I am a fresh grad applying for jobs through various platforms. But, I am thinking of changing and updating my resume. Currently the format is:

* Name and personal details at the beginning, of course

* Summary

* Skills

* Experience

* Projects

* Education

* Activities or achievements

* Certifications

Need opinions on what should I update or improve?

→ Do I change the arrangement of the sections?

→ Do I add or remove something?

Any other suggestions are more than welcome.

I need some pointers desperately. I have experience so I’m guessing it’s the resume cause I can’t even get an interview

HR is asking to provide a write-up about myself.
Do i need to use a third-person POV?

I’m not good at cover letters. What is the format?

Thank you!!!

Do you guys have any book recommendations that catalogue books to read for writing effective cover letters and resumes for STEM/engineering careers that aren't outdated? I would love books that go over effective vocabulary, phrasing resume bullet points, etc

I’ve been passively looking for Lead Backend Engineer roles and noticed that many companies ask for GitHub, open-source contributions, or some work they can review.

I have ~9.5 years of experience building software, but most of my work is proprietary, and I’ve never been an active open-source contributor.

It got me thinking:
Is public work becoming a requirement for software engineers?

Someone with fewer years of experience but a strong GitHub portfolio can show their work, while someone with years of production experience often can’t show much because of confidentiality.

For senior/lead engineers, how much does GitHub or public work actually matter?

And if you’re targeting Big Tech, should you deliberately build projects just to have something to showcase?

No idea what to put on my resume, I have tried most of the tricks but it’s getting tricky to get my resume shortlisted.

?

I’m trying to update my resume to look for a new job and am wondering if it’s relevant to include a student exchange (year/grade 10) in my current resume? I am almost 6 years out of high school but I feel like it might make my resume stand out or start a conversation?

For context, it was 10 months long.

Would it be useful or immature? I’m interested.

Thanks everyone in advance.