Resume Geni Blog

Key Takeaways

Kong is a leading API infrastructure company in active growth mode with approximately 95 open positions — timing your application during hiring surges can increase your chances of engagement
Tailor your resume heavily toward API management, cloud-native technologies, and the specific programming languages mentioned in each job posting, especially Golang
Kong uses Ashby as its ATS — use clean formatting, standard section headers, and keyword-rich content to ensure your resume parses correctly and surfaces in recruiter searches
Open-source contributions and GitHub activity can significantly differentiate your application, given Kong's deep roots in the open-source community
Demonstrate remote work competency explicitly, as Kong operates with a globally distributed team across the US, Europe, and Asia
For enterprise sales roles, prepare to discuss complex deal cycles, territory strategy, and your ability to sell highly technical products to engineering and IT leadership
Research Kong's products (Kong Gateway, Kong Konnect, Insomnia, AI Gateway) before applying — product knowledge signals genuine interest and helps you speak the company's language throughout the process

About Kong

Kong Inc. is a leading API infrastructure company best known for its open-source API gateway, Kong Gateway, which is widely adopted by developers and enterprises worldwide. The company provides a comprehensive platform for managing, securing, and orchestrating APIs and microservices, serving as critical middleware for modern cloud-native architectures. Kong's product suite includes Kong Gateway, Kong Konnect, and Insomnia (a popular API design and testing tool). Headquartered in San Francisco, Kong operates as a venture-backed startup with a globally distributed workforce, maintaining engineering hubs in cities like Budapest, Shanghai, and other international locations. The company culture is commonly described as developer-first, open-source-oriented, and innovation-driven, with a strong emphasis on remote and hybrid work flexibility. Kong competes in the rapidly growing API management and cloud infrastructure space alongside companies like MuleSoft, Apigee, and AWS API Gateway. With approximately 95 active job openings spanning engineering, sales, recruiting, and marketing, Kong appears to be in an active growth phase, particularly in AI-related product development such as their AI Gateway initiative.

Application Process

Explore Open Positions on Kong's Careers Page
Begin by visiting Kong's official careers page at konghq.com/careers. Browse the approximately 95 active openings across engineering, sales, marketing, and operations. Kong posts roles across multiple global locations including the US, Europe (Budapest, Italy), and Asia (Shanghai), as well as remote positions. Filter by department, location, or keyword to find roles that match your skills. Pay close attention to job descriptions, as Kong typically provides detailed information about required technologies (e.g., Golang, Lua, Kubernetes) and team-specific context.
Submit Your Application Through Ashby
Kong uses Ashby as its Applicant Tracking System (ATS). When you click 'Apply' on a job listing, you'll be directed to an Ashby-powered application form. You'll typically need to upload your resume, provide contact information, and may be asked to include links to your GitHub profile, LinkedIn, or portfolio. Some roles may include custom screening questions related to the specific position. Ensure your resume is formatted cleanly, as Ashby will parse your document to populate candidate profile fields.
Initial Recruiter Screen
If your application passes the initial review, you can typically expect a recruiter phone screen lasting 30-45 minutes. Based on Kong's active hiring of Senior Sourcing Recruiters, the company appears to invest significantly in talent acquisition. During this call, recruiters commonly discuss your background, motivations for joining Kong, salary expectations, and logistical details like location and work authorization. This is also your opportunity to ask about team structure, the product roadmap, and what success looks like in the role.
Technical or Functional Assessment
For engineering roles, Kong commonly includes a technical assessment phase. This may involve a take-home coding challenge (often in Golang, Lua, or other relevant languages), a live coding session, or a system design interview focused on API infrastructure, distributed systems, or microservices architecture. For non-engineering roles like Enterprise Account Executive or Web Experience Manager, this stage may involve a case study presentation, a mock sales pitch, or a portfolio review. The assessment is typically designed to evaluate real-world problem-solving skills relevant to Kong's product domain.
Team and Cross-Functional Interviews
Candidates who perform well in the assessment phase are typically invited to a series of interviews with team members, hiring managers, and sometimes cross-functional stakeholders. For engineering roles, expect deep-dive technical discussions about API gateway architecture, cloud-native technologies, and open-source development practices. For go-to-market roles, conversations may focus on enterprise sales cycles, territory strategy, and customer engagement approaches. Kong's distributed nature means many of these interviews are conducted via video conferencing.
Final Interview and Offer Stage
The final round may include a conversation with a senior leader or VP-level stakeholder, particularly for senior and management-level positions like Software Engineering Manager. This stage commonly assesses cultural alignment, leadership philosophy, and long-term career goals. If selected, Kong's recruiting team will typically extend a verbal offer followed by a written offer letter. Compensation packages at venture-backed companies like Kong commonly include base salary, equity (stock options), and benefits. The entire process from application to offer typically spans 2-5 weeks depending on the role and scheduling.

Resume Tips for Kong

Critical Highlight API and Cloud-Native Experience Prominently

Kong's entire product ecosystem revolves around API management, microservices, and cloud-native infrastructure. If you have experience with API gateways, service meshes, Kubernetes, Docker, or cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), place these prominently in your resume summary and experience sections. Use specific metrics where possible, such as 'Designed and deployed API gateway handling 50M+ requests/day' or 'Reduced API latency by 40% through service mesh optimization.' Even for non-engineering roles, demonstrating familiarity with API-driven architectures shows cultural and domain alignment.

Critical Emphasize Golang and Relevant Programming Languages

Multiple Kong engineering roles specifically require Golang expertise, including positions for Kong Gateway, Insomnia, and AI Gateway teams. If you have Golang experience, list it as a primary skill and detail specific projects or contributions. Additionally, Lua is historically significant to Kong Gateway's plugin ecosystem, so any Lua experience is valuable. For AI Gateway roles, highlight experience with Python, machine learning frameworks, or LLM integration. Tailor your skills section to mirror the exact language and framework requirements listed in the job description.

Critical Showcase Open-Source Contributions

Kong has deep roots in the open-source community — Kong Gateway itself is open-source with a massive GitHub presence. If you've contributed to open-source projects, maintained repositories, or participated in open-source communities, highlight these contributions prominently. Include GitHub profile links, specific repositories you've contributed to, and any community recognition. Even non-code contributions like documentation, issue triage, or community support demonstrate alignment with Kong's developer-first culture.

Critical Use Clean, ATS-Compatible Formatting

Since Kong uses Ashby for application processing, ensure your resume uses a clean, single-column layout with standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills, Projects). Avoid tables, multi-column layouts, headers/footers with critical information, or heavy graphic elements that may not parse correctly. Use standard fonts and save your file as PDF unless the application specifically requests another format. Ashby generally handles well-structured PDFs effectively, but overly designed resumes can result in parsing errors that hurt your candidacy.

Quantify Impact with Metrics and Scale

Kong operates at enterprise scale, serving major organizations with high-throughput API infrastructure. Demonstrate that you can operate at similar scale by quantifying your achievements. For engineers: mention request volumes, system uptime percentages, performance improvements, or team sizes you've led. For sales roles like Enterprise Account Executive: include quota attainment percentages, deal sizes, pipeline generation figures, and territory growth metrics. For marketing roles: reference traffic growth, conversion rates, or campaign ROI. Concrete numbers help reviewers quickly assess your impact level.

Demonstrate Remote and Distributed Team Experience

Kong operates with a globally distributed workforce across multiple continents and time zones. If you have experience working in remote-first or distributed team environments, highlight this explicitly. Mention tools you've used for async collaboration (Slack, Notion, Linear, GitHub), your experience with cross-timezone communication, and any specific outcomes you achieved in distributed settings. This is particularly relevant for roles that span global teams, such as the Shanghai and Budapest-based engineering positions.

Tailor Your Resume for Each Specific Role

With 95+ open positions across diverse functions, Kong's roles vary significantly in requirements. A Senior Software Engineer - Golang role demands a very different resume emphasis than an Enterprise Account Executive or Web Experience Manager position. Customize your resume's summary, skills ordering, and experience bullet points to align with each specific job description. Mirror key terminology from the posting — if the job mentions 'AI Gateway,' 'plugin development,' or 'enterprise sales cycle,' incorporate these exact phrases naturally into your resume.

ATS System: Ashby

Ashby is a modern, all-in-one recruiting platform increasingly popular among high-growth startups and technology companies. It combines ATS functionality with recruiting analytics, scheduling, and CRM capabilities. Ashby is designed to streamline the hiring process for both recruiters and candidates, offering a clean application experience. When you submit your resume through Kong's Ashby-powered portal, the system parses your document to extract key information like work history, education, skills, and contact details. Recruiters can then search, filter, and evaluate candidates using structured data, keyword matching, and custom scorecards.

Use standard resume section headers such as 'Work Experience,' 'Education,' 'Skills,' and 'Projects' to ensure Ashby's parser correctly categorizes your information. Non-standard or creative headers may cause parsing errors.
Include relevant keywords from the job description naturally throughout your resume. Ashby allows recruiters to search and filter candidates by keywords, so matching the terminology used in Kong's job postings (e.g., 'API gateway,' 'Golang,' 'microservices,' 'Kubernetes') increases your visibility.
Submit your resume as a well-structured PDF file. Ashby handles PDFs effectively, but avoid scanned image PDFs — use text-based PDFs generated from word processors or resume builders to ensure proper text extraction.
Complete all optional fields in the application form, including LinkedIn URL, GitHub profile, portfolio links, and screening questions. Ashby consolidates this information into your candidate profile, and completeness can signal thoroughness and genuine interest to recruiters.
Avoid using tables, text boxes, columns, or infographic-style layouts. While visually appealing, these elements can confuse ATS parsers and result in jumbled or missing information in your candidate profile within Ashby.

Complete Ashby Resume Guide

Interview Culture

Kong's interview culture typically reflects its identity as a developer-first, open-source-oriented technology company with a globally distributed workforce. Many applicants report that the interview process is thorough but respectful of candidates' time, with clear communication throughout each stage. For engineering roles, technical interviews commonly focus on practical, real-world problem-solving rather than abstract algorithmic puzzles. Given Kong's product focus, candidates can expect questions related to API design, distributed systems, networking fundamentals, and cloud-native architecture. Golang proficiency is frequently assessed through coding exercises or pair programming sessions, and familiarity with Kong's open-source projects can be a significant differentiator. For go-to-market roles such as Enterprise Account Executives, the interview process typically includes scenario-based discussions around enterprise sales methodologies, territory planning, and complex deal navigation. Candidates may be asked to present a mock business case or walk through their approach to penetrating a new market segment. Culturally, Kong appears to value intellectual curiosity, ownership mentality, and comfort with ambiguity — traits common in high-growth startup environments. The company's emphasis on open-source principles often extends to its internal culture, with many reports suggesting transparency, collaboration, and meritocracy as core values. Given Kong's distributed nature, interviewers commonly assess candidates' ability to communicate effectively in asynchronous and remote settings. Demonstrating self-motivation, proactive communication habits, and experience thriving in remote environments can strengthen your candidacy. Overall, candidates who show genuine passion for API infrastructure, developer tools, and Kong's mission to connect the world's APIs tend to resonate most strongly with interview panels.

What Kong Looks For

Deep technical expertise in relevant technologies, particularly Golang, Lua, Kubernetes, and cloud-native infrastructure for engineering roles
Genuine passion for open-source software and developer tools, with demonstrable contributions or community involvement
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth startup environment with comfort navigating ambiguity and rapid change
Strong asynchronous communication skills and proven experience working effectively in remote or globally distributed teams
Customer-centric mindset with understanding of how API infrastructure solves real enterprise challenges
Ownership mentality and self-motivation — the ability to drive projects forward independently while collaborating across time zones
For sales roles: proven enterprise sales track record with experience navigating complex, multi-stakeholder deal cycles in technical markets
Intellectual curiosity and continuous learning orientation, particularly around emerging technologies like AI/ML integration with API infrastructure

Frequently Asked Questions

What ATS does Kong use for job applications?

Kong uses Ashby as its Applicant Tracking System. Ashby is a modern recruiting platform popular among high-growth tech companies. When you apply through Kong's careers page, your application is processed through Ashby, which parses your resume and creates a candidate profile. To optimize your application, use clean formatting, standard section headers, and include relevant keywords from the job description.

Does Kong offer remote work opportunities?

Based on their job postings and company structure, Kong appears to support remote and distributed work arrangements. The company has roles posted across multiple global locations including the US, Budapest (Hungary), Shanghai (China), and Italy, suggesting a globally distributed workforce. Many positions may offer remote flexibility, though specific arrangements likely vary by role and region. Check individual job listings for location requirements and remote work policies.

What programming languages should I highlight when applying to Kong engineering roles?

Golang is the most prominently featured programming language across Kong's engineering job postings, appearing in multiple role titles for Kong Gateway, Insomnia, and AI Gateway teams. Lua is also historically significant to Kong's plugin ecosystem. For AI-focused roles, Python and experience with machine learning frameworks or LLM integration may be valuable. Always check the specific job description for required and preferred languages, and prioritize those in your resume's skills section.

How long does Kong's hiring process typically take?

While timelines can vary based on the role, team, and candidate availability, the hiring process at venture-backed tech companies like Kong commonly spans 2-5 weeks from initial application to offer. This typically includes a recruiter screen, technical or functional assessment, team interviews, and a final round. Engineering roles with take-home assessments or multiple technical rounds may take longer. Proactive communication with your recruiter about timeline expectations is always recommended.

What products should I research before applying to Kong?

Familiarize yourself with Kong's core product suite: Kong Gateway (their flagship open-source API gateway), Kong Konnect (their cloud-native API platform), Insomnia (an API design and testing tool), and their emerging AI Gateway product. Understanding how these products fit into the broader API management and cloud-native ecosystem will help you speak knowledgeably during interviews. Exploring Kong's GitHub repositories and documentation is particularly valuable for engineering candidates.

Does Kong value open-source experience in candidates?

Kong has strong roots in the open-source community — Kong Gateway is one of the most popular open-source API gateways available. Open-source contributions, whether code, documentation, community support, or project maintenance, are commonly valued at companies with this DNA. Including links to your GitHub profile, highlighting specific open-source contributions, and demonstrating familiarity with open-source development workflows can meaningfully strengthen your application.

What types of roles does Kong typically hire for?

Kong's approximately 95 active openings span multiple functions including Software Engineering (with specializations in Golang, AI Gateway, and Insomnia), Technical Support, Sales (Enterprise Account Executives across multiple territories), Marketing (Web Experience Manager), and Recruiting (Senior Sourcing Recruiter). The company appears to be investing heavily in engineering and enterprise sales, with particular growth in AI-related product development. Check their careers page regularly as new positions are frequently added.

How should I prepare for a technical interview at Kong?

For engineering roles at Kong, preparation should focus on practical, systems-oriented topics rather than purely algorithmic challenges. Study API gateway architecture, RESTful API design principles, distributed systems concepts, networking fundamentals (HTTP, TCP, DNS), and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes). If the role specifies Golang, practice writing clean, idiomatic Go code and be prepared to discuss concurrency patterns, performance optimization, and testing strategies. Reviewing Kong's open-source repositories on GitHub can provide valuable insight into their codebase and engineering standards.

Are there opportunities at Kong for candidates outside the United States?

Yes, Kong actively hires internationally. Current job postings include positions based in Budapest (Hungary), Shanghai (China), and Italy, among other locations. The company's distributed workforce model suggests openness to international talent. However, specific visa sponsorship policies and location requirements vary by role. Review individual job postings carefully for location specifications and don't hesitate to ask the recruiting team about international hiring logistics during your initial conversations.

Sample Open Positions

Sources

Kong Careers Page — Kong Inc.
Kong Official Website — Kong Inc.
Kong Gateway - Open Source API Gateway — GitHub / Kong Inc.
Ashby - All-in-One Recruiting Platform — Ashby
Insomnia - API Design and Testing Tool — Kong Inc.