NAME — City, Country | email@domain.com | linkedin.com/in/name | github.com/name

--- SUMMARY (3-4 lines) ---
Results-driven [Title] with [X] years experience in [skills].
Specialized in [area]. Proven track record of [achievement].

--- EXPERIENCE ---
Company Name | Job Title | Start - End
• [Strong verb] + [what you did] + [result with numbers]
• Built REST API that reduced response time by 60%
• Led team of 5 engineers to deliver product 2 weeks early
• Increased test coverage from 40% to 92%

--- EDUCATION ---
Degree, Major | University | Year | GPA (if strong)

--- SKILLS ---
Languages: Python, JavaScript, SQL
Frameworks: React, Node.js, Django
Tools: Git, Docker, AWS, PostgreSQL

--- PROJECTS ---
Project Name | github.com/link
Brief description + tech used + impact

Subject: Application for [Job Title] — [Your Name]

[Today's Date]

Dear [Hiring Manager Name / 'Hiring Team'],

PARAGRAPH 1: Hook + why THIS company
'I am applying for the [Role] at [Company]. Having followed [Company's]
work on [specific product/mission], I am excited by [specific reason].'

PARAGRAPH 2: Your strongest achievement (with numbers)
'In my previous role at [Company], I [achieved X] resulting in [Y impact].
This experience directly maps to your need for [job requirement].'

PARAGRAPH 3: Why you + what you bring
'My experience with [tech/skills] combined with [soft skill] positions me
to [specific contribution to team/company].'

PARAGRAPH 4: Close
'I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how I can contribute to
[Company]'s [mission/goal]. Thank you for your consideration.'

Best regards,
[Your Name]

STAR = Situation → Task → Action → Result

Q: 'Tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation.'

S (Situation): 'Our production server went down 2 hours before a product demo.'
T (Task): 'I was the on-call engineer responsible for restoring service.'
A (Action): 'I identified the cause (memory leak in new deployment),
             rolled back the release, monitored metrics, then deployed
             a hotfix with the memory issue resolved.'
R (Result): 'Server was back up in 45 minutes. The demo ran successfully.
             I later added automated memory threshold alerts.'

'Tell me about yourself'
→ 2-min version of your career story: past, pivot, present, future.
   Don't just recite resume. Connect your background to this role.

'Why do you want to work here?'
→ Research! Mention specific product/mission/tech. Never say 'for the salary.'

'What's your greatest weakness?'
→ Real weakness you've actively worked on. Show growth.
   'I used to struggle with public speaking — I joined Toastmasters
    and now present at team meetings regularly.'

'Where do you see yourself in 5 years?'
→ Show ambition that aligns with company growth. Be honest, not robotic.

'Why are you leaving your current job?'
→ Be positive. Focus on growth, not negativity about current employer.
   'I'm looking for more ownership/scale/technical challenge.'

'Tell me about a failure.'
→ Real failure. Own it. Focus on what you learned and changed.

RESEARCH FIRST:
  Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, LinkedIn Salary, PayScale
  Know: market rate, your range, company's budget range

NEGOTIATION SCRIPTS:
Them: 'What are your salary expectations?'
You:  'Based on my research and experience, I'm targeting
       $X-Y. Is that in line with your budget?'

Them: 'We can offer $X'
You:  'Thank you! Based on my [X years] of experience with
       [specific skills], I was expecting closer to $Y.
       Is there flexibility?' (then be quiet)

Them: 'That's our best offer'
You:  'Would you consider a signing bonus or extra PTO?
       Or a 6-month review for a raise?'

RULES:
• Always negotiate. 70% of employers expect it.
• Never give a number first. Let them anchor.
• Get the offer in writing before resigning.
• Consider total comp: salary + equity + bonus + benefits

DATA STRUCTURES to know:
Array, String, LinkedList, Stack, Queue, HashMap,
Tree, BST, Graph, Heap, Trie

ALGORITHMS to know:
Binary Search, Two Pointers, Sliding Window,
BFS, DFS, Dynamic Programming, Sorting,
Recursion, Backtracking, Greedy

APPROACH:
1. UNDERSTAND: Repeat problem, ask clarifications
   'What's the range of input? Can there be duplicates? Should I optimize for time or space?'
2. EXAMPLES: Walk through 2-3 examples
3. BRUTE FORCE: Start simple, state time/space complexity
4. OPTIMIZE: Can we do better? Think about patterns.
5. CODE: Write clean code, narrate your thinking
6. TEST: Trace through examples, edge cases (empty, null, one element)

SPEAK WHILE YOU CODE — interviewers want to see your thinking process

Hi [Name], I came across your profile and noticed your work on
[specific project/company]. I'm also interested in [same area] and
would love to connect and learn from your experience.
[Your name]