🚀 Get Hired
Your complete guide to landing your dream platform engineering role. From crafting the perfect resume to negotiating your offer, we've got you covered.
What's Inside
💼 Job Search Strategy
Strategic approach to finding opportunities:
- Writing a standout platform engineering resume
- Building an impressive portfolio
- Networking effectively in the tech community
- Finding hidden job opportunities
🏢 Company Research
Know before you apply:
- FAANG interview processes decoded
- Startup vs enterprise culture comparison
- Remote-first company insights
- Compensation research and benchmarks
💰 Offer & Negotiation
Maximize your outcome:
- Understanding total compensation packages
- Negotiation tactics that work
- Comparing multiple offers
- Making the final decision
Your Job Search Timeline
Week 1-2: Preparation
- Update resume with platform engineering keywords
- Create/update GitHub portfolio
- Update LinkedIn profile
- List target companies
Week 3-4: Application
- Apply to 3-5 positions daily
- Customize cover letters
- Track applications
- Follow up appropriately
Week 5-8: Interview Process
- Phone screens
- Technical interviews
- On-site/virtual loops
- Thank you notes
Week 9-12: Decision Time
- Evaluate offers
- Negotiate compensation
- Check references
- Make your choice
Platform Engineering Job Market
📈 Current Trends (2024-2025)
- High Demand: 87% of companies investing in platform teams
- Remote Opportunities: 65% offer remote/hybrid
- Competitive Salaries: 25% above traditional ops
- Growth Potential: Clear path to staff/principal
🔥 Hot Skills
- Kubernetes (mentioned in 76% of jobs)
- Terraform/IaC (72%)
- Cloud Platforms (68%)
- Python/Go (65%)
- CI/CD (61%)
💼 Role Variations
- Platform Engineer
- Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
- DevOps Engineer
- Infrastructure Engineer
- Cloud Engineer
- Production Engineer
Success Stories
From Sysadmin to Platform Engineer
"Used this guide to transition from traditional sysadmin to platform engineering at a unicorn startup. 70% salary increase!" - Sarah K.
New Grad Success
"Landed a platform role at FAANG straight from college by focusing on the projects suggested here." - Alex T.
Career Switcher
"Moved from backend dev to platform engineering. The interview prep was spot on!" - Michael R.
Quick Wins
Resume Power Words
- Automated
- Scaled
- Architected
- Optimized
- Implemented
- Migrated
Portfolio Projects That Impress
- Kubernetes Operator: Shows deep k8s knowledge
- CI/CD Pipeline: Demonstrates automation skills
- Monitoring Stack: Proves observability understanding
- IaC Modules: Highlights reusability thinking
Interview One-Liners
- "I reduced deployment time by 80% through automation"
- "I implemented SLOs that improved reliability to 99.9%"
- "I built a platform that enabled 50+ developers"
- "I saved $100k/year through cost optimization"
Common Questions
Q: Do I need cloud certifications?
A: Helpful but not required. Experience trumps certs.
Q: Which companies pay the most?
A: FAANG, unicorns, and fintech typically lead.
Q: How long is the interview process?
A: 2-6 weeks typically, longer for senior roles.
Q: Should I learn multiple clouds?
A: Master one deeply, know others conceptually.
Your Action Plan
Today
- Update your resume
- Clean up your GitHub
- Set up job alerts
This Week
- Complete one portfolio project
- Practice elevator pitch
- Connect with 5 people on LinkedIn
This Month
- Apply to 50+ positions
- Complete mock interviews
- Attend virtual meetups
- Get resume reviewed
Ready to start your job search? Begin with Job Search Strategy →