I reviewed 365 resumes this month. About 10% get a first screen since they fit the role. About 1% make it to the final rounds based on merit.
I also got around 100 LinkedIn messages. I read every one myself, no AI, and gave each a yes or a no.
The market is hard right now. Layoffs, AI, everyone moving. And a lot of people want to join Databricks (I’m biased). So here’s what I’d tell anyone looking, for my team or anywhere else.
1. Be kind to the hiring manager.
Most messages ask for a 1:1. I’d love to, but I run a business and a team. Even if I spent 40 hours a week on it, I couldn’t talk to everyone who reached out.
2. Be intentional about your career.
Pick the area you want to go into and start adding value there now. Post about it. Contribute to open source. Write a paper. Then when you reach out, you have a real story, even if your current job isn’t in that space. Asking AI to tailor your resume doesn’t get you that.
And read the job description honestly. A strong hardware optimization engineer isn’t automatically a fit for a pre-sales data and AI role. I want to see evidence, not just a story for why you could fit.
3. Use AI, but don’t send AI slop.
If your message is a long block of text straight out of ChatGPT or Claude, you didn’t take the time to think about what matters for the role, or to me. I usually pass. I want to see the person behind the profile, in your resume and in your message.
$. Avoid job hopping
One more thing: if you’ve changed jobs every 6 months, that’s a yellow flag for me. I look for people who stayed long enough to deliver and make an impact. If there’s a reason, tell me the story.
Bonus if you read until here -> to say thank you to this community, I’m blocking an hour every Friday until Thanksgiving for 15-minute career chats. I call them Giving Back Fridays. I have about 15 slots. Comment or DM below if you want one and I’ll message you to set it up.
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Yes, I dictated this with AI. But the thinking is mine, and I took the time to get it right.
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