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Software Engineer Career Resources

System design narratives, scope ladders, and impact metrics for Senior, Staff, and Principal roles.

Short answer: To land senior SWE roles, lead with system-level impact, show ownership of ambiguous problems, and demonstrate cross-team influence. Your resume should read like a technical decision log, not a task list.
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When to use this

Do this first if:

  • You're targeting Senior, Staff, or Principal IC roles
  • Your current resume lists technologies but not impact
  • You've led technical decisions but struggle to articulate them

Skip this if:

  • You're just starting your engineering career (< 2 years)
  • You're targeting management roles (see Engineering Manager hub)
  • Your current materials are already landing interviews

Senior SWE Signal Checklist

What hiring teams look for at senior+ levels

1
System ownership

Show you owned a system end-to-end, not just features within it.

2
Technical decision-making

Document tradeoffs you evaluated and why you chose your approach.

3
Scope and scale metrics

Include QPS, data volume, team size, or revenue impact where relevant.

4
Cross-team influence

Show how you aligned with product, design, or other engineering teams.

5
Mentorship signals

Even as an IC, show how you elevated others through code reviews or design docs.

Example

Before

Built microservices using Go and Kubernetes.

After

Designed and shipped a real-time event processing system handling 50K events/sec, reducing latency by 40% and enabling a new $2M product line.

The 'after' version shows system ownership, scale, and business impact—all senior-level signals.

Evidence

3 weeks

Average time to first interview for SWE clients with optimized positioning

Askia client data
40%

Of senior SWE roles are filled through referrals, not applications

Industry research
$47K

Average compensation increase negotiated for SWE clients

Askia client outcomes

Frequently asked questions

How long should a senior SWE resume be?

One to two pages. The first page should do most of the work—put your strongest impact bullets there.

Should I list all technologies I know?

No. Lead with impact and context. Technologies should support your story, not replace it.

How do I show Staff-level signal without the title?

Emphasize cross-team projects, technical direction, and decisions that affected multiple systems or teams.

Do I need a portfolio or GitHub for SWE roles?

For senior roles, your resume impact matters more. GitHub helps for early-career or if you have notable open-source work.

How do I prepare for system design interviews?

Practice articulating tradeoffs. Draw from real systems you've built and focus on 'why' over 'what'.

What's the difference between Senior and Staff expectations?

Senior owns features and systems. Staff owns technical direction across systems and influences org-wide decisions.

Ready to land your next SWE role?

Book a strategy call and get personalized feedback on your positioning.

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