Charles Esther
Maulik Suchak, a lead software engineer, is no stranger to the power of a well-crafted résumé. His résumé helped him land job offers from top tech companies, including roles at Yelp and one of the Magnificent 7 tech firms.
In his journey, he gained invaluable insights from reviewing hundreds of résumés, which he used to refine his own.
Suchak co-created a résumé-building platform, CVsIntellect, which helped users craft better résumés by focusing on content and structure.
Building a Résumé Platform to Help Others
In 2013, at the age of 23, Maulik Suchak co-founded CVsIntellect with another engineer. The platform aimed to simplify the résumé-building process by offering more than just résumé generation. It guided users toward crafting stronger content and better structure. As the platform grew, Suchak reviewed thousands of résumés, which provided him with deep insights into what makes a résumé stand out.
The platform’s success helped Suchak understand both the content and presentation aspects of résumés. He learned how different audiences interpret the same information and what gets noticed by recruiters.
How Résumé Insights Led to Job Offers
Suchak used the knowledge he gained from his résumé platform to refine his job-search materials. By analyzing how hiring managers think, he learned how to position himself effectively. His résumé became more than just a list of jobs; it told a story of his career growth, focusing on impact and clarity.
His approach paid off when he landed multiple job offers from major tech companies like Microsoft and Yelp. He eventually accepted an offer from Yelp, where he moved to San Francisco and worked as an engineering manager.
Mentorship and Continuous Learning
As Suchak advanced in his career, he started mentoring others and reviewing their résumés. Each résumé he reviewed added to his mental library of patterns — what works and what doesn’t. He also expanded his research to include LinkedIn profiles, GitHub READMEs, and personal portfolios to understand how engineers at top companies present their experiences.
Suchak’s research and mentoring gave him a better understanding of what makes a strong résumé in the tech industry.
Landing a Job at a Magnificent 7 Tech Company
In 2019, Suchak began applying to Big Tech jobs, including several Magnificent 7 companies. He reached the final round of interviews at companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon, and eventually accepted a role at his current Magnificent 7 company.
His résumé played a crucial role in landing this job. By telling a clear and compelling story of his career progression and impact, he caught the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.
5 Key Résumé Strategies for Big Tech Success
Suchak’s résumé helped him land multiple job offers, and he shared the strategies that made it successful. Here are the five résumé strategies that he believes contributed most to his success:
1. Show Clear Impact of Work and Projects, Not Just Tasks
Each bullet point on Suchak’s résumé included tangible results and metrics. Rather than just listing tasks, he highlighted what changed because of his work. For example, he didn’t just say, “Worked on improving Yelp’s sign-up page,” but instead wrote, “Improved sign-up pages, leading to 2X higher conversion rates through A/B testing.”
2. Tell a Precise Story of Career Growth
Suchak’s résumé wasn’t just a list of jobs; it was a narrative of career progression. He highlighted the impact of his early roles and showed how he grew in responsibility, skillset, and leadership as his career advanced.
3. Stay Clear, Concise, and To-the-Point — Aim for 1 Page
Suchak’s résumé was concise and easy to scan. He avoided long descriptions and buzzwords, ensuring that each bullet point was one to two lines at most.
This made it easy for recruiters to quickly understand his strengths and experience.
4. Favor Projects Over Certifications
Rather than emphasizing technical certifications, Suchak focused on real-world projects.
He linked to live projects or GitHub repositories, which demonstrated his initiative, technical depth, and problem-solving abilities.
5. Remember Readability and Formatting
Suchak emphasized the importance of résumé formatting. A clean, readable résumé makes a professional first impression.
He used clear fonts, consistent spacing, and section headers, avoiding dense blocks of text. This made the résumé easy to read, even for a busy recruiter.
Reflecting on His Résumé
Although Suchak’s résumé helped him land a job at a top tech company, he still sees areas for improvement.
In hindsight, he would have highlighted more personal projects and provided even more specific metrics.
Additionally, he now believes in customizing résumés for each job application, a lesson he learned through trial and error.
Conclusion
Maulik Suchak’s résumé story is a testament to the power of crafting a clear, concise, and impactful narrative.
By focusing on the results of his work, showing his career growth, and prioritizing readability, he was able to catch the attention of top recruiters in Big Tech.
His experience offers valuable lessons for anyone looking to create a résumé that stands out in the competitive tech industry.
