MLE rejected without phone screen
I am a DS with phd in non-CS and 1.5 YOE, and I am trying to switch to MLE because I like technical work better than analytics. I've done ~170 LC over the past 6 months. I applied to many companies in NY for MLE role, but I keep getting rejected even before phone screen (ex. Twitter, Dropbox, etc.). I think that's because my resume is still look like DS. I mostly talked about ML projects, and my main tech stack is python and Tensorflow. For these MLE roles, do you know if they look for people with actual SWE background with CS degrees? (as oppose to my physics background) I am also considering applied scientist/research scientist, but I've heard that the bar is higher. I would appreciate any advise from those who are familiar with MLE, DS, AS, RS roles. Thanks, TC 160k
Are you getting referrals? Referrals can really help. You can try reaching out to recruiters too. It's their job to receive spam from unqualified candidates like you. Having a physics background makes it unlikely that your application would be selected. Did you go to a famous school? Yes, it would help a lot of you had some CS background as the bulk of the work of an MLE is engineering.
Thanks for comment. I wasn’t sure about the distinction between MLE and DS. I was thinking that MLE is similar to DS with more engineering skills. It sounds like they are SWE with more ML knowledge. Perhaps I should apply for applied scientist positions for core ML work..
Yeah, it looks like you want the applied scientist position. It will still be hard for you to get noticed though. It is usually a pretty competitive position. Maybe some startup that is desperate might give you a chance.