The Resume Stack: How to Organize Multiple Versions
Most engineers don't fail because they're unqualified. They fail because the resume they sent didn't match the role that was hiring.
That mismatch is rarely dramatic. It's usually small, avoidable drift.
You apply to a backend role, but the resume you used last week leans full-stack. You swap a couple bullets, forget to update a date, and now you have two "truths" floating around. Two weeks later a recruiter replies and asks for the same resume again. You can't remember which file you sent.
Recruiters and hiring managers scan fast. If the first screen doesn't make the match obvious, you lose the opportunity before anyone gets to the interesting parts. Multiple sources put that first pass in seconds, not minutes [1], [2].
The fix isn't "write one perfect resume." The fix is to build a small system: a resume stack.