What to put on an AI engineer resume at tech companies · 220 roles · 90 days to Oct 16, 2026
Updated
In short
Of the 218 AI engineer roles at tech companies whose requirements we read in the 90 days to Oct 16, 2026, Python is required in 152 of 218 (70%), AI in 118 of 218 (54%) and LLMs in 118 of 218 (54%). Name the ones you have in your latest jobs, next to what you built with them.
- Degree required, no alternative
- 42 of 206 (20%)
- Of the roles we could read for it
The skills these postings ask for most
Counts are out of the 218 roles whose requirements we could read; the 10 asked for most in each list.
| Skill | Roles asking |
|---|---|
| Python | 152 of 218 (70%) |
| AI | 118 of 218 (54%) |
| LLMs | 118 of 218 (54%) |
| AI Agents | 93 of 218 (43%) |
| Machine Learning | 63 of 218 (29%) |
| RAG | 58 of 218 (27%) |
| AWS | 54 of 218 (25%) |
| Prompt Engineering | 53 of 218 (24%) |
| CI/CD | 47 of 218 (22%) |
| Generative AI | 46 of 218 (21%) |
| Skill | Roles asking |
|---|---|
| AI Agents | 32 of 218 (15%) |
| AI | 24 of 218 (11%) |
| Docker | 24 of 218 (11%) |
| Open Source | 23 of 218 (11%) |
| Kubernetes | 22 of 218 (10%) |
| RAG | 22 of 218 (10%) |
| AWS | 21 of 218 (10%) |
| Model Evaluation | 21 of 218 (10%) |
| LLMs | 20 of 218 (9%) |
| LangChain | 19 of 218 (9%) |
What to put first
Lead with Python, AI and LLMs
They are the required skills named most, with their counts in the table above. Put the ones you have in your skills line and in the bullets of your latest job, each next to what you did with it.
Then AI Agents and Docker, if you have them
Preferred, not required: AI Agents in 32 of 218 (15%) and Docker in 24 of 218 (11%). Add them where they are true; leaving one out costs less than claiming it.
Make 5+ years easy to count
Among roles that state years, 101 of 155 (65%) ask for at least 5 years. Give every job a start and end month and year, so a reader can add them up.
Education can go last
42 of 206 (20%) roles require a degree with no alternative; the rest accept experience instead, prefer one or do not mention it. Lead with your work.
Going for senior? Show Prompt Engineering
Prompt Engineering is required in 11 of 53 (21%) mid-level roles and 19 of 64 (30%) senior roles. If you have done that work, say where.
What changes by level
The AI engineer career path compares each level with the next: the required skills that rise, the years asked and the median stated pay where it shows.
Bullet patterns
Replace every bracket with your own facts. Keep only numbers you can explain in an interview.
Pattern, not a real resume
Built [system] that [what it does] for [team or users], using Python; [metric] after [time].
Pattern, not a real resume
Used AI to cut [metric] from [before] to [after] by [change you made].
Pattern, not a real resume
Applied LLMs to [problem], which [made it cheaper, faster or more reliable] by [amount].
Pattern, not a real resume
Led [project] with [number] people across [teams]; shipped [outcome] in [time].
Gaps to check before you send it
A required skill you use but never name
If you work with Python and AI but your bullets only say what the product did, a reader looking for the skill will not find it. Name it where you used it.
Dates that do not add up
Most roles that state years ask for at least 5 years. Missing months, overlaps and unexplained gaps make that hard to count.
Bullets without an outcome
A bullet that names a tool but not what changed reads as a list of tasks. Add what moved and by how much, or what shipped.
Work at the next level, hidden by a title
Senior roles ask for Prompt Engineering and CI/CD more often than mid-level roles do. If you did that work, say so, whatever your title was.
More on AI engineer roles
How we count: 220 roles from 183 employers in the 90 days to Oct 16, 2026, each role counted once however many boards post it. Methodology