What OpenAI recruiters scan for
Across OpenAI job postings, three signals show up consistently: research depth and shipped work, prior collaboration with senior researchers, and published work or open-source contributions. Your resume should make each of these obvious within five seconds of skimming — that is the budget you have at this stage.
- research depth and shipped work
- prior collaboration with senior researchers
- published work or open-source contributions
How to format your resume
OpenAI resumes that perform well share four format properties. They are reverse-chronological, single-column, in a parseable font (Calibri, Arial, or Helvetica), and saved as a text-based PDF (not an image PDF and not a Word document). Keep the layout boring. Save the personality for the cover letter and the interview loop.
- •Lead the resume with the exact title you are applying for at OpenAI, mirrored from the posting.
- •Use reverse-chronological format with clear date ranges (mm/yyyy) and consistent company-then-role line ordering.
- •Quantify outcomes in 60-80% of bullets. OpenAI recruiters told us they discount unquantified bullets in their first pass.
- •Include a clean skills/tools section that mirrors the language of the OpenAI posting verbatim.
- •Save as a text-based PDF named with the structure: lastname-firstname-openai-resume.pdf.
- •Do not use a graphic header, photo, or icons. They are stripped and may break field parsing.
- •Do not use tables or text boxes for the experience section.
- •Do not list every job since college. Last 10-15 years is the bar at OpenAI.
- •Do not mass-apply with the same resume. OpenAI recruiters can see (and discount) duplicate-pattern submissions.
- •Do not pad the summary with adjectives — recruiters at OpenAI are scanning for facts.
Sample summary opener
A summary that performs at OpenAI reads like the one below — title-first, outcome-loaded, and free of filler adjectives.
OpenAI-ready ML engineer with 6+ years of experience driving measurable outcomes in ai & frontier environments. Track record of [insert your strongest 2-bullet outcomes here]. Comfortable owning ambiguous problems end-to-end and partnering with cross-functional stakeholders.
Frequently asked questions
What ATS does OpenAI use?
OpenAI runs Greenhouse or Ashby. The exact configuration varies by team, but the core parsing rules are the same: machine-readable, single-column, text-based PDF.
How long should my resume be for a role at OpenAI?
One page if you have under 10 years of experience, two pages if senior. OpenAI recruiters report that resumes longer than two pages are skimmed less, not more.
Does OpenAI require a cover letter?
Most OpenAI postings make the cover letter optional. Strong applicants write one anyway because it tilts the qualitative review.
Should I name-drop a OpenAI employee in my resume?
If the employee will refer you, ask them to do it through the official referral system. Putting their name on the resume itself does not help and can read as overreach.
How do I know if my resume is ATS-friendly for OpenAI?
Run it through a free ATS scoring tool. Aim for a score of 80 or higher before submitting to OpenAI.
Ready to apply to OpenAI?
Run your resume through our free ATS checker first. We score it in 10 seconds with no signup, then show you exactly what to fix.