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Sonakshi Pandey didn’t always feel prepared for the roles she plays today.
After earning her master’s degree in computer science, she immediately landed a job as a software engineer at Amazon. For three years, she was doing what she loved: writing code.
“I was very shy, very introverted,” she told Business Insider. “She used to write code for eight hours straight with headphones on.”
One day, she came across a YouTube video of a technical expert talking in detail about databases. She admired his confident way of speaking.
“I want to do the same thing this guy is doing. I want to be on stage and speak confidently in front of a crowd,” she said.
This led her to change her role from software development to solution architecture at Amazon Web Services. This job requires more public speaking and client presentations.
After five years at Amazon, Pandey wanted to try working for other FAANG companies and applied to Microsoft and Google in 2021.
She shared the resume that helped her land an offer at Microsoft and the one she accepted at Google for a customer engineering position.
Pandey’s 2021 resume has landed him roles at Google and Microsoft.
Sonakshi Pandey
Looking back at her 2021 resume, Pandey said there were two unique aspects of the document that worked in her favor.
1. Writing an internal blog
While at AWS, she blogged on Amazon’s cloud computing page.
Blogging reflects thought leadership, so if you want to build your brand as an expert in any industry, publishing blog posts on a larger medium, such as a company website, is a great way to highlight your expertise. She said it helps.
Ms. Pandey said she would not publish some of her other public work, including her Instagram and YouTube career advice pages.
“I don’t want that to take attention away from my product manager skills,” she said.
2. A section on volunteering – even though her resume is two pages long.
Pandey’s volunteer section describes her mentorship project, which takes her resume beyond the normally recommended one-page rule. But adding that section was non-negotiable for Pandey, she said.
For her, this section reflects an important part of her journey in the technology industry. Although she dealt with imposter syndrome and was hesitant about public speaking, she now helps other women overcome the same issues. Pandey credits her transition to a mentor. On Amazon. “She recommended books to read and podcasts to listen to, which ultimately led me to get hooked on her work.”
The project she founded and led is a way for her to pay that money forward.
“This is a part of me that I feel is very important and that I want to share with everyone wherever I go,” she said. “That’s why I thought, “I don’t care if it’s two pages, this needs to be here.”
She said it also helped her in interviews. Pandey talks about her mentorship experience when recruiters ask scenario-based questions and discusses her work when interviewers give her time to introduce herself.
If she were to update the document today, she said, she would simply add her Google credentials and recent blogs, and strengthen the volunteering section with recent diversity and mentorship projects.
Pandey is currently a data and product manager in Google’s Seattle office. BI has verified her employment history.