Advice for job seekers on resumes and standing out
We're Ryan & Paige, and in our roles here at YC, we spend a lot of time with job seekers doing 1:1s and resume reviews. Below are our most common pieces of advice.
Resume: For each position on your resume, be sure to cover what, how and impact.
Lastly, do some spring cleaning. Remove side projects that don’t match the job, especially if there are more recent examples on your resume. For example, if you’re a lead of a team in your current role, having leadership roles from 10+ years ago in college isn’t as relevant. And trim down each position to 3-4 bullet points, maximum. It makes it easier for the recruiter/hiring manager to read it all, and shows that you can be concise and direct.
Cold outreach: Highlight 2-3 things you’d be excited to work on at the company — and why.
When applying to a position, be sure to suggest ways you’d be excited to contribute; include these suggestions on your resume, cover letter or in an intro email. Being a genuine user is a huge plus. These things can helps you stand out from the hundreds of other resumes in the recruiter’s inbox.
At Twitter, Ryan hired a few people who stood out because they showed initiative: suggesting strong product ideas/improvements, outlining plans for go-to-market, or even writing sample code showcasing skills and interest. And he practices this himself: when he interviewed at Lyft, he reversed engineered the API and built a small SDK to perform common tasks. It took a couple nights learning WireShark, but it ultimately helped him land the job.
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Most importantly, make sure that you personalize your outreach to the company you're apply to. Founders and recruiters get many messages a day, so they'll prioritize tailored messages.
Considering startups: Ask about runway & burn rate.
Many YC startups are well funded (some with $10M+ or $50M+ raised) and offer benefits and job security equal to more established companies. If you’re considering startups, know what to key points to ask about, like runway and burn rate.
You should be discussing these things with the founders at least at the offer stage, if not earlier. We tell YC founders to be transparent with this information, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it helps establish mutual trust. You should be wary of founders — YC or otherwise — who are not forthcoming and honest, as a reflection of what to expect later down the road.
Hopefully the above helps you stand out and get conversations going. We’ll continue to share more on job hunting, including interviewing and negotiating offers, through our posts and events, so follow us to get updates on future articles. And when you're ready to find your next role and chat with founders, join YC's Work at a Startup.
Project Manager
2 年This was extremely helpful!
Strategic Recruiter ?? Candidate Sourcing | Relationship Building | Process Improvement | Interviewing | Candidate Experience | Global Business | Staffing Agencies | Management | Onboarding
2 年Thanks for the tips!
Techlonogy Enthusiast @DataSciecne about #Python #Machine Learning #AI #Deep Learning
2 年Very knowledgeable and helpful
SEO Blueprint @ Google Ranking | Change Your SEO Outlook 2025
2 年Thanks for sharing these insights!