introduced me to his friend working at Amazon and got me referred.
I did not network to get a referral. I got a referral because I had built a network.
Referral does not guarantee getting your resume shortlisted. But definitely it increases the chances.
Build meaningful connections with people who can vouch for you and refer you - that's how you defy luck and increase your chances.
💡 Takeaway
Build a network and allies who push you to be your best. Not just to get a referral.
4. Being candid in evaluation call with recruiter
It’s less frequent but I know few candidates who got dropped out at this stage as their experience did not match with the job profile.
🙋 My experience
I got a call from a recruiter to explain the role, understand my experience, and check my suitability for the role.
At this point, my resume was 90% shortlisted.
There was only one thing left to do - not screw up my chances in the evaluation call.
I had to convince the recruiter that I’m right fit for the role even though I had zero experience in cloud.
A couple of things that helped me were:
I asked a lot of questions about the role showing genuine interest.
I was candid that I had not worked on AWS, but I'm a quick learner, and I gave an example of how I have learned new technologies in the past on the job.
💡 Takeaway
Showcase your genuine interest in the role and make connection with the recruiter.
It’s just not luck
If you put in the hard work, then luck will favor you. Recruiters and hiring managers have a very hard job of selecting candidates. You can make it easy for them to select you by doing your due diligence.
In the Reddit thread screenshot I shared at the beginning of the article, one of the person shared how they narrowed down from 400 applicants to hire 1 person. So it’s just not luck. It’s about understanding the process!
🎯 Quick Recap
Use the 4 step process to get your resume shortlisted:
Find the right role - It takes time and effort to narrow down the role you want to actually apply for instead of applying for all suitable roles. Do your due diligence.
Update resume based on job role - Go through the job description thoroughly and ensure your resume is very specifically tailored to it. Highlight your experience around the key words mentioned in the job description.
Build network to get a referral - Build a network and allies who push you to be your best. Not just to get a referral.
Be candid with the recruiter - Showcase your genuine interest in the role and make connection with the recruiter.
📝 Other articles you might enjoy
How Failing Multiple Interviews Helped Me Create My Elevator Pitch For AWS Interview
8 Key Themes You Should Be Preparing For Your Behavioral Interviews
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