Recruiters told us the most powerful tech companies to have on your résumé

Recruiters said Nvidia, OpenAI, and the traditional FAANG companies are some of the most powerful names to have on a résumé.

Accepting a job offer isn’t just about the salary and benefits that come with it — it’s also about the opportunities it creates for your future.

“In this market, it’s not just about where you worked, it’s about what that brand signals to decision-makers,” Albano Gega, the founder of the tech career-coaching platform Alza, told B-17.

Working for certain names can create more opportunities at a faster pace and candidates “don’t have to explain” their credibility, he continued. He said it’s what FAANG companies — the acronym for Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google — have done for candidates for years.

B-17 spoke to seven technical recruiters and career coaches, including Gega, about the most powerful names to have on your résumé if you work in tech. These are the companies they mentioned as indicators of top talent and solid experience.

FAANGs

Companies like Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google look good on CVs. 

Art Zeile, CEO of tech careers marketplace Dice, told B-17 that having a FAANG company on your résumé has traditionally been a “strong indicator that you have the skills and experience necessary to succeed” in any tech position.

“Those companies’ rigorous hiring processes, combined with their massive and complex projects, effectively surface the best of the best tech pros,” Zeile said.

When people see Amazon, Facebook, Meta, or Google on a résumé, they interpret that the candidate is used to operating in a high-performance environment and working “under pressure,” Anthony Louis, executive recruitment leader and talent consultant at Beacon Talent, told B-17.

Brenna Lasky, a former Big Tech recruiter who launched a career coaching business, mentioned Apple, Google, Amazon, and Meta as some of the best companies to have on your résumé. She said those companies are “brand names that everyone recognizes and are known for their ability to attract top talent.”

“People who work for these companies are perceived as top-tier candidates,” Lasky said.

Lasky added that big names will only get a candidate so far, though. While a name like Google might look good on your résumé, it’s not going to get you a job that doesn’t match up with your experience, Lasky said.

Microsoft

One of the recruiters listed Microsoft as the top company to have on your résumé. 

Three of the recruiters B-17 spoke to listed Microsoft as one of the companies that stands out on a resume.

Alan Stein, the CEO of career-accelerating service Kadima Careers, shared a list of his company’s top 100 companies in 2025 that can accelerate your career — and Microsoft was at the top.

Stein, who has worked at several Big Tech companies including Google and Meta, told B-17 that the list was based on companies that had “high compensation” and “brand name prestige.” They also picked companies that are actively hiring, are highly perceived by recruiters, and treat their employees well.

He said Microsoft received the top spot because of its “breadth of software and services across” different segments, like consumer or enterprise markets. Stein said the company’s partnership with OpenAI also contributed.

The head of US tech talent at global tech talent and engineering company Akkodis, Janelle Bieler, told B-17 that Microsoft has a “culture” around “challenging themselves,” and is one of the companies that has prioritized innovation.

Nvidia

Nvidia is leading the AI revolution with its GPUs that provide help power LLMs.

Nvidia’s value and reputation have surged amid the AI boom. Nearly all the recruiters B-17 spoke to mentioned it as a top company to have on your résumé if you work in tech.

Bieler told B-17 that seeing Nvidia on a résumé signifies that a candidate has “worked on cutting edge” technology like machine learning, high-performance computing, chip development, and other hands-on problem-solving related to AI.

In today’s market, companies known for AI innovation stand out to recruiters, Bieler told B-17, and Nvidia is a prime example. The company is leading the AI revolution with its graphics processing units that help power large language models.

OpenAI

OpenAI has been at the forefront of the AI revolution since it realized ChatGPT.

OpenAI was another zeitgeisty company mentioned by recruiters B-17 spoke to, and made it to fourth place on Kadima Career’s list, which said it’s “at the forefront of breakthroughs in machine learning and natural language processing.”

Patricia Karam, founder of employment agency Mission Recruit, said companies like Anthropic and OpenAI have experience with rapid and “massive growth.”

OpenAI has been at the forefront of the AI revolution and is a key player in the AI talent wars. The buzzy startup has been known to poach employees from competitors; One analysis by B-17 found at least 44 former Googlers left the company to work at OpenAI in 2024. However, a number of executives and employees also left the company last year, with some speaking out about safety concerns around developing AI.

Anthropic

Anthropic, the startup behind the Claude chatbot, was another company mentioned by recruiters.

Anthropic, the AI startup behind ChatGPT rival Claude, was another powerful company recruiters mentioned.

Anthropic said it’s a major “credibility market right now.”

Gega said that while most AI companies move fast, Anthropic has built advanced models while “prioritizing safety, ethics, and long-term impact.” He said Anthropic shows that a candidate has operated at “the highest level of AI-led companies,” and puts them in a completely different category.

“They’re known for building some of the most advanced models and doing it with prioritizing safety, ethics, and long-term impact,” Gega said.