0 callbacks from 60 internship applications, roast my resume (described, not attached)
Olivia Martin@liv_codes
ok so ive applied to like 60 summer internships and gotten 0 interviews. not even rejections from most of them, just silence. heres what my resume looks like rn:
- two column template i found online, with a skills bar chart (python 80%, java 70% lol)
- a "relevant coursework" section with 9 courses
- "proficient in" python, java, c, c++, rust, javascript, typescript, react, sql, go, haskell, docker, git, linux
- 3 projects: a todo app, a discord bot, and a rust cli that converts csv to json
- the projects just say what they are, not really what i did
gpa is decent. i do have a github but the repos have no readmes. pls be honest i can take it (i cannot take it but pls be honest anyway)
Accepted answer
Honest but kind version, from someone who has screened a lot of these:
1. Drop the two-column template and the skill bars. Applicant tracking systems often parse two columns badly, and "80% Python" means nothing to a reader. Single column, plain.
2. 14 languages reads as zero languages. List the 3 or 4 you could be interviewed on tomorrow.
3. Cut the coursework, keep 2-3 projects, and write each bullet as what you built, how, and what happened. "Built a Rust CLI that streams large CSV files to JSON without loading them into memory" beats "CSV to JSON converter".
4. Add READMEs with a screenshot and how to run it. Some reviewers click, make it worth the click.
5. Tailor the top third to each role. 60 identical applications is a lottery, 20 tailored ones is a strategy.
Written by
Olivia Martin
final year cs student @ toronto. looking for a summer internship (hire me pls). currently obsessed with rust and making my resume not look like a resume
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Rachel Kim@rachelkim
Honest but kind version, from someone who has screened a lot of these:
1. Drop the two-column template and the skill bars. Applicant tracking systems often parse two columns badly, and "80% Python" means nothing to a reader. Single column, plain.
2. 14 languages reads as zero languages. List the 3 or 4 you could be interviewed on tomorrow.
3. Cut the coursework, keep 2-3 projects, and write each bullet as what you built, how, and what happened. "Built a Rust CLI that streams large CSV files to JSON without loading them into memory" beats "CSV to JSON converter".
4. Add READMEs with a screenshot and how to run it. Some reviewers click, make it worth the click.
5. Tailor the top third to each role. 60 identical applications is a lottery, 20 tailored ones is a strategy.
Olivia Martin@liv_codes
"14 languages reads as zero languages". ok that one hurt in a useful way. rewriting tonight
Tomasz Kowalski@tomasz_k
Haskell. In internship resume. I respect it, but recruiter will think you are lying or you are dangerous. Both bad.
Grace Wanjiru@grace_wanjiru
Also, the discord bot can be a great project if you say who used it. "Used by 300 students in our CS server" turns a toy into evidence. Numbers make people stop scrolling.
Olivia Martin@liv_codes
update!! rewrote everything with these tips. one column, 4 languages, bullets with numbers, readmes with gifs. 2 interviews booked already. ily all