If you ever used an application like Uber to request a car drive, a fintech application like Revolut to pay money to someone or a crypto wallet like Metamask to transfer crypto to another address then you know how important it is for these applications to run smoothly. A simple crash, especially in money-related applications can cause a lot of distress to users and companies alike. That's why platform engineers are extremely important. They spend hours developing, testing, and patching various software to make sure that they run smoothly and are crash-free.
A skilled platform engineer optimizes the latest software in the development field to make sure that applications are user-friendly, easy to navigate and responsive to future updates. They need to be constantly aware of what's happening in their field to be able to keep up with the digital revolution happening everywhere. Most platform engineers will have graduated from computer science/engineering universities. While a few software engineers manage to stand out without having a formal degree that is related to the field, in general, most software engineers have smoother transitions in their careers when they are holding a bachelor's degree related to computer science/engineering.
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A platform engineer is a specialist in a certain platform such as Unix who develops tools on this platform, experiments with various software and optimizes the toolchain of such platforms to ensure sustainability. They pave the way for application developers to be able to deliver easy-to-use applications that ensure customer satisfaction.
In this resume, the engineer successfully demonstrated how they managed to reduce costs and expenditures in addition to boosting workflow for their company which is extremely beneficial, especially for start-ups. They have also demonstrated with numbers and percentages the kind of impact their work had on operations in their company which proves how vital they are to any platform engineering team.
Participating in software competitions can be a particularly good method to highlight skills early in your career, especially if you have no work experience to demonstrate that. Kaggle competitions are an excellent example as they usually help winners get some exposure from well-known recruiters in the software field.
Being a software engineer doesn't necessarily mean working in software development in random companies. You should be focused on a single niche, which in the case of this resume, is career training and recruitment companies. Being able to niche down and work in something you are passionate about is vital for success as it allows you to be creative in your position.
A DevOps platform engineer is familiar with multiple coding languages such as Java, JavaScript, Ruby, Python, PHP, Bash, etc. They are also familiar with various automation tools. They optimize their knowledge to increase productivity in the workplace by creating shortcuts for employees that save time and energy. In addition to that, they constantly create, review and update system software and analyze data to help in building new tools and infrastructure. Furthermore, they constantly experiment with systems to identify product problems and ensure they are eliminated to ensure that customers’ experience is smooth and positive.
Your resume should reflect how you manage to use what you have learned to develop your career path. If you have a bachelor's degree in system designs, make sure to display what kind of systems you designed and what kind of impact they had on the companies you worked with. Also, make sure that this impact is quantifiable.
Many times, interviewers will ask you about what is the best tool for doing a certain job. Make sure to explain in your answer why you specifically chose a certain tool. Fire away any questions you have at the interviewer too and mention a couple of recommendations. The point here is to show that you are up to date with the latest developments in the field.
We spoke with hiring managers at top companies like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure to gather their best advice for Platform Engineer resumes. The following tips will help you create a resume that stands out and showcases your skills and experience in the best possible light.
Platform Engineers work extensively with cloud platforms, so it's crucial to showcase your expertise in this area. Be specific about the platforms you've worked with and the projects you've completed.
Avoid being vague or generic about your cloud experience, like this:
A resume summary for a Platform Engineer role is optional. Your resume should already summarize your key qualifications at a high level, so a summary is not always necessary. However, a summary can be useful to provide additional context about your career goals or highlight details that may not be obvious from the rest of your resume, especially if you are changing careers or have extensive experience. Avoid using an objective statement, as it focuses on your wants rather than how you can contribute to the company.
When writing your Platform Engineer resume summary, aim to keep it concise - no more than a short paragraph. Focus on your most relevant technical skills, experience with specific platforms or tools, and key accomplishments. Avoid simply repeating information already covered in your work experience section. While you may be tempted to mention soft skills like being a team player or having a strong work ethic, it's best to demonstrate these qualities through your achievements rather than stating them outright.
The work experience section is the core of your resume. It's where you detail your career history and show hiring managers what you've achieved in previous roles. When writing this section, focus on your most recent and relevant experience first.
In this section, we'll break down everything you need to know to write an effective work experience section step-by-step, with examples from real platform engineer resumes.
The education section of your resume is important, even if you're an experienced platform engineer. It shows hiring managers that you have the necessary foundation to excel in the role. Here are some tips to make sure your education section is effective and tailored to your platform engineering resume.
Your bullet points on a platform engineering resume should display how you used your technical skills to positively impact the workflow in your company or how you helped create a new system that improved workflow or saved valuable time.
Here is a list of action verbs that are both technical and proactive. They can be used to highlight the progress you have done in your past experiences that can help you land the next job. Make sure not to repeat the same word twice on your resume.
For more related action verbs, visit Engineering Action Verbs.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
When you're creating your resume for a platform engineering job make sure to include the right skills that are relevant today. This field changes constantly and many past skills become irrelevant so make sure that all the skills you list are relevant today and are in demand.
Make sure that any skills you include are relevant to your area of expertise and the job you're applying for. Also, tailor your resume to highlight how you've used such skills to create impact in various systems.
Here is a list of skills which are relevant to platform engineering that you can include on your resume:
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Platform Engineer job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
