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24 Software Engineer Resume Examples Designed for 2024

• Software Resumes
• Software Engineer Resumes by Experience
• Software Engineer Resumes by Role

Writing Your Software Engineer Resume

If you’re looking to take the next step in your software engineering career, there’s no better time than now, especially with many companies releasing salary information thanks to  pay transparency laws across the states .

You have the skills and experience to land your next software engineer job, but figuring out  how to write a resume  is entirely different.

We’ve analyzed countless developer resumes seeing what works and what doesn’t. That’s why we’ve written 24 software engineer resume samples that have  helped developers get jobs at top tech companies like Google, Uber, and Twilio .

Whether you’re wondering how to use ChatGPT to write a resume or are already  checking your resume  for improvements, you’re in the right place to help you get more interviews in 2024!

Software Engineer Resume Example

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• Always check the job description and the company’s mission statement to determine what you should include in your resume. If you have experience that doesn’t fit into your software engineer resume, but you still want to include, you can try to add some in your  software engineer cover letter .
• Try to include metrics relating to revenue, increased user counts, or increased efficiency. There are numbers there; you just have to find them!

Software Developer Resume Example

• Because of the amount of niche positions, you need to be careful when titling your resume. Always adjust the title on your resume to match the job to which you’re applying.
• Even if your work experience is different from the description, you can include some of the necessary skills and keywords. However, if your work experience is vastly different from the job description, you might want to consider applying for a different type of job.

New Grad Software Engineer Resume Example

• A word of caution: resist the urge to feature just anything in your piece. Instead, strive to unearth duties and wins relevant to the target company and its KPIs. Talk about using Jenkins for integration automation, building custom UIs with Django, optimizing databases with MySQL, and more.

Software Engineer Intern Resume Example

• Companies will understand that you’re just starting out in your career, so including technical courses like ‘Computer Organization and Architecture’ in your software engineer intern resume will show them you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals.

Software Engineer New Grad Resume Example

• If you’re a recent grad, employers will understand that you have limited work experience but would like to see some proficiency in the technical aspects of the job. Use the job description to know the company’s requirements and adjust the skills you include in your software engineer resume to align with what the company is looking for.

Entry-Level Software Engineer Resume Example

• Plus, a template lets you easily adjust stylistic elements like color, font type, and layout. Make your resume as unique as you are!
• The first option is to demonstrate your ability to create and maintain new projects that are easily scalable and solve real problems. You can include college projects, personal projects, or even start something new so you have something to add!
• The second option is to show off any internships you’ve gotten. You can treat them just like work experience, but you can include it in your work experience or projects section.

Junior Software Engineer Resume Example

• Your time as a developer in a personal endeavor may have involved several responsibilities and accomplishments that make for a worthy addition to your junior software engineer resume.

Associate Software Engineer Resume Example

• Of course, if you have more than 10 years of experience, use a  resume summary  instead. Objectives and summaries aren’t too different, but summaries have more achievements and experience.
• Personal pronouns like “I,” “me,” and “my” take up space, so cut them out.
• Use active voice and active verbs to make sure your work experience bullet points are as short as possible.

Senior Software Engineer Resume Example

• Highlighting a lengthy career with multiple software engineering roles is key to getting noticed, especially when you pair it with quantifiable data from various sources.
• Always check the job description to get an idea of what the employer wants to see. Try to include six to eight skills in your  resume skills section  to give a wide range of your available skills.
• Focus more on adding technical skills, but you can include a few soft skills to highlight how well-rounded you are.

Experienced Software Engineer Resume Example

• For example, take the case of a Certified Software Development Associate (IEEE) certification included in this resume. It’s credible evidence that proves you have a concrete understanding of software design, testing, maintenance, and quality assurance—all of which are integral to any software engineering role.

Mid-Level Software Engineer Resume Example

• Your mid-level software engineer resume should give prominence to accomplishment metrics that touch on your application tools competencies, process streamlining, project timeline reductions, and ability to utilize resources to meet outcome expectations.

Lead Software Engineer Resume Example

• Your lead software engineer resume will go up a notch once you mention a master’s degree in computer science. It gives more credibility and shows that you’ve professionally learned how to lead other engineers and also keep systems running smoothly.

Staff Software Engineer Resume Example

• Did your overhauling MYSQL schema indexation expedite data access? Mention time saved in hours per month or week. Can you recount how many technical guides you built or published or how many users benefited from your software programs? Specify the numbers. Dollar-amount savings should also suffice in your metrics.

Software QA Engineer Resume Example

• Subsequently, choose a template (preferably Elegant) that gives ample spacing in the skills section for you to write down all the things you’re an expert at. Keep things simple by using a good color accent and let loose on all your past work experiences.

Director of Software Engineering Resume Example

• It is paramount that your director of software engineering resume shows your numbers for managing teams, cutting costs, expediting processes, and properly managing and prioritizing resources to exceed targets and goals.

Software Engineering Manager Resume Example

• Adding measurable results to your software engineering manager resume will help an employer evaluate the progress and results you’ve brought to companies you’ve previously worked with. This simple addition of observable statistics can go a long way in setting your resume apart from the crowd.

Google Software Engineer Resume Example

• For instance, adding tools and cloud-based services under the Google Cloud umbrella to your Google software engineer resume shows the company you’re well-versed in multiple development solutions.

Principal Software Engineer Resume Example

• While you may have several hobbies and interests, ensure you include those most relevant to the role you’re applying to. Participating in coding challenges and hackathons shows you’re passionate about software engineering, even outside work hours—something any employer will love to see!

Python Developer Resume Example

• That’s why it can be useful to include a projects section. Of course, you want the majority of your resume to focus on work experience, but if you’ve got some unique experience that might fit the  software engineer job description , consider adding this optional section.
• We’d recommend making your  web developer skills  section about 70 precent technical skills, but you can include soft skills for the rest. 

Software Engineer Front-End Resume Example

Full-Stack Software Engineer Resume Example

• Include multiple programming languages in your  resume skills section  to increase your value and better fit the ATS screening criteria.
• Start by reading the  software engineer job description  and looking for repeated keywords. You can also look at other local software engineer jobs to look for more key phrases to include.

Embedded Software Engineer Resume Example

• This will inform recruiters and hiring managers that, in addition to your technical coding skills, you have applicable knowledge of CPU architectures, operating systems, and more. You can also include soft skills related to communication and collaboration to showcase your ability to work with teams.
• This is the perfect place to briefly convey your achievements, your experience, and what you hope to accomplish at your future company. Always tailor it to each job for which you apply!

Software Integration Engineer Resume Example

• Your layout should have a good “visual voice” that’s as unique as you are, so don’t be afraid to play with colors, font types, and layouts. So long as it’s easy to read, format your resume to match your style!
• For example, did you start working with a team and end up leading a team? That’s an excellent example of scalable growth!
• Highlight versatile skills (like types of tools you’ve used) and scalable achievements to prove that you can improve your future workplace!

Security Engineer Resume Example

• Our special  resume tip : cut the fluff away from any novice jobs to leave more room for more impressive credentials you got later in your career.
• Demonstrate how your programming skills have evolved or how your interpersonal abilities helped advance your team. And be sure to back your claims with data! 
• Having a variety of jobs shows that you’re well-rounded with a host of skills you may not have obtained otherwise.
• Show this off in your work experience bullet points with a mix of transferable skills and unique abilities from other positions.

Related resume guides

• Scrum Master
• Tableau Developer
• Program Manager
• Web Developer

When you apply for an engineering job at a company, the first person looking at your resume is actually not a person. Companies use something called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to filter out a majority of applicants for a role based on keyword matching.

If you pass this initial scan, your resume will get reviewed by a non-technical recruiter. Then at long last, the technical hiring manager will look at your resume.

So, how do you write a resume that will get you through all these hoops to get that first interview? That’s what this guide is designed to help you do!

We’ve analyzed numerous resumes from software engineers and to come up with valuable  resume tips  to get your foot in the door.

Here’s what we’re going to cover in this guide:

• What to put in the vital skills section of your resume.
• How to properly  format your resume  to appease the ATS filters, including what sections to include or omit.
• How to talk about your work experience and personal projects to convincingly appeal to technical and non-technical audiences.
• How to customize your resume for each job to which you apply (it’s easier than it sounds).

Software engineer skills for resume

The skills section is a vital part of your software engineer resume. This will make or break whether you get through the first phase of the resume review, aka the dreaded ATS scan.

Your  resume’s skills section  shouldn’t be a laundry list of frameworks and programming languages. Especially don’t try to include what you wouldn’t be comfortable coding; just reading about Java is not enough to have it in your skills section.

The worst thing that can happen is that you claim knowledge of a programming language and then can’t answer basic questions about that language in an interview. It’s much better to have true expertise in one programming language than to claim knowledge of 10 different languages.

Good hiring companies know that quality engineers can learn new frameworks as needed. So, it’s a big red flag if you list every programming language under the sun.

There are a few options for organizing your skills section on your resume. First, you can organize them by your proficiency level. You can use categorizations like “Advanced” vs. “Familiar” or “Expert” vs. “Working Knowledge.”

Skills organized by proficiency

Or you can organize them by the type of skill you’re discussing. So you can separate the programming languages you know, the frameworks, the tools, and the databases you’ve used.

Skills organized by skill type

Finally, you can list the programming languages you know and include the frameworks associated with that language you’ve used. You can also list your years of experience with that language. This is useful for recruiters, but it can take up a lot of space on your resume, so make sure your resume format allows for an extended skills section.

Skills organized by years of experience

Software engineer resume format

Threading the needle of making your resume ATS-readable, HR-readable, and technical-hiring-manager-readable is not an easy task. So, try to quantify your achievements without getting too in the weeds (while also not being too broad).

General formatting tips

The most important  resume formatting  tip that you should internalize is making your resume one page long, maximum. Recruiters spend, on average, only  six seconds reviewing your resume . They’re not going to read a several-page resume.

Here are the quick hits for how to properly format your resume:

• Keep it to one page.
• Avoid long paragraphs of text to make it readable.
• Bullet points should be self-contained, complete ideas.
• Keep your tenses consistent. Refer to old roles and projects in the past and refer to your current position in the present.
• Avoid pronouns like “I” or “we.”
• Check for grammar and spelling errors . Don’t let this be the reason you don’t get the job!

It’s tough to fit all of your projects and work accomplishments on a single page, but remember, you’re more than your resume. Recruiters understand this and know if a resume looks good initially, they can ask more questions in the interview.

Your goal with your resume isn’t just to include your best talking points; it’s also to make the life of the person reviewing it as easy as possible. Make sure you don’t have long paragraphs of text so it’s easier to read. Break up your would-be paragraphs into singular ideas that are more appealing to the reader.

Bad bullet point formatting

Designed and built out the backend for a client application that enabled users to build their own recipe books. Used Angular on the front-end and NodeJS on the back-end. Working closely with product managers, scaled this application to 200,000 users and generated annual revenue of $1.4M. (If you’re still reading this, then well done, because it’s far too long.)

Good bullet point formatting

• Designed and built out the back-end for a client application that enabled users to build recipe books.
• Used Angular on the front-end and NodeJS on the back-end. Working closely with product managers, scaled this application to 200,000 users and generated annual revenue of $1.4M.

Your bullet points should be self-contained, so you don’t need periods after each point. Within your bullet points, make sure your verb tenses are consistent (past tense is preferable).

Also, we’d recommend avoiding singular pronouns, so don’t use “I” or “we.” They waste time and look unprofessional, so don’t include them. For example, instead of saying, “I worked on building the back-end for a project,” you should say, “Worked on building the back-end for a project.” There are plenty of ways to avoid saying “I.”

Lastly, please  review all grammar and spelling . Don’t give recruiters or hiring managers an easy excuse for someone to put you into the “no” pile. Too many great software engineers don’t  check their resumes  and leave typos and punctuation errors.

Contact information and title

Your name should be the first thing on your resume, and it should be listed in a bigger font. Directly underneath it, you should include a title. This title should always be the job for which you’re applying. So, if your current title is “software engineer” and you’re applying for a senior engineering role, your title should be “senior software engineer.” After your title, include your contact information, including:

• City and zip code (you don’t need to give your specific address)
• Email address (make sure it sounds professional and includes your name)
• Telephone number
• LinkedIn profile URL
• GitHub profile URL
• Personal website (if you have one)

And although you know already to review your resume for typos,  triple-check your contact section  for anything that’s incorrect. We once had a great engineer misspell his email here, and although he was a great fit for the role to which he was applying, the company couldn’t contact him, so he didn’t get an interview!

This may seem like a lot of information to include, but you can make it compact. Here’s a great example:

What you include in the education section of your resume will vary depending on whether you’re applying for an entry-level software engineering role or a more senior role.

Regardless of your seniority, you should always include the school you attended, the year you graduated, and your major. If you had a minor or a specific concentration, include that.

If you’re applying for anything  other  than an entry-level role, that’s all you should include in your education section. Why? Because real estate is valuable on a resume, and your work experience and projects will convey more about your qualification than your GPA or college courses.

Suppose you’re  applying for a software engineering internship  or  looking for your first full-time role . In that case, your education section will be more expansive to accurately convey your qualifications. Plus, you’ll want to mention relevant courses to the role for which you’re applying. For software engineering roles, this means any classes related to software engineering. Took a databases class? Completed an algorithm design course? You get the idea.

If you want to include your GPA, make sure it’s above a 3.2. Otherwise, leave it out.

Entry-Level Software Engineer Education

Senior Software Engineer Education

Software engineer resume summary

Unless it’s done exceptionally well, we strongly recommend that you don’t include a  resume summary  or objective on your software engineer resume. Why? Because they rarely, if ever, convey meaningful information to the person reviewing your resume. Let’s break down a typical objective statement:

Sample software engineer resume objective

I have 3+ years of experience, and I’m looking to leverage my Django expertise to work on challenging problems as a Senior Software Engineer.

There isn’t anything new in this objective. Their 3+ years of experienceand Django expertise should be demonstrated in their work experience. There’s no customization for the specific job, and it’s far too short.

Remember, recruiters typically only look at your resume for six seconds. Don’t make them waste precious time on anything that doesn’t demonstrate new information about why you’re a great fit for the role.

Anything unique to your situation or circumstance (for example, you’re undergoing a career change) should be discussed when creating a cover letter . You can elaborate on what you’re looking for in your next role without the constraint of space.

Work experience

Your work experience section is, without a doubt, the most important section on your resume. This is where a resume reviewer spends most of their time and attention. It’s here that they’ll decide whether they want to move you onto the first stage of the interview process. So, this is not the place to be humble. Show off the good work you’ve done.

If you’re a junior developer, this section will be shorter (in favor of a longer “Projects” section). If you have two-plus years of work experience, this should take up the majority of the space on your resume.

So how do you talk about your work experience convincingly? The key is to  be specific  and  quantify the impact of your work  whenever possible.

Developers rarely work in complete isolation, especially at larger companies. So you must tease out what you did specifically on each project. If you worked as part of a team to turn a multi-page web app into a single-page app, and you were in charge of re-designing the back-end infrastructure for the new app, talk about that specifically.

Good work experience description

Architected the new back-end in Ruby to change multi-page primary product into a single-page app, resulting in $1.2M in annual incremental revenue.

Bad work experience description

The team changed our primary product from a multi-page app to a single-page app, resulting in $1.2M in annual incremental revenue.

Notice that when talking about your actual work, you want to be specific about your particular role. However, when talking about the project’s impact, you can talk about the overall effect that the team had.

Again, quantify the impact of the projects you worked on whenever possible. Businesses hire engineers to move the company forward, and the best way to demonstrate you can do that is to show you’ve had a measurable impact in your past roles.   Rough estimates of impact are okay if you don’t have exact numbers; just be reasonable and logical in your assessments.

Here are some other ways you can try to quantify your work:

• Reduced downtime by X%
• Improved the speed of the application by X%
• Implemented a product feature that improved customer retention by X%
• Improved customer satisfaction (as measured by NPS) by X%
• Built a feature that improved click-through rate by X%
• Scaled a product that successfully handled X concurrent users
• Automated a process that saved X hours of manual labor each week
• Improved a product feature that increased usage by X%
• Worked on a project that led to a cost savings of $X
• Implemented unit tests that improved test coverage by X%
• Fixed a bug that reduced customer complaints by X%  

The formula for discussing your work experience is “my specific contribution to a project” + “the overall quantitative impact.” This describes the same work experience, just in different ways.

Let’s look at an example of this in action to see how effective it is.

Good: Specific contribution plus quantitative impact

Bad: Vague description and no quantitative impact

Software engineer resume projects

The size of your projects section on your software engineer resume should be directly tied to your seniority level when applying for a developer job. The more junior your role, the more space you should allocate to your projects.

If you have more than two years of experience, you should only list one project of which you’re especially proud. Most of your resume should be composed of what you did in your previous jobs.

Try to talk about your projects in the same way you would talk about your work experience. The goal of your projects is to demonstrate your technical skills in context. Show how you used a language or framework to build something that satiated your curiosity or solved a problem.

Your projects should give more color to your skills section. While it’s great to say you know Ruby, it’s even better to say how you built the back-end of your movie recommendation engine in Ruby. Anyone can list a skill on their resume, but showing how you used that skill demonstrates even stronger mastery of that skill.

If you worked on substantial coding projects during school, you should include them here. When possible, always include the projects you’ve listed on your resume in your Github profile or on your personal website.

Here’s the format of how you should talk about your projects on your resume:

• Describe the problem you were trying to solve and how you solved it at a high level. In the example above, “Built an Android app to allow party-goers to vote on what song should play next.”
• Next, discuss some technical details in either one or two bullet points.

Again, you’re trying to demonstrate two things to a hiring manager with your projects. First, you want to give context to the skills you list on your resume. Next, you want to show that you can identify a problem and then implement a solution to solve that problem.

Interests & hobbies

If you have a bit of extra space and have a hobby or interest that might interest employers, you should include it. Some companies appreciate personality, so this would be the place to highlight that.

Customize your resume for each job

We know, we know; customizing your resume is tedious. But we have some good news! You don’t have to overhaul your resume for each job to which you apply. You will likely have to change one or two bullet points on your resume for each application.

Read the  software engineer job description  for the job to which you’re applying. Do any particular projects you’ve worked on or languages you’ve used come to mind when reading it? Those should absolutely be included in the resume you submit for that role.

Now, let’s say you’re applying for the following role:

Clearly, they want an engineer who has experience developing APIs. So, instead of just one bullet talking about my experience building out APIs, you should allocate two to three bullet points to my work.

When customizing your resume for each job you apply for, be sure to expand on the work experience or projects you’ve worked on that are especially relevant to the position at hand.

How to write an effective software developer resume

Here are the major takeaways you should keep in mind when  writing a professional resume :

• Keep your resume to one page.
• Proofread your resume  multiple times  to avoid any grammar or spelling errors.
• If you’re applying for an entry-level role, mention any relevant college courses. Otherwise, don’t let your education section take up a lot of space.
• Unless you tailor it, you don’t need a summary or objective section on your resume.
• Only include skills for which you’d be comfortable being interviewed.
• Always mention your specific contribution and quantify the overall project’s impact on the business.
• If you’re applying for an entry-level role, talk about any personal coding projects you worked on.

Remember, the goal of this resume is to get your foot in the door. Once you get that first phone interview, your skills and personality will surely shine through.

Applying to new jobs can be daunting, but one of the most complex and most confusing parts is now over. You’ve done the research, and you’re ready to  write your resume ! You can use our free  resume builder  to start your resume from scratch or a template, and our  free resume checker  uses AI-powered tips to suggest improvements and resolve errors.

You’ve got the knowledge; now go land your dream job!

Software Engineer Resume [2024] - Example + How-to Guide

You’re a software engineer. You use your talents to build the future.

Well, once you get the job.

There’s one thing in your way:

The huge pile of other resumes sitting on the recruiter’s desk.

It’s time to make your talents stand out.

In this guide, we take you through a step-by-step process to creating a software engineer resume that gets results.

• An example of a finished software engineer resume that works
• How to write a software engineer resume that’ll fill up your interview diary
• How to make your software engineer resume stand out [with top tips & tricks]

For some inspiration, here’s a software engineer resume example, created with our very own online resume builder :

Looks good, right?! Now it’s time to create your own.

Besides the software engineer resume example, we've got a bunch more examples for professionals in the computer science field:

• Java Developer Resume
• Web Developer Resume
• Computer Science Resume
• Artificial Intelligence Engineer Resume
• Engineering Resume
• Data Scientist Resume
• Data Analyst Resume
• Data Entry Resume

How to Format a Software Engineer Resume

Now, before you can highlight your talents, you need to format your resume correctly. 

Your resume should be easy to read and not be hard work for the recruiter to skim through. 

The “reverse-chronological” resume format  is the most commonly used format, and we can see why. It positions your top talents at the top of your resume, so the recruiter can immediately see your value proposition.

These software engineering resume formats also get our approval…

• Functional Resume – If you have strong software engineering skills, but a small amount of work experience, this resume format is recommended
• Combination Resume – The final format combines both “Functional” and “Reverse-Chronological” formats. As such, it is ideal for software engineers who have skills AND work experience.

Once you’ve chosen your format, you need to organize your resume layout .

Use a Software Engineer Resume Template

Word is a great application for creating documents.

Creating a resume with text editors is a different story all together!

This is due to formatting issues.

In fact, there’s a chance your entire layout will fall apart as you make alterations. 

Want to skip any formatting issues? Use a software engineer resume template .

What to Include in a Software Engineering Resume

The main sections in a software engineering resume are:

• Work Experience
• Contact Information

Want to go a step further? You can also add these optional sections:

• Awards & Certification

Interests & Hobbies

But wait – what should you write for each of these sections? 

Read on to learn how.

Want to know more about resume sections? View our guide on What to Put on a Resume .

How to Correctly Display your Contact Information

Now, this section doesn’t need any creativity, but it must be factually correct. 

Play close attention to this section – the last thing you want is an impressed recruiter who wants to interview you, but can’t contact you!

The contact information section must include:

• Title – Align this to the job description, which is “Software Engineer”
• Phone Number – Check this multiple times
• Email Address – Use a professional email address ([email protected]), not your childhood email ([email protected])
• (Optional) Location - Applying for a job abroad? Mention your location.
• Lauren Hill - Software Engineer. 101-358-6095. [email protected]
• Lauren Hill - Ninja Software Engineer. 101-358-6095. [email protected]

How to Write a Software Engineer Resume Summary or Objective

Here’s a shocking fact for you –

Recruiters spend less than 6 seconds on each resume .

With hundreds of resumes to get through, it’s no surprise that recruiters simply glance over resumes looking for the most important information. 

As such, you want to make the most important information clear to see.

The best way to do this is via a resume summary or objective , which are snappy paragraphs that go on top of your resume.

Their purpose is to quickly highlight why you are the best candidate for the software engineering job. They can be seen as a “small preview” to the rest of your resume.

But what is the difference between the two sections?

A resume summary is a 2-4 sentence summary of your professional experiences and achievements.

• Experienced software engineer with a strong background in developing award-winning strategies for a diverse clientele. 12+ years of industry experience includes leading large engineering teams to achieve concrete goals on a strict deadline. Strong skills include Database management and MySQL, .NET and Java.

A resume objective is a 2-4 sentence snapshot of what you want to achieve professionally.

• Motivated software engineer looking to pursue a successful career in software development at Company X, where I can help in the delivery of state-of-the-art software solutions. Experience includes coding, troubleshooting, and testing for my own personal projects while at University X. Relevant skills include PHP, Data Structures, Machine Learning, and Debugging.

So, which one is best for your situation, summary or objective?

Generally, we recommend experienced software engineers go with a summary. If you have the skills but lack the industry experience, you should choose a resume objective (graduates, career changers, or those still studying).

How to Make Your Software Engineer Work Experience Stand Out

Recruiters want to know that you can do the job, and do the job well. The easiest way to instil confidence in the recruiter is with your work experience.

Here’s how we recommend you structure your work experience section:

• Position name
• Company Name
• Responsibilities & Achievements

Software Engineer

ElectronicsX

03/2017 - 07/2020

• Built an ecommerce site integrated with multiple payment APIs for a 32% in company revenue
• Developed new infrastructure to easily handle over a million client files 
• Consistently achieved 100% compliance with industry best practices
• Reduced security breaches by 84%

To separate your resume from the competition, you should highlight your top achievements. Doing so will allow the recruiter to see the obvious benefits in hiring you.

Instead of saying:

“In charge of infrastructure”

“Developed new infrastructure to easily handle over a million client files”

Simply put, the first statement doesn’t say much.

This is in direct comparison with the second statement that shows how your work benefited the company greatly. Hard numbers that prove your skills – can’t argue with that!

What if You Don’t Have Work Experience?

Not everyone will have a wealth of work experience.

Maybe you’re a graduate looking for your first engineering job?

The question is how to tackle this part of your resume when you have no experience.  

The answer –

Talk about your internship experience, volunteering work, or any achievements at your place of education. 

You can even create a portfolio of your own work!

There are several ways to build a portfolio (and even get paid for it):

• Pick up some relevant freelance gigs on UpWork
• Start you own software project as a side-hustle

Are you recent engineering graduate? Make sure to check out our student resume guide!

Use Action Words to Make Your Software Engineer Resume POP!

…are all common words that the recruiter sees time and time again.

However, you don’t want your resume to resume the competition, which means you should use power words to make your achievements stand out:

• Conceptualized
• Spearheaded

B.A. in Software Engineering

The University of Chicago

2012 - 2016

• Relevant Courses : Software Engineering Project, Distributed Systems Development, Information Systems Modelling, Specification of Software Systems, Software Evolution, Software Quality, Agile Methods

Now, you may need more information. If so, here are the answers to some of the most frequent questions that we get:

What if I haven’t completed education yet?

• Regardless of whether you’re an engineering graduate or still studying, you should still mention every year of education to date

Should I include my high school education?

• Generally, only include your highest form of education. Therefore, include your high school education if you don’t have a relevant degree in engineering

What do I put first, my education or experience?

• Experiences are the priority, so those go first. If you’re a recent graduate, you will likely need to start with education

Need more information? Check out our guide on how to list education on a resume .

Top 10 Skills for a Software Engineer Resume

Your software engineer resume must do one thing—

Show that you’ll do a better job than the other candidates.

But how can you do this? 

Well, by highlighting the right software engineer skills on a resume.  

This is done by looking at the job description, and then comparing the skills needed with the skills you already have.

Put all relevant skills on your resume. Here are the most commonly used skills for a software engineer resume:

Hard Skills for a Software Engineer:

• Data Structures
• Machine Learning
• Web Development

Soft Skills for a Software Engineer:

• Creative Thinking
• Communication
• Time-Management
• Team Player
• Try to sprinkle your skills throughout the document, not just in the skills section. You can drop some of your skills in the resume summary, education section, and work experience section.

Here’s a more comprehensive list of 101+ must-have skills this year .

What Else Can You Include?

That’s all of the essentials covered.

But ask yourself one question –

Does your resume stand out ?! 

The above sections should be enough to get you onto the shortlist, but adding some extra sections could be the deciding factor between you and another candidate.  

Awards & Certifications

Have you won an award for your engineering work?

Have you completed any courses that improve your skills?

If you have any awards or certifications, be sure to list them in your resume!

Here’s an example:

Awards & Certificates

• “Advance Software Engineering” - Coursera Certificate
• “Critical Thinking Masterclass” - MadeUpUniversity

Even though you will unlikely need to speak an alternative language in your job, the skill is still impressive to any recruiter. As such, feel free to add a language section if you have space.

Rank the languages by proficiency:

• Intermediate

Now, you’ll probably thinking, “why is my love of fishing relevant to the job application?”

Well, listing your hobbies allows the recruiter to get to know who you are.

They can also show that you’ll be a good part of the team, especially if you enjoy social activities. 

Here’s which hobbies & interests you may want to mention.

Include a Cover Letter with Your Resume

Cover letters are just as important as they always have been.

You see, a cover letter instantly makes your application specific and more personal. 

Unlike a generic resume that has been sent to ten other companies, a cover letter shows the recruiter that you want to work for their company.

For a winning cover letter, you need the correct structure. Here’s what we recommend:

You should complete the following sections:

Personal Contact Information

Your full name, profession, email, phone number, location, and website (or Behance / Dribble).

Hiring Manager’s Contact Information

Full name, position, location, email

Opening Paragraph

As the recruiter will likely skim through your application, you need to win their attention within the first few sentences. Use concise language to mention:

• The position you’re applying for
• Your experience summary and best achievement to date

Now it’s onto the main body of the cover letter, where you should delve into the following specifics:

• Why you want to work for this specific company
• What you already know about the company
• How your engineering skills will help you to do the job
• Which similar positions have you held before

Closing Paragraph

To wrap up your cover letter, you should:

• Conclude the main points made in the body paragraph
• Thank the recruiter for the job opportunity
• Finish with a call to action that leaves the conversation open, such as “At your earliest opportunity, I’d love to discuss more about how I can help company X” will work

Formal Salutations

End the letter in a professional manner. Something like, “Kind regards” or “Sincerely.”

For more inspiration, read our step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter .

Key Takeaways

Congratulations!

If you followed the advice above, you’re well on your way to landing that elusive software engineering role.

Before we go, let’s summarize the main points:

• Format your software engineer resume correctly. Use the reverse-chronological format, and then follow our layout recommendation
• Use a summary or objective at the top of your resume
• Highlight your achievements in your work experience section
• Make sure your portfolio is the best it can be. If you don’t have one, think about getting one
• Include a convincing cover letter to separate you from the competition

Suggested Reading:

• Guide to Green Careers - All You Need to Know
• How to Answer “What Is Your Greatest Strength” [4 Samples]
• Why Should We Hire You - 10+ Best Answers

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The Complete Software Engineer Resume Guide

Looking for a job as a software engineer? That’s exciting! Whether you’re changing careers  or just looking for your next job, this fast-growing industry offers career development opportunities galore. Plus, it can pay quite well .

With great pay and growth potential, the job hunt can be competitive. If you want a shot at a job interview, you need to know how to write a compelling software engineering resume, and you’ll want to create a web developer portfolio .  

Writing your first resume, or revamping your old one, can feel daunting. It doesn’t have to be complicated. We’ll walk you through the resume writing process step-by-step and give you plenty of software engineer resume examples. You won’t feel overwhelmed after reading this! 

In this complete guide, you’ll learn the following:

• Do software engineers even need a resume?

Step 1: Work out your structure

• Step 2: Gather your information

Step 3: Fill in your contact information

Step 4: add your three most relevant work experiences, step 5: list your education, step 6: include your skills.

• Step 7: Share your certifications and awards
• Step 8: List your software engineering projects

Step 9: Write your introductory statement

Step 10: proofread, mistakes to avoid when creating a software engineer resume, where to go for great software engineer resume templates.

Let’s start with the basics; why do you even need a resume? 

1. Do software engineers even need a resume?

Yes, software engineers need a resume. Many developers will tell you they’ve gotten multiple job offers with just a resume. Of course, they might not mention that they also had an active GitHub history, polished portfolio, or connection in the industry. But that’s beside the point.

The number one reason you need a resume to land a software engineering job is that almost every job you apply for will require you to have one. But secondly, your resume is how you’ll showcase your transferable skills . 

Even if you don’t have much experience with software engineering, you still need to create a software engineer resume. A compelling document with all your most relevant experience will showcase how you learned to code and the skills you can transfer to your new role.

You can also optimize your resume for applicant tracking systems (ATS)–but we’ll discuss that later. First, let’s learn how to create a software engineer’s resume that wins.

2. How to write a software engineer resume step-by-step

Okay, so we’re all on the same page now–you need a resume! But how do you write one? Buckle up! This is where we walk you through the resume writing process–one step at a time. 

This section may seem a bit long, but that’s because we’re going to go into every single part of your software engineer resume and make it as compelling as possible. Feel free to start writing your resume in another window while you read through each step. Learning while doing is often the most effective way! 

Resume layout (design) and copy (words) go hand-in-hand. If you don’t budget your words for the space you have, you won’t be able to fit it all on one page. It’s helpful to begin by choosing a resume template or layout. 

There are templates all over the internet for free that you can use! More on that later. If you don’t want to use a template, you can use the outline in Step 2 below to create your layout in a word processor, PDF maker, or graphic design tool. 

Step 2: Gather your information 

Before filling in your resume, open up a blank document or your notes app to gather the information you’ll need for your resume. If you’ve already optimized your LinkedIn for the job search, you might want to pull that up too. 

Here’s what you should include in your software engineer resume, from top to bottom: 

• Contact information
• Introduction paragraph
• Work experience
• Certifications and awards (optional)
• Projects (optional)

Here’s a software engineer resume example with a great layout from BeamJobs . There’s even enough room to include certifications and awards in the left-hand column!

Here’s what you need to include in this section: 

• First and last name 
• Job title, branding statement, or subtitle
• Email address
• Cell phone number
• LinkedIn profile
• Website (optional)
• Social media profiles (optional)
• Physical address (optional)

Your contact information is the simplest part of writing a resume. But it’s being analyzed by recruiters as much as the rest of what you’ve written. Here are some tips for making this section as small and effective as possible. 

Under your name, you can include a subtitle listing your current job title or a one-sentence personal description. If you don’t have a current job title, you can put the job title you’re looking for or a more creatively branded title. For example, you could put “Entry-Level Software Engineer” or “Skilled Full-Stack Developer.” 

Firstly, if you want to come across as professional, make sure your email address isn’t your old AOL email address. I’ll admit it! My email was [email protected] until I got to college. But I would never put that on a resume. Instead, my email is a polished version of my first and last name with no numbers. 

To save space, you don’t need to include your physical address unless you apply for a fully in-person job that favors locals. You don’t need to include your social media profiles unless you’re a thought leader in the industry. You can also omit your website if you don’t have a software engineer portfolio website .

Here’s what your resume contact information section might look like, courtesy of Resume Worded : 

When you think about writing your resume, this is probably what you imagined. This part will be easier if you’ve already optimized your LinkedIn for the job hunt. If you haven’t, budget some time to gather everything you need. 

Before you dive into writing this section, you will need the following: 

• A list of all of your relevant work experience (anything with transferable skills or software engineering)
• Data points from your jobs to demonstrate your achievements
• Information about your bootcamp, professional training program, or college (if you’re new to software development)

Once you have these items, you can start with the basics. Pick your top three-to-five most relevant experiences. Format each job on your list to reflect the structure outlined below.  

Here’s how to structure each of your experiences: 

• Job title – bolded
• Company name and the location where you worked – standard text
• Dates of employment – italicized

Keep your structure consistent throughout your resume. There’s no right or wrong way to choose whether you’ll abbreviate. But if you abbreviate one state you worked in, abbreviate them all. If you spelled out the entire month of your employment, spell out every month. 

Next, list them chronologically, beginning with your most recent experience. Here’s the creative part! It’s time to describe your work experiences. It’s best to list three to five bullet points per experience. 

In your bullet points, include some quantifiable accomplishments that are data-proven and action verbs relating to tech but not jargon. Keep your tone present and active, not passive. 

This is a software engineer resume example, also from Resume Worded: 

If you’re a career changer, your college education might not be relevant to the job you’re applying for now. 

Regardless, you should still include it. If you don’t have much experience, you should include information about your software engineer education here in five bullet points. Cover what you learned, how you got hands-on experience, and the projects you did. 

If you already have software engineering experience, this section isn’t as important for you. You can simply include where you went to school and one bullet or less about relevant coursework. 

Whether you’re new to software development or not, you can elaborate on your undergraduate and graduate degrees in certain circumstances. If you were a double major or had a minor, you can list that too on your software engineer resume. If you had a phenomenal GPA, you could list it. But if your GPA was less than 3.8, you can leave it out. 

Here’s how to format your education: 

• Name of program or degree — bolded
• Institution and location—standard text
• Dates attended — italicized

Each job you apply for will use a specific naming convention in the description like BS, b.s., bachelor’s degree, bootcamp, or boot camp. Try to edit this to match every job description. You may not always fit the education level specified in the listing. That doesn’t matter! You should still apply for it if you think you’d be a good fit. 

Here’s an example of what your software engineering resume might look like if you took CareerFoundry’s Full-Stack Web Development Program :

The skills section might be where you shine! Hiring managers and recruiters are looking for specific development skills and that’s why you should list them in the job description. For each coding job you apply for, you can customize this section to fit the job description. 

It shouldn’t need to be stated but—don’t lie! Run through the job description and pick the skills you’re proficient in. In this section, it’s usually best to only list hard skills . Group your skills by Expert, Advanced, and Familiar. 

Step 7: Share your certifications and awards (optional)

If you have any certifications or awards, include this section! But if you don’t, skip to Step 8. Keep this section of your software engineer resume brief. You only need one line per award; you can simply list each award or certification and the date you received them. 

Certifications can serve as proof to your employer that you’ve achieved a certain skill level. If that skill or certification is in the job description, include it in your resume. Whatever you list, include both the full name and the abbreviation. Obviously, only include certifications you’ve actually earned. 

For example, a software engineer’s resume skill section might look like this: 

Step 8: List your software engineering projects (optional)

If you’re looking to apply for software engineering jobs , you’ve probably worked on a few projects by now. Whether personal projects, open source, internships, freelance, or bootcamps projects, you can use them on your resume. 

Career changers and anyone new to software development should take advantage of this section. If you already have experience in software engineering, you probably don’t need this—simply list your portfolio in your contact information and move on to Step 9. 

Before you fill in this section, you’ll need a list of the projects you’ve worked on. If you have more than three, group your projects by type. You can use whatever categories seem fitting to you but consider ones like business projects, user interface projects , technical projects, mobile development, etc.

Here’s how to format your projects in your software engineer resume: 

• Project Title — bolded
• 2-sentence description—standard text
• Skills—italicized

This is what your projects section might look like: 

You can hyperlink the title of your project to a portfolio piece with more details, the live project, or your GitHub. 

Stop now if your resume can’t fit on one page with more than just the title. But if you still have room, include a description of the problem your project solved, why you created it, and the client you made it for. Then, list the skills or tech stack you used to create the project. 

It might be odd to see the introductory statement as one of the last steps in the software engineer resume-writing process. Even though this goes at the top of your resume, we recommend you write it last. It’s much easier to write it at the end for most people. 

A summary statement is essentially an introductory paragraph. You’ll use these three-to-five lines to inject some personality into your resume. This is the first thing the interviewer will see. 

There are two ways you can approach this. You can either treat it as a summary or an objective . If you already have experience in software engineering, you can summarize your skills, experience, notable accomplishments, and education. If you don’t have experience, you’ll want to opt for an objective. 

With an objective, you’ll share tangible achievements from your bootcamp, professional training, college, or internship. You’ll also want to point out your transferable skills and career goals. 

This is the most challenging part of writing your resume. You’ll have less than 8 seconds to make a good impression on a recruiter or hiring manager. So, think of this paragraph as a hook to get them to keep reading. Here’s how to maximize your summary statement. 

Your summary statement should touch on the following: 

• Your unique strengths, expertise, and transferable skills
• Your personality traits that are relevant to the job 
• Notable achievements 
• The type of position or industry you’re seeking

Wherever possible, mention numbers or statistics to back up your statements. Rewrite your summary for every single job you apply for. It may feel tedious, but if you tailor it to that company and that role specifically, you’re far more likely to get straight to the recruiter screen and land an interview.

They might not notice if you have a spelling mistake on your resume, but typos never look good! Your summary paragraph is the most crucial thing to edit, but it doesn’t hurt to check over the entire thing. You can use AI editing software like Grammarly , or enlist a friend to proofread it. Better yet, ask your career counselor or mentor–if you have one! 

Okay, that might be a lot of information. We’re almost through with this complete guide. But before we let you go, we want to let you in on a few things you shouldn’t do when you’re writing your resume. 

Don’t use the same exact resume for every job you apply for

While it’s tempting to write your resume once and walk away, it’s not that simple. You should create your resume and edit it for each job you apply to. Adjust the objective statement, skills, and experience to reflect keywords in the job description. 

Don’t include any sensitive information on your resume

In the US you don’t need to include your date of birth, social security number, political affiliations, religion, or other personal details. These are dangerous to include, and they’re not relevant to the person who’s going to be reading your resume.

Don’t use fancy graphics

These days, most companies use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)  to screen applicants before sending software engineer resumes to a hiring manager or recruiter. Make your resume as text-based as possible: most ATS can’t read graphics well. 

Don’t send in your resume as a word document

Save it as a PDF before you submit it. 

Don’t let your resume exceed one page

If you can’t fit it all, omit the optional sections, trim down your experience descriptions, or reduce the skills you’ve included. 

If you want to use a resume template, ensure they’re ATS-friendly. There are plenty of beautiful templates out there with graphics and charts that won’t help you get an interview. 

There are hundreds of places you can go to get resume templates online. There are free and paid options. Most offer both free and paid versions. We rounded up the best resume template sites for software developers. Our favorites are the ones that tech professionals or coders created. 

Here are our top five favorite resume template sites:

• BeamJobs —made by tech professionals for career changers, diverse tech workers, and experienced developers. 
• Career Cup — founded by Gayle Laakmann McDowell, author of Cracking The Coding Interview
• Resume Worded — LinkedIn and resume optimizer 
• Kick Resume — a generic resume builder
• JobScan — exclusively ATS-friendly resume builder

Writing a software engineer resume is not easy, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. As long as you remember to proofread your work, use a few keywords from the job description, and stay away from graphics, you’ll be golden. 

Whatever you do, tailor your resume to the job you’re applying for and include a unique introductory paragraph. And if you want to use a resume template, ensure it’s ATS-friendly. With these tips and the steps we outlined, you’re sure to write a stellar software engineer resume.

You’ve just finished the complete guide to writing a software engineer resume. Now get started creating yours, and prepare to apply for jobs. Good luck!

As students of CareerFoundry’s Full-Stack Web Development Program reach the end of their studies, they get paired up with a career specialist. Y ou’ll work closely with them to connect the dots between your previous accomplishments with your newfound coding skills.

Together, you’ll create a winning software engineer resume that showcases your talent, and carefully craft your online presence to appeal to tech employers. You’ll also fine-tune your technical interview skills , learning how to confidently market your experience and negotiate salaries.

If you’d like to learn more about the world of coding, check out these articles:

• What Does a Backend Developer Do?
• What on Earth Is CSS? A Beginner’s Guide
• The Ultimate 2024 Guide to Frontend Developer Salaries

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Software Engineering Resume Examples & Writing Guide for 2024

Creating an outstanding software engineering resume is a crucial step in getting your foot in the door in the competitive field of software development. 

In this guide, brimming with examples, useful tips, and adaptable templates, we'll simply walk you through the process of crafting a resume that sets you apart . Whether you're a veteran in the field or just setting out on your coding journey, the steps outlined here will ensure your application doesn't just blend into the binary, but leaves a lasting impression.

Here's what's under the hood:

• Navigate resume samples tailored to different levels of experience in software engineering
• Properly format your software engineering resume
• Write a strong software engineering resume summary
• Include your best hard and soft skills as a software engineer
• Describe your work experience and key projects as a software engineer
• Include action words to make your resume pop
• List your educational credentials properly
• Select the perfect extra sections for your software engineer resume
• Avoid common mistakes on a software engineering resume
• Include a relevant cover letter
• Find out more about the job outlook and average salary for software engineers
• Access top job search resources for software engineers

Oh, and if you want to turn your LinkedIn profile into a resume with just one click, we've got you covered.

Software engineering intern resume sample

What's this software engineering intern resume sample doing right?

• Education takes center stage: In the competitive world of internships, this resume distinguishes itself by highlighting the candidate's educational background. It weaves a captivating tale interlaced with preferred, relevant classes, thesis topics, and active involvement in events like Robocot and Hackathon. It’s a showcase of learning, enthusiasm, and tech prowess.
• Highlighting relevant projects: An intriguing addition in this intern resume is a focused display of relevant projects. The candidate brilliantly demonstrates their hands-on experience with technologies such as C#, MySQL, Firebase, and more. These tangible instances of technical expertise serve to validate the candidate’s skills and boost their professional credibility, despite their early career stage.

How could we improve this resume sample?

• Welcoming core skills: One area ripe for improvement in this resume is the inclusion of both hard and soft core skills. A well-rounded candidate is not just about applicable knowledge or technical abilities, but also interpersonal and transferable skills.
• Evolving project descriptions: Though the resume introduces relevant projects, the door is open for enhancement in how these are described. The key lies in striking a balance between the project outline and highlighting the specific achievements stemming from these projects. Retelling the project's story with a focus on results can provide a sharper angle on their value proposition.

Junior software engineer resume sample

What stands out in this entry-level software engineering resume sample?

• Including relevant coursework: At an entry-level, relevant coursework can elevate a software engineering resume significantly. While real-world experience might be sparse, coursework allows candidates to showcase the practical and theoretical knowledge they possess. It offers potential employers a lens into your educational focus and how it aligns with the job requirements.
• Showcasing technological competencies:  Another strength of this entry-level resume lies in its mention of various technical skills within the description of their internship experience. Showing familiarity with diverse tech tools can be highly advantageous. It can position candidates as quick learners who are able to ride the wave of quickly evolving industry trends.

What can enhance this resume sample?

• Streamlining campus involvement: While it's great that the candidate shows diverse campus involvement, portions of this content seem out of sync with a software engineering resume. For instance, being part of an acapella group, while interesting, is not entirely relevant. Clearing some of this clutter and maintaining focus on activities related directly to software engineering can make this section stronger.
• Highlighting the award: The resume drops mention of an award within the internship experience. This significant accolade could have its own spotlight. By giving such achievements their own separate awards section, candidates can emphasize their recognitions and let them speak volumes about their competency.

Senior android developer resume example

What does this resume example ace, and why should you take note?

• Highlighting progress with numbers:  This candidate cleverly captures their impact. They've put numbers to work, showcasing a dip in application crashes and a swift decrease in app load times. When success is spelled out in percentage terms, it's hard to ignore.
• Flashing the certification card: Don't underestimate the power of professional certifications. Especially in a field like software engineering, where each credential can dramatically edge up your standing. Including relevant certifications in your software engineering resume not only underscores your competence but also aligns perfectly with the role you're eyeing.

What can make this resume sample better?

• Shuffling the order of sections: For a senior position, the spotlight naturally gravitates to work experience and core competencies. In this resume, education leads the parade — a slight misstep. The candidate would better command attention by placing their work experience or key competencies first.
• Expanding the list of achievements: While this resume does feature accomplishments, for a senior role, there's room for more. Increasing the array of listed achievements can only enhance the profile, giving it additional weight and making it more compelling. Showcasing a broader range of success stories is always beneficial when aiming high.

Embedded software engineer resume sample

What makes this resume sample great?

• Strong action words giving this resume dynamic energy:  This software engineer resume sample is a standout, particularly due to its efficient use of powerful action words. Verbs like "spearheaded", "streamlined", "conducted", and "developed", bring a sense of dynamism and pro-activity to the resume. They illustrate not just what the candidate did, but how they drove impact.
• Tailored skillset highlighting specific competencies:  This resume also does a great job at specifying computer skills and listing software specialties like C++, Eclipse, and GDB. These technical elements add authenticity, proving this candidate doesn't just know the buzzwords but genuinely has the skills.

How can we improve this QA engineer resume sample?

• Reordering sections:  Looking at potential improvement areas, the placement of the education section could be reconsidered. For an experienced candidate like this, work experience might be more relevant to the hiring manager. And so, getting that upfront could add more weight to the resume.
• Shifting focus from objectives to achievements in the professional profile:  Instead of leaning towards an objective, the professional profile could highlight the candidate's achievements more. This is a chance to showcase the valuable contributions made in past roles, promising the potential value add to the new employer. All in all, it's about indicating the 'achiever' in the candidate, not merely the 'doer'. 

Web developer resume sample

Why does this web developer resume sample work?

• Balanced skill sets: A major strength of this web developer resume is its inclusion of both hard and soft skill sets. It showcases not just technical prowess in coding languages and web development tools, but also highlights interpersonal skills such as teamwork and problem-solving. This creates a well-rounded candidate who excels in both the nuts and bolts and the heart and soul of web development. 
• Extra sections — the icing on the cake: Another good aspect of this resume is the thoughtful addition of extra sections such as volunteering activities and certifications. Besides showcasing the candidate's wider interests and dedication to personal growth, it also reflects a dynamic personality ready to go the extra mile.

What can make this resume sample work even better?

• Work experience enhancement: This resume could use more specificity in the work experience section. Instead of a general statement like "Conducted market research and analysis and reported findings to manager", why not try:   "Led UI market analysis, resulting in a 20% increase in user engagement." This concise, result-oriented approach works to highlight your impact clearly and efficiently.

Software testing fresher resume sample

What sets this resume apart?

• Impact-oriented work experience:  A plus for this software testing resume is its impact-oriented work experience. Bullet points that highlight the impact of the task like "...identified and resolved critical defects, ensuring product quality and customer satisfaction" turn duties into tangible achievements, showing clear value to potential employers
• Highlighted academic achievements: Another positive aspect of this resume is the detailed portrayal of educational accomplishments. A standout GPA, academic awards, and participation in relevant activities not only show great academic prowess but also demonstrate hard work, diligence, and commitment.

What could make this sample better?

• Quantifying achievements: Despite its strengths, the resume could use more quantifiable achievements. For example, instead of saying "resolved critical defects," why not specify how many? Numbers add credibility and offer a measure of your impact. It's a simple way to make your resume more concrete and compelling.

Data engineer resume sample

Why does this data engineer resume example pop?

• Critical responsibilities and achievements are chosen: A strong point for this data engineer resume is its careful selection of key responsibilities and achievements. It cuts through the clutter, presenting a streamlined snapshot of the candidate's value-add. The fact that a recruiter can get a clear picture of your resume in just about 7 seconds (he rumored review time for recruiters) shows that this resume is doing its job well. It's easy to read and gets straight to the point - that's a big win!

What can be enhanced?

• Showcasing work experience upfront: A potential improvement for this data engineer resume could involve reordering the sections. For experienced candidates like this, work experience typically holds more weight than education. Shifting it to the forefront would immediately draw attention to the candidate's hands-on involvement in the field, increasing the chances of making an instant impact.

Junior Java developer resume sample

What's good about this junior developer resume sample?

• Spotlight on adaptability and discipline: One of the key strengths of this junior developer resume is the profile's emphasis on adaptability and discipline in a remote work setting. By highlighting proficiency in common remote work tools like Slack, Asana, and Zoom, it shows readiness to hit the ground running in today's digital work environment.

What can make this resume even better?

• Quantifiable achievements: The work experience section could benefit from the inclusion of quantifiable achievements. Specific figures can illustrate the impact of your work more effectively. For instance, instead of saying "designed and developed various user-friendly websites and applications", something like "Developed 15+ user-friendly websites and applications, increasing client website traffic by 30%" might add more punch.
• Impact-first framing (because 'how' matters): Also, the impact made by the tasks could be focused on, besides the task itself. For example, instead of "Reviewed and tested existing code to discover and fix bugs.", consider something like: "Enhanced software reliability by reviewing and fixing bugs in the existing code." 

Software developer resume sample

What makes this software developer resume sample stand out?

• Quantified achievements:  A significant highlight of this software developer resume is the use of quantified achievements. Statements like "Achieved 20% growth for Organization" and "Improved website performance and speed by 25%" not only quantify the extent of the candidate's impact but also draw attention to their problem-solving abilities.
• Personal projects showcasing initiative and passion: Adding personal projects to this software developer resume is a savvy move. They demonstrate not just the candidate's technical skills, but also their initiative, passion, and commitment to software development outside of a work context. In essence, personal projects serve as the candidate's portfolio.

Android developer resume sample

Why does this Android developer resume sample work?

• Effective achievements — results in action: This Android developer resume shines in how it links responsibilities to tangible results. Highlighting achievements such as contributing to "50% increase in user engagement" or causing a "40% decrease in query time" transforms the work experience section into a persuasive narrative of the candidate's real-life impact.

What could be improved in this resume sample?

• Include a profile:  It's important to include a compelling professional profile that provides a quick snapshot of the candidate's skills, experiences, and career objectives. Think of it as your elevator pitch, letting potential employers quickly understand who you are and what you bring to the table.
• Avoid repetition: While the resume has several strengths, a potential improvement lies in diversifying the action verbs used. The repetition of words like "developed", "led", and "collaborated" could risk dulling the impact of these actions. Alternatives could include "engineered", "spearheaded", "partnered with teams", giving a refreshing variance to the narration.
• Experience before education: Lastly, for an experienced candidate like this, leading with education before work experience might be less advantageous. Typically, employers are more interested in recent applicable experience over academic qualifications. Reshuffling these sections could make the resume more aligned with what hiring managers are looking for.

1. Properly format your software engineering resume

Crafting the content of your software engineering resume might seem like the hard part. However, presenting this information in a user-friendly format is equally important. 

With numerous format types to consider, let's boil it down to the three most common ones you're likely to encounter — namely, the chronological, functional, and hybrid formats.

• Chronological format: A chronological format , as the name suggests, arranges your work history in reverse order, with the most recent job first. This format serves seasoned professionals best, highlighting your career progression and expertise.
• Functional format: A functional format , on the other hand, emphasizes skills over job history. This format is favored by fresh graduates or those planning to switch careers who might not have a wide range of related work experience. Instead of focusing on job positions, it magnifies your skills relevant to the software engineering sector.
• Hybrid format: A hybrid format combines aspects of both chronological and functional formats. It's effective if you want to highlight specific capabilities while still detailing your work history. This format allows you to showcase your expertise upfront, backed by your professional experience.

Remember, the best format is the one that highlights your strengths and fits the job description. Regardless of the chosen format, ensure consistency across your resume. Keep fonts professional and layouts neat, giving employers no excuse not to call you in for an interview!

So, choose your preferred template and make your software engineer resume shine.

Try our AI Resume Writer and have your resume ready in minutes!

2. write a strong software engineering resume summary or objective.

Right at the top of your resume, beneath your contact details, should sit your resume summary or objective . While a summary encapsulates your professional experience and key achievements, a resume objective communicates your career goals and demonstrates how you can benefit the organization. 

If you’re just starting out in the software engineering field, changing your career path, or have specific goals, using a resume objective may be ideal for you. It allows you to focus on how your skills and career ambitions align with the company's needs and mission.

Let's illustrate with examples:

Bad example of a software engineer resume objective 

Seeking a challenging software engineering role to advance my career.

This objective falls short because it's solely focused on the applicant's wants, and lacks specifics on how the company would benefit from their contribution.

Good example of a software engineer resume objective 

Entry-level software engineer with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and proficiency in Java and Python. Looking to leverage academic knowledge, internship experience, and passion for programming to solve unique challenges and contribute to XYZ Tech's mission of creating innovative software solutions.

Why is this example correct? This objective succeeds where the previous example failed. It demonstrates the candidate's qualifications and skills, shows how they intend to apply them, and links their goals to those of the company. 

As an experienced software engineer, you should be writing a resume summary . It should articulate your expertise, key achievements, and any unique value you can provide to the company. Communicate your most relevant skills in line with the job description.

Let's take a look at contrasting examples to understand how to effectively formulate your resume summary:

Bad example of a software engineer resume summary

Software engineer with many years of experience. Has worked in different types of businesses, can code in various languages.

Why does this example fall short? This resume summary is overly broad and lacks specificity. It doesn't tell prospective employers what your career focus is, or exactly what skills and experience you bring to the table.

Good example of a software engineer resume summary

Seasoned Software Engineer with eight years of expertise, specializing in system design, data security and full-stack development. Proficient in C++, JavaScript, and Python with a proven track record of crafting efficient, scalable solutions. Led a development team at XYZ Tech that improved software release efficiency by 30%.

Why is this summary correct? This example details the candidate's experience, specialized skills, indicates their professional focus, and showcases a quantifiable achievement relevant to the role.

Remember, a strong resume summary or objective is just the launching pad you need to propel you into the interview shortlist. Make it compelling, specific, and tailored to the software engineering role on offer.

3. Include your best hard and soft skills as a software engineer

Choosing the most relevant skills to showcase on your software engineering resume is crucial. This calls for understanding the distinction between hard and soft skills and their significance in your applications. 

Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that can be measured, like proficiency in a programming language or understanding of agile methodologies. 

Soft skills , on the other hand, relate to how you work and interact with others. They're less tangible but equally important — think problem-solving or teamwork.

When you're tailoring your resume to a specific job ad, it's essential to highlight the skills mentioned in the job description first . Why? Because hiring managers or Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) may be specifically looking for these skills.

Here are examples of hard and soft skills relevant to a software engineer:

Best hard skills for a software engineer resume

• Java, Python, C++, or other programming languages
• Full-stack development
• Database management
• Debugging and code review skills
• Knowledge of algorithms and data structures
• Agile methodologies

Best soft skills for a software engineer resume

• Problem-solving
• Attention to detail
• Time management
• Communication
• Adaptability

Recognizing the most effective hard and soft skills relevant to the role shows your understanding of the job and proves your direct value to your potential employer. The right blend of these skills can make your software engineering resume shine brighter than the rest.

4. Describe your work experience and key projects as a software engineer

Your work experience section is a chance to display your professional journey and achievements. It's typically formatted in reverse chronological order and features the following:

• The name of the company and the period of employment
• A bulleted list summarizing your main responsibilities, achievements, and key skills demonstrated or acquired.

Now, let's consider two contrasting examples of a work experience and key projects section for a software engineer:

Bad example of a software engineer work experience section

Software Engineer, ABC Tech March 2018-Present

• Was part of the development team

Why is this example incorrect? This example fails to show specific responsibilities, skills, or achievements the candidate held or earned during their tenure. It's vague and doesn't demonstrate the impact of the applicant's work.

Good example of a software engineer work experience section

• Engineered an efficient database management system, improving data retrieval times by 15%.
• Led a team of five in developing an innovative client solution that boosted user engagement by 40%.
• Implemented strategic quality assurance methods to eliminate software errors by 30%.
• Directed successful integration of third-party API's into company software, expanding functionality and user experience.
• Optimized code performance, resulting in a 25% speed increase in software operations.

Key project

• Project Lead, Cloud Migration Project: Oversaw the successful migration of the company’s product suite to a cloud-based architecture. Resulted in a 70% cost reduction in infrastructure expenses and improved uptime by 30%.

Why does it work? This revised software engineer work experience section uses strong action verbs , specifies responsibilities, and includes quantifiable achievements , which clearly shows the candidate's impact at work.

It also includes a clearly defined key project , detailing the candidate's role and the impact their leadership had on the project's success

All in all, a compelling work experience and key projects section paints a vivid picture of your capabilities. Remember to use dynamic language, be specific, include quantifiable achievements, and align your experience with the software engineering job description to showcase your fit for the new role.

5. Include action words to make your resume pop

Using action words in your software engineering resume can significantly enhance its impact. They convey your experience and achievements in a dynamic, results-oriented manner that can catch a hiring manager's attention. The importance of these power verbs lies in their ability to:

• Paint a vivid picture of your abilities in action 
• Highlight your initiative
• Show results and developments that you've been instrumental in

Here's a list of impactful action words for your software engineering resume

• Streamlined
• Implemented

These action words can be your best pals while crafting your resume. They help make your resume stand out from the crowd and are more likely to grab the reader's attention. So, remember, what you say is important, but how you say it can make all the difference.

6. Make your education section count

Including an education section in your software engineering resume is critical, regardless of the level of experience. It reflects your formal training, provides context to your other qualifications, and can be a tiebreaker in close calls.

Even if your education isn't in software engineering , it's valuable information. Any degree demonstrates a dedication to learning, and critical thinking skills. Mention any relevant courses you have taken or learning projects you have undertaken.

Software engineering education section example (no related background)

Bachelor of Arts in Physics

Yale University, 2015 - 2019

• Relevant Courses: Programming for Scientists, Electronics and Circuit Analysis
• Projects: Collaborated on a 4-person team to create an application predicting particle motion using Python.

If your degree directly relates to software engineering , it serves as strong evidence of your knowledge and skills in this field. Highlight any esteemed honors, relevant subjects, or notable projects related to software development.

Software engineering education section example

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Harvard University, 2010 - 2014

• Honors: Graduated Summa Cum Laude, Dean's List 2012-2014
• Key project: Built a full-stack web application as part of end-of-year project, which significantly increased departmental efficiency.

Including an education section helps round out your software engineer resume, providing further insight into your qualifications. Regardless of your field of study, this section illustrates your problem-solving abilities, exposure to relevant concepts, and potential to contribute meaningfully to a software engineering role.

Find out your resume score!

7. Select the perfect extra sections for your software engineer resume

Including extra sections in your software engineering resume can give you the edge by showcasing your well-rounded personality, interests, and other competencies beyond your professional and academic life. 

These sections should add value and align with the role or the company culture you're applying to.

Here are three examples:

• Volunteering: Volunteering experience, particularly if it's tech-focused, can reflect positively on your ability to apply your skills to real-world situations. It also showcases your social commitment.
• Certifications: Certifications can add value to your resume, especially if they demonstrate specialized skills or increase your expertise in a specific area. This could include coding languages or platforms.
• Personal projects: Side projects that show the application of your skills give potential employers a concrete demonstration of what you are capable of, even if these projects were not part of your professional or educational experience.

Here’s how you can list your extra resume sections

Volunteer activities

• Code Mentor, Girls Who Code (2018 - Present): Providing mentoring in basic coding principles and problem-solving skills to a weekly class of high school girls interested in tech.

Certifications

• Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 8 Programmer 
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Personal projects

• Fitness Tracker App: Developed a personal fitness tracking app using React Native and Firebase, with features like activity logging, progress charts, and goal setting.

These examples offer a glimpse into your personality, display your dedication to your field, and provide a hands-on showcase of your relevant skills.

8. Avoid common mistakes on a software engineering resume

Crafting a flawless resume is no less than programming a complex system — attention to detail is crucial. Here’s how to sidestep common pitfalls in your software engineering resume:

1. Avoid vagueness

• Mistake: "Experienced in coding."
• Fix: "Proficient in Python, Java, and C#, with over five years of hands-on experience in both front and backend coding."

2. Shun the one-size-fits-all approach

• Typical error: Using the same resume for every job application.
• Fix: Instead, tailor your resume to each role you apply for. Highlight the skills and experiences most relevant to the individual job description.

3. Be wary of overstating

• Regular misstep: "World-class software engineer."
• Fix: Show your worth through your achievements and validated skills on your resume, rather than using superlatives. E.g., "Developed a data analytics tool that boosted revenue by 20%."

4. Check for typos and errors

• Common blunder: Typos or incorrect information.
• Fix: Proofreading your resume multiple times is essential. Consider enlisting a trustworthy friend or using a tool like Grammarly to avoid overlooked mistakes.

5. Striking the balance

• Frequently noticed mistake: Either underestimating your role in a project or taking all the credit.
• Fix: Giving due credit to team efforts and accurately representing your contributions is vital. It shows your ability to work in a team while showcasing your personal contributions.

Remember, your resume is often the first impression a potential employer has of you - make it count by avoiding these common mistakes.

9. Pair a relevant cover letter with your software engineer resume

A cover letter , while often overlooked, can be a powerful companion to your software engineering resume. It's especially pertinent when the job posting asks for one , or when you want to provide context or detail that your resume just doesn't accommodate.

The primary difference between a resume and a cover letter lies in their purpose and format. While a resume is a concise snapshot of your skills, experience, and education relevant to the role, a cover letter is a place to connect the dots, tell your story, and elaborate on details related to the position.

A well-tailored cover letter can offer valuable insights into your personality , motivation , and fit for the role . It's your chance to catch the hiring manager's attention, show you've done your homework about the company, and express why you're excited about the role beyond coding languages or software development strategies.

Remember, an effective cover letter doesn't rehash your resume. It complements it. It's an opportunity to showcase your communication skills and to share your professional journey in a way that a bullet-list just cannot capture. So the next time you're sending out your polished software engineering resume, consider pairing it with a compelling cover letter. You might just increase your chance of landing that coveted interview call.

10. Average salary and outlook for software engineers

Crafting a standout resume is the first step to securing a rewarding career in the field of software engineering. And understanding the industry's salary and growth outlook can surely add to your motivation. 

According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) , the average yearly salary for software engineers was $127,260 in May 2022. This impressive figure reflects the high demand for skills and competencies that software engineers bring to the table.

Moreover, the future looks particularly bright for the profession. Overall employment of software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers is projected to grow by a robust 25 percent from 2022 to 2032 . This is much faster than the average growth rate for all occupations.

In terms of job availability, an average of 153,900 openings for software engineers are projected each year over the decade. This means that, armed with a strong resume and the right skills, your chances of landing a role are on a favorable path.

With attractive salaries and promising job prospects, software engineering certainly stands out as a rewarding career choice.

11. Top job search resources for software engineers

To support your job search journey and career growth in software engineering, plenty of resources are available. Utilizing these can help you stay current with the latest developments in the sector, refine your skills, and broaden your network. Here are some noteworthy tools and platforms:

• GitHub: It's an essential tool for showcasing your programming chops and collaboration on projects. Building a strong GitHub profile can significantly impact recruiters and hiring managers.
• Stack Overflow: This platform is a hub of information where developers help each other solve coding problems. It's also a source of coding news and job advertisements.
• LeetCode: Sharpen your problem-solving skills and prepare for technical interviews with the practice problems and mock interviews available on this platform .
• Learning platforms: Learning platforms like Coursera or Udemy offer a variety of coding courses, often taught by industry experts. You can access courses specific to various programming languages or software engineering general practices.
• Meetups or developer groups: Check meetup.com or search online for local software engineering groups or forums. Attending these meetings can help you network with fellow professionals.
• Tech blogs & podcasts: Following reputable tech blogs or podcasts like Coding Horror , A List Apart , or Software Engineering Daily can keep you updated with the latest trends in the tech world.

It's crucial to remember that being successful in your software engineer job search isn't only about having an exceptional resume. It's also about constant learning, networking, and staying abreast of industry trends. The resources listed above can provide invaluable support on your journey.

Software Engineering Resume FAQ

Create a dedicated 'tech skills' section and list your programming languages and technical expertise, arranging them based on your proficiency or relevance to the job.

Detail your project experiences under "Work experience and key projects". For each project, include the name, your role, the technologies used, and measurable achievements. Also, consider providing a link to your online portfolio or GitHub account.

Include a separate "Certifications" section and list all your relevant certifications along with their issuing authority and dates.  

Focus on academic projects, internships, relevant coursework, certifications, and technical skills. Highlight transferable skills and express enthusiasm for the industry.

Don't ignore employment gaps . Instead, explain them in your cover letter or an 'additional information' section on your resume. Showcase any constructive activities during the gap, like freelance projects, courses, or volunteering that kept your skills relevant.

Julia Gergelova

Julia is a professional writer, translator and graphic designer. She holds degrees in translation and interpretation, and has international work experience from a number of different countries in Europe as well as China and Panama. Julia formerly taught academic writing and as a graphic designer contributed to outlets such as  The Business of Business . She has a passion for lifelong learning and good coffee.

Subcategories

• Back-End Developer / Engineer
• Front-End Developer / Engineer
• Software Tester
• Web Developer

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13 Software Engineer Resume Examples for Your 2024 Job Search

Software Engineers are highly technical experts, skilled at designing, developing, and maintaining complex software applications. Just like a robust software program, a software engineer's resume should be well-structured, tested, and optimized for performance. In this guide, we'll review 7 software engineer resume samples and share key insights for making an impression in this highly competitive field.

Resume Examples

Resume guidance.

• High Level Resume Tips
• Must-Have Information
• Why Resume Headlines & Titles are Important
• Writing an Exceptional Resume Summary
• How to Impress with Your Work Experience
• Top Skills & Keywords
• Go Above & Beyond with a Cover Letter
• Resume FAQs
• Related Resumes

Common Responsibilities Listed on Software Engineer Resumes:

• Design, architect, develop, test, and deploy software solutions that meet customer requirements
• Work in teams to produce high-quality software products
• Create software architectures, designs, and specifications
• Develop and debug user interfaces, server-side solutions, third-party services, and migration strategies
• Take ownership of complex technical tasks and break them down into manageable chunks
• Proactively seek out technical solutions and offer alternatives when necessary
• Proficiently maintain, fix, refactor, and extend existing software solutions
• Monitor system performance and stability and troubleshoot and optimize software
• Provide technical guidance to peers and younger engineers
• Create automated unit tests and integration tests
• Develop software according to best practices and maintain software engineering standards
• Manage the design, development, and deployment of new software products

You can use the examples above as a starting point to help you brainstorm tasks, accomplishments for your work experience section.

Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Spearheaded the development of a large-scale software system to meet regulatory standards, resulting in a 25% improvement in customer satisfaction
• Upgraded a critical server-side solution with automation and optimized code to enhance security and process speed by 27%
• Developed custom software architectures, designs, and specifications to meet customer design requirements and exceed project deadlines
• Collaborated with a cross-functional team to design and deploy versatile and intuitive software solutions, driving a 6% increase in customer loyalty
• Implemented a cutting-edge database migration strategy that increased database performance, while reducing operational maintenance costs by 25%
• Installed, maintained, and debugged third-party services to optimize software performance, resulting in improved system stability and reliability
• Tutored and provided technical guidance to peers, leading to a 15% improvement in code quality and a 15% reduction in software development bugs
• Successfully managed the creation and debugging of user-interfaces, resulting in a 14% reduction in customer support tickets
• Devised automated unit tests and integration tests to ensure software conformance with best practice standards, resulting in a 20% improvement in team productivity
• Object-oriented programming
• Database Design and Development
• Relational Database Management Systems
• Web Application Development
• Software Architecture and Design
• Software Development Lifecycle
• Agile Methodologies
• Software Testing and Quality Assurance
• Code Version Control
• Software Troubleshooting and Debugging
• Cloud Platforms and Virtualization
• Business Analysis and Requirements Gathering
• Project Management
• IT Security and Risk Mitigation
• Automation and Scripting
• Continuous Integration/Delivery
• Data Structures and Algorithms
• User Experience Design
• Software Documentation
• Technical Team Leadership
• Software Engineering
• Machine Learning

Entry Level Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Successfully collaborated with co-workers to develop and implement a regular software maintenance schedule in order to ensure system reliability and robustness.
• Implemented automated unit and integration testing to identify bugs and reduce manual testing hours.
• Compiled comprehensive technical documentation to ensure future teams could maintain the software applications.
• Developed application solutions that effectively addressed and integrated business requirements for multiple projects
• Troubleshot and debugged existing software systems, leading to major improvements in workflow, user experience, and product stability
• Assisted in the successful deployment and support of multiple software applications
• Analyzed existing software processes and suggested novel solutions to increase overall system performance
• Researched and implemented new technologies to maintain system integrity
• Adhered to coding standards, thereby enhancing code effectiveness and optimizing development best practices
• Software Development
• Software Testing
• Automated Testing
• Unit Testing
• Integration Testing
• Troubleshooting
• Problem-Solving
• Documentation
• Database Management
• Application Design
• System Performance Analysis
• Requirements Gathering
• Algorithm Design & Development
• Business Analysis
• Quality Assurance
• Release Management
• Web Programming
• Data Structures
• Mobile Application Development

Experienced Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Designed and developed highly performing software systems from specifications, increasing the company's productivity and speed of operations.
• Mentored and helped junior engineers with the implementation of new software components and technologies for the company's systems.
• Led several code reviews for software application modules and systems, resulting in improved quality performance.
• Analyzed customer queries and technical issues to identify software bugs and produced innovative solutions to reduce troubleshooting times.
• Improved software performance and quality standards by regularly maintaining and updating existing codebases.
• Developed unit test plans and automated tests that ensured stable releases and improved product stability.
• Developed technical specifications and designs that met customer requirements and business needs
• Utilized best practices and cutting-edge technologies to optimize software for best performance
• Led design review sessions for resolving software issues, resulting in significant cost savings for the company
• Object-Oriented Programming
• Database Design & Modeling
• Software Development Life-Cycle (SDLC)
• Code Refactoring
• Quality Assurance (QA) Testing
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery
• Algorithms & Data Structures
• Rest Api Design & Development
• Cloud Technologies (Azure, AWS, GCP)
• System Architecture Design & Implementation
• Version Control (Git, Subversion)
• Service-Oriented Architecture
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (Ml)
• Security & Authentication Protocols
• Scripting & Automation
• Docker & Containerization
• Blockchain Technologies

Fresher Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Developed test plans and cases to ensure software met technical and functional requirements, and subsequently created modular code that adhered to this criteria, as well as client expectations.
• Delivered successful bug fixes and troubleshooting to coding issues within software versions while understanding and implementing software development processes.
• Documented coding and design changes into GIT/Subversion repositories, and actively participated in group code reviews to keep software up-to-date and accurate.
• Participated in internal development team meetings and collaborated on project scope, working to refine resourcing and provide development timelines for completion
• Analyzed user requirements, devised and drafted functional specifications, and conducted unit tests to ensure desirable user experiences
• Learned cloud technologies and architecture for AWS, Azure, and GCP, and presented these advancements in projects to ensure accuracy and deployability
• Debugged coding issues and implemented feedback from team members to update code and create new models
• Reviewed existing and incoming software changes to document the design, outline goals, and determine KPIs
• Established and maintained software versions, ensuring cloud compatibility and collaboration with internal stakeholders to meet project deadlines
• Database knowledge/SQL programming
• Java development
• RESTful API development
• Agile/Scrum methodologies
• Cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Version control (GIT/Subversion)
• Domain-Driven Design
• JavaScript development
• Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
• Web Services (REST/SOAP)
• Procedural and Functional programming
• Linux/UNIX fundamentals
• Debugging/troubleshooting
• Networking fundamentals

Junior Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Developed features and functionalities for multiple software applications, making them more user-friendly and intuitive for customers and staff
• Refactored existing code in order to improve application performance, scalability, and reliability
• Participated in design reviews and code reviews, collaborating with other software engineers and stakeholders throughout the development process
• Created and maintained programming and project documentation, ensuring clear and timely communication between colleagues, customers, and product owners
• Wrote, modified, debugged, and tested code using the appropriate software development tools
• Identified, diagnosed, and resolved technical issues in code to maintain stability and consistency in the software applications
• Participated in daily standups and technical meetings to discuss product updates, customer feedback, and code quality
• Implemented unit and system testing for all software programs to meet employer and customer specifications
• Stayed up-to-date on development best practices and standards, allowing for efficient problem solving and maintenance
• Agile methodology
• Test-driven development
• Relational database management
• Version control systems
• Cloud computing
• Java/C++/Python/Ruby/PHP
• API design and development
• Systems architecture and design
• Scripting languages (e.g. Bash, PowerShell)
• Application development framework
• Web/mobile development
• Networking/distributed systems
• Application security
• Source code management
• Quality Assurance (QA)
• Documentation and UMLs

Senior Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Overhauled existing software applications to enhance reliability, performance and scalability; increased consumer conversion rate by 25%
• Mentored and led a team of junior developers to create project designs, software testing and quality assurance plans, and execution oversight and review
• Aggregated software project knowledge and documentation to create a central resource for future development teams

and maintenance

• Developed high-quality software applications for a client base, resulting in improved customer satisfaction by 35%
• Architected and implemented software solutions utilizing advanced technologies and methodologies, improving development turnaround time by 20%
• Optimized existing software codebase to eliminate unnecessary complexity and achieve increased efficiencies in debugging and maintenance
• Generated cost savings of over $200,000 by streamlining development process, automating unit testing and refactoring code
• Implemented user-friendly UI/UX design standards to ensure applications are intuitive and compliant with industry standards
• Designed and conducted software validation testing to assess the functionality and efficacy of the software, ensuring accuracy of requirements and expectations
• Object-oriented Design/Analysis
• Agile/Scrum/Lean Methodologies
• Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
• Database Design and Implementation
• Debugging and Troubleshooting
• Java/C/C++/Python Programming
• Web-based Programming
• Cloud Computing Technologies
• Software Design/Architecture
• Test-driven Development
• Continuous Integration and Delivery
• Mobile App Development
• User Experience Design Techniques
• Source Control Management Tools
• Application Security & Optimization
• Networking Protocols & Technologies
• Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning

Software Engineer Intern Resume Example:

• Designed, developed, implemented and tested new software solutions for internal and external partners using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, contributing to the successful completion of a major organizational project
• Developed extensive technical documentation to accurately and clearly explain new and existing software applications
• Assisted both colleagues and end-users with their technical inquiries, helping them to understand complex system architectures, perform troubleshooting and debugging
• Partnered with software architects and systems engineers to ensure quality of software product, and created test plans to execute successful unit testing
• Researched and evaluated emerging software technologies, tools and trends to inform decisions and improve existing software implementations
• Developed user-friendly and interactive interfaces with various functions to improve the user experience, and documented each process step to create a helpful team reference manual
• Investigated and advocated for new and innovative software solutions, working closely with product designers and software engineers to implement suggested change
• Maintained a tech blog, providing the open source community with the latest trends, best practices and inside knowledge about software engineering
• Translated basic user cases into working prototypes and complex models with data structures to meet the requirements and solve customer-facing bugs
• Technical Documentation
• Troubleshooting and Debugging
• Research and Evaluation of Software Technologies
• User Interface Design
• Innovative Problem Solving
• Prototyping
• Systems Analysis
• Open Source Contributions
• Agile Methodology
• Software Architecture
• Software Testing and Documentation
• Object-Oriented Design
• Cross-Platform Development

Senior iOS Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Developed and launched a new iOS application that increased user engagement by 25% and generated $500K in revenue within the first six months.
• Optimized application performance by implementing caching and reducing load times by 40%, resulting in a 15% increase in user retention.
• Mentored and trained junior engineers, resulting in a 30% improvement in code quality and a 20% reduction in bug-related delays.
• Integrated an iOS application with external systems, resulting in a 50% reduction in manual data entry and a 25% increase in data accuracy.
• Developed and maintained automated tests, reducing testing time by 60% and increasing test coverage by 40%.
• Researched and evaluated new technologies, leading to the adoption of Swift and improving development efficiency by 30%.
• Designed and developed a complex iOS application that supported a 50% increase in user base and generated $1M in revenue within the first year.
• Optimized application performance by implementing lazy loading and reducing memory usage by 30%, resulting in a 20% increase in user retention.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop new features, resulting in a 15% increase in user engagement and a 10% increase in revenue.
• Swift programming language
• Objective-C programming language
• iOS SDK and frameworks
• UIKit and SwiftUI
• Auto Layout and Interface Builder
• Core Data and data persistence
• Networking and RESTful APIs
• Multithreading and concurrency
• Performance optimization techniques
• Unit testing and test-driven development
• Continuous integration and continuous deployment
• Git and version control systems
• Agile methodologies and Scrum
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Mentoring and team leadership
• Research and technology evaluation
• App Store submission and distribution
• Accessibility and localization
• Security best practices
• Mobile app analytics and user engagement

Google Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Designed and implemented a new automated testing framework, resulting in a 50% reduction in testing time and a 25% increase in test coverage.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to optimize application performance, resulting in a 30% reduction in latency and a 20% increase in user satisfaction.
• Developed and maintained documentation for software applications, resulting in a 40% reduction in onboarding time for new engineers.
• Developed and implemented a new build and deployment process, reducing deployment time by 60% and minimizing production issues by 50%.
• Designed and implemented a new microservices architecture, improving system reliability by 40% and supporting a 25% increase in customer base.
• Collaborated with other engineers to troubleshoot and debug software applications, resulting in a 30% reduction in bug-related delays.
• Developed and maintained software applications using Google Cloud Platform (GCP), resulting in a 20% increase in application performance and a 15% reduction in operational costs.
• Designed and implemented software solutions using Google technologies such as Java, Python, and Go, resulting in a 25% increase in team productivity and a 20% reduction in development time.
• Participated in code reviews and provided feedback, resulting in a 30% improvement in overall code quality and a 20% reduction in production issues.
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Microservices architecture
• Automated testing frameworks
• Application performance optimization
• Software debugging and troubleshooting
• Build and deployment processes
• Code review and feedback
• Software documentation
• Application scalability
• System reliability
• User satisfaction

VMware Engineer Resume Example:

• Designed and implemented a disaster recovery plan for a large financial institution, reducing recovery time by 50% and ensuring business continuity in the event of a disaster.
• Developed and maintained automation scripts for virtual machine provisioning, resulting in a 30% reduction in manual effort and a 20% increase in efficiency.
• Provided technical support and training to over 100 users and IT staff, resulting in a 25% decrease in support tickets and an overall improvement in user satisfaction scores by 15%.
• Managed the migration of a large healthcare organization's virtual infrastructure to vSphere 7, resulting in a 40% reduction in downtime and a 25% increase in system performance.
• Developed and maintained capacity planning and performance tuning for a large e-commerce company's vSphere environment, resulting in a 20% reduction in hardware costs and a 15% increase in system efficiency.
• Researched and evaluated new technologies and products related to vSphere environment, leading to the adoption of a new storage solution that improved system performance by 30%.
• Designed and implemented a virtualization infrastructure for a large government agency, resulting in a 50% reduction in hardware costs and a 30% increase in system performance.
• Developed and maintained security policies and procedures for a large financial institution's vSphere environment, resulting in compliance with industry regulations and a 20% reduction in security incidents.
• Monitored and troubleshooted a large manufacturing company's vSphere environment for performance and availability, resulting in a 25% reduction in downtime and an overall improvement in system reliability by 15%.
• VMware vSphere expertise
• Disaster recovery planning
• Virtual machine provisioning automation
• Technical support and training
• vSphere 7 migration
• Capacity planning and performance tuning
• Research and evaluation of new technologies
• Virtualization infrastructure design and implementation
• Security policy development and maintenance
• vSphere environment monitoring and troubleshooting
• Hardware cost reduction
• System performance optimization
• Compliance with industry regulations
• System reliability improvement
• Strong communication and collaboration skills

Embedded Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Designed and developed embedded software for a real-time system, including scheduling, synchronization, and communication protocols, resulting in a 25% improvement in system performance.
• Developed software for low-level device drivers, including GPIO, UART, and I2C, resulting in a 30% reduction in system crashes and improved system stability.
• Developed software for embedded applications, such as motor control and sensor fusion, resulting in a 20% increase in system accuracy and reliability.
• Developed software for communication protocols such as CAN, SPI, I2C, and Ethernet, resulting in a 15% reduction in system downtime and improved system reliability.
• Developed software for embedded operating systems, such as Linux and FreeRTOS, resulting in a 20% improvement in system performance and reduced system crashes.
• Developed software for embedded systems, such as debugging, testing, and validation, resulting in a 25% reduction in software bugs and improved system stability.
• Developed software for embedded systems, such as ARM Cortex-M, PIC, and AVR, resulting in a 30% improvement in system performance and reduced system crashes.
• Developed software for embedded systems, such as bootloaders, bootstraps, and firmware, resulting in a 20% reduction in system downtime and improved system reliability.
• Implemented version control, configuration management, and build systems, resulting in a 25% reduction in development time and improved team productivity.
• Embedded software development
• Real-time systems design
• Low-level device drivers
• Communication protocols (CAN, SPI, I2C, Ethernet)
• Embedded operating systems (Linux, FreeRTOS)
• Debugging and testing
• ARM Cortex-M, PIC, and AVR microcontrollers
• Bootloaders, bootstraps, and firmware
• Version control and configuration management
• Build systems and automation
• Motor control and sensor fusion
• Scheduling and synchronization
• Software validation and optimization
• Team collaboration and productivity
• Developed and implemented a new feature for an existing software application, resulting in a 10% increase in user satisfaction and a 5% increase in user retention.
• Collaborated with a team of developers to troubleshoot and resolve software issues, resulting in a 20% reduction in bug-related delays and an overall improvement in software quality.
• Contributed to the development of technical documentation, ensuring that it was accurate and up-to-date for future reference.
• Designed and developed a new software solution from scratch, meeting all project requirements and delivering it on time and within budget.
• Collaborated with other developers to identify and implement new features, resulting in a 15% increase in user engagement and a 10% increase in revenue.
• Participated in code reviews and provided feedback to other developers, improving overall code quality and reducing the number of bugs in the software.
• Developed and maintained a database of customer information, ensuring that it was accurate and up-to-date at all times.
• Worked with other developers to develop and implement unit tests and integration tests, ensuring that software was thoroughly tested before release.
• Stayed up-to-date with new technologies and development trends, attending conferences and workshops to improve skills and knowledge.
• Programming languages (e.g., Java, Python, C++)
• Web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Database management (SQL, NoSQL)
• Software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum)
• Version control systems (Git, SVN)
• Debugging and troubleshooting
• Unit testing and test automation
• API development and integration
• Problem-solving and critical thinking
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Technical documentation
• Code review and optimization
• Continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD)
• Cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• Mobile app development (Android, iOS)
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence frameworks
• Cybersecurity best practices
• Time management and organization
• Adaptability and continuous learning

Principal Software Engineer Resume Example:

• Led the technical design and development of a complex software project, resulting in a 30% improvement in system performance and a 25% reduction in response time.
• Implemented a software testing plan that increased test coverage by 40% and reduced the number of critical bugs by 50%.
• Provided technical guidance and mentorship to junior software engineers, resulting in a 20% improvement in their coding skills and a 15% increase in their productivity.
• Developed and maintained a codebase for a mission-critical software system, achieving a 99.9% uptime and ensuring uninterrupted service for millions of users.
• Researched and evaluated new software technologies and tools, leading to the adoption of a cloud-based infrastructure that reduced operational costs by 30%.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot and debug complex software applications, resulting in a 40% reduction in customer-reported issues and an improved user experience.
• Designed and implemented a scalable microservices architecture, enabling the company to handle a 50% increase in user traffic without any performance degradation.
• Developed and maintained technical documentation, ensuring that the software development team had up-to-date and accurate information, resulting in a 20% reduction in development time for new features.
• Monitored system performance and provided performance tuning and optimization, resulting in a 25% improvement in response time and a 15% reduction in server costs.
• Expertise in software design and architecture
• Proficiency in coding and programming languages
• Strong knowledge of microservices architecture
• Experience with cloud-based infrastructure
• Ability to develop and maintain a large codebase
• Skill in software testing and debugging
• Proficiency in performance tuning and optimization
• Ability to research and evaluate new software technologies and tools
• Experience in technical documentation and knowledge transfer
• Strong leadership and mentorship skills
• Ability to handle high user traffic systems
• Knowledge of system monitoring and maintenance
• Experience in reducing operational costs and improving system performance
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Knowledge of Agile and Scrum methodologies
• Understanding of DevOps principles
• Familiarity with containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines
• Knowledge of cybersecurity best practices.

High Level Resume Tips for Software Engineers:

Highlight your technical skills: As a software engineer, your technical expertise is crucial. Emphasize your experience with software development methodologies, programming languages, and other technical tools and frameworks. Showcase your project experience: Highlight the projects you have worked on, the technologies you have used, and the results you have achieved. Be specific and quantify your accomplishments wherever possible. Highlight your software architecture skills: Software engineers must understand how to design software architectures that meet the needs of a business or organization. Highlight your experience with software design patterns and system architecture.

Must-Have Information for a Software Engineer Resume:

Here are the essential sections that should exist in a software engineer resume:

• Contact Information
• Resume Headline
• Resume Summary or Objective
• Work Experience & Achievements
• Skills & Competencies

Additionally, if you're eager to make an impression and gain an edge over other software engineer candidates, you may want to consider adding in these sections:

• Certifications/Training

Let's start with resume headlines.

Why Resume Headlines & Titles are Important for Software Engineers:

Software engineer resume headline examples:, strong headlines.

Experienced Software Engineer: 4+ Years of Technical Expertise

Innovative Software Engineer: Working with Emerging Technologies and Team Collaboration

Good headlines demonstrate the job seeker's hard and soft skills as they relate to the role they're applying for. The headlines demonstrate their value proposition in a concise and direct way. Additionally, good resume headlines incorporate industry-relevant keywords to ensure the content is tailored to the job description.

Weak Headlines

Software Guy with 4 Years of Experience

Just Looking for a Paycheck: Software Development

Weak resume headlines can be confusing, vague and uninspiring. They do not mention any relevant skills, nor do they portray the individual as a capable Software Engineer. Each headline fails to convey anything unique or valuable about the person. Additionally, resume headlines that make no reference to the context of the job which make the job seeker appear shallow.

Writing an Exceptional Software Engineer Resume Summary:

A resume summary is a critical component for Software Engineers, as it provides a valuable opportunity to highlight the skills, experiences, and accomplishments of your career in a brief and impactful way.

When written well, a resume summary can (and should) do the following:

• Quickly Showcase Relevant Skills: A well-crafted summary allows Software Engineers to quickly showcase their technical abilities, such as programming languages they are proficient in, as well as their ability to work in different development environments.
• Stand Out from the Crowd: In the extremely competitive world of software engineering, a killer summary can truly set your resume apart.
• Highlight Key Achievements: A summary provides a front-and-center place to showcase your most notable technical achievements and accomplishments as a Software Engineer, like contributing to the development of new software or resolving a complex technical problem.
• Impress the Hiring Manager: A strong summary will leave a lasting impression on the hiring manager and increase the chances of your resume being shortlisted for further consideration.

Here are some the key best practices to write an exceptional resume summary:

• Tailor it to the specific job you are applying for by highlighting relevant skills and experiences.
• Mention quantifiable achievements, such as successful project delivery or improvements to system performance.
• Use keywords related to the software development field to make your resume more attractive to both people and applicant tracking systems (ATS).
• Keep the summary concise and to-the-point, ideally under 4 sentences.
• Avoid generic statements and cliches and try not to repeat any information already included in other sections of your resume.

Software Engineer Resume Summary Examples:

Strong summaries.

• Highly-skilled Software Engineer with 4 years of experience in developing and deploying software solutions. Proven success in designing and developing software applications that meet customer requirements.
• Innovative Software Engineer with 4 years of experience in creating and optimizing software applications. Skilled in using a variety of software development tools and technologies to develop solutions for customers.

Why these are strong:

• These summaries demonstrate the Software Engineer's experience in developing and deploying software solutions, and in designing and developing software applications. They also demonstrate the Software Engineer's ability to use a variety of software development tools and technologies to create and optimize software applications for customers.

Weak Summaries

• Experienced Software Engineer with 4 years of experience in developing software applications. Experience in deploying software solutions.
• Skilled in developing and deploying software solutions.

Why these are weak:

• These summaries are too generic and lack specifics. They do not demonstrate the Software Engineer's ability to design and develop software applications that meet customer requirements, or to use a variety of software development tools and technologies to create and optimize software applications for customers. They also do not demonstrate the Software Engineer's experience in deploying software solutions.

Resume Objective Examples for Software Engineers:

Strong objectives.

Highly motivated Software Engineer seeking to join an innovative and creative team, with experience in web languages such as HTML and CSS, as well as coding in C# and Java.

Eager to apply expertise in software development to help the company reach the highest levels of efficiency, with the ability to work independently, or as part of a team, in a fast-paced environment.

• What makes the great objective great is that they provide concise information that showcases the Software Engineer's skills and attributes. The great objective also states the individual's desire to join an innovative team and to help the company reach higher levels of efficiency.

Weak Objectives

• I am looking for a job as a Software Engineer.
• Experienced Software Engineer who wants to increase their salary.
• What makes the poor objective poor is that they do not showcase the individual's skills, attributes, or any real ability to benefit the company. Furthermore, the statements are too generic and are not clear in their purpose.

Generate Your Resume Summary with AI

Speed up your resume creation process with the ai resume builder . generate tailored resume summaries in seconds., how to impress with your software engineer work experience:, best practices for your work experience section:.

• Highlight programming languages and technologies used in past roles: Specify the programming languages, frameworks and technologies used on projects/applications. Be as specific as possible.
• Reference technical roles in detail: Describe specific accomplishments in technical roles such as development, programming, engineering, data analysis, database administration.
• Showcase project-based work: List projects worked on in the past and detail the components involved in each one.
• Show problem-solving skills: Detail how technical challenges were solved, highlighting any areas of expertise used to resolve the issue.
• Demonstrate leadership skills: Describe accomplishments in team-based roles such as managing projects, leading technical initiatives, and developing relationships with stakeholders.
• Include achievements and results: Show any awards or recognition received as a result of the job and provide specific results of the work produced.
• Include organizational impact: Detail the big-picture impact of the work, the team, or the projects.
• Use quantifiable terms: Give details using specific quantifiable terms such as time saved, size of codebase, number of lines of code, etc.
• Describe unique challenges: Describe any unique or complex challenges faced and how they were solved.
• Include relevant courses or trainings: Cite any courses or specific trainings taken for continuing education or professional development.

Example Work Experiences for Software Engineers:

Strong experiences.

Built a microservices-based architecture for a customer management system, resulting in a 50% reduction in system downtime and improved scalability.

Developed a real-time analytics dashboard for a leading telecommunications company, providing key business insights and driving strategic decisions.

Led a cross-functional team of engineers, designers, and product managers in the delivery of a new cloud-based product, on time and within budget.

Contributed to the development of a machine learning-powered recommendation engine, resulting in a 20% increase in user engagement and revenue.

Developed and maintained an enterprise-level system for a major financial institution, ensuring high availability and security.

Mentored junior engineers in the team, sharing technical knowledge and contributing to the team's overall growth.

• The strong work experiences for a software engineer showcase technical skills, impactful results, and leadership qualities. They demonstrate a track record of delivering high-quality software solutions that drive business results and provide value to clients or customers. The examples highlight technical accomplishments such as designing and building microservices-based architecture, developing real-time analytics dashboards, and delivering new cloud-based products. They also showcase soft skills such as mentorship, cross-functional teamwork, and technical knowledge sharing.

Weak Experiences

Worked as a software engineer on various projects.

Assisted senior developers in coding and debugging.

Participated in code reviews and contributed to the development of technical documentation.

Worked as a software engineer on multiple projects.

Wrote code for various applications and modules.

Debugged and resolved technical issues.

• The weak work experiences for a software engineer are generic and lack detail and context. They do not showcase technical skills, results, or leadership qualities, and do not provide any information about the impact the individual had in their role. The examples simply list responsibilities without any metrics, achievements, or impact, making it difficult to evaluate the candidate's experience and potential value as an employee. They lack specificity and do not provide any insights into the candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, or ability to drive results.

Top Skills & Keywords for Software Engineer Resumes:

Top hard & soft skills for software engineers, hard skills.

• Software development methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum)
• Object-oriented design and programming (OOP)
• Algorithms and data structures
• Web development (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Relational databases (e.g., SQL, Oracle)
• Version control (e.g., Git, SVN)
• Software testing and quality assurance
• Cloud computing (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Operating systems (e.g., Linux, Unix, Windows)
• Integrated development environments (IDEs)

Soft Skills

• Strong Communication Skills
• Problem Solving
• Attention to Detail
• Adaptability
• Critical Thinking
• Organizational Skills

Go Above & Beyond with a Software Engineer Cover Letter

Software engineer cover letter example: (based on resume).

Dear Hiring Manager, I am excited to apply for the Software Engineer position at [Company]. With over [number of years] years of experience in software development, I am confident that my skills and expertise will contribute to the continued success of your company. In my previous role as a Software Engineer, I spearheaded the development of a large-scale software system that met regulatory standards and improved customer satisfaction by 25%. Additionally, I upgraded a critical server-side solution, enhancing security and process speed by 27%. My experience in developing custom software architectures, designs, and specifications has allowed me to meet customer requirements and exceed project deadlines consistently. I am well-versed in collaborating with cross-functional teams to design and deploy versatile and intuitive software solutions that have resulted in a 6% increase in customer loyalty. I have implemented cutting-edge database migration strategies, which improved database performance and reduced operational maintenance costs by 25%. Additionally, I have installed, maintained, and debugged third-party services to optimize software performance, resulting in improved system stability and reliability. As a mentor and technical guidance provider, I have successfully improved code quality by 15% and reduced software development bugs by 15% for my peers. I have also devised automated unit tests and integration tests to ensure software conformance with best practice standards, leading to a 20% improvement in team productivity. I am confident that my skills in software development, collaboration, and leadership will make me a valuable addition to your team. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to discussing my qualifications further in an interview. ‍

Sincerely, [Your Name]

A cover letter is an essential tool for any software engineer looking to stand out from the competition. It's an opportunity to showcase your technical skills, highlight your relevant experience, and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the position.

While a resume provides a summary of your skills and experience, a cover letter allows you to personalize your application and connect with the hiring manager on a deeper level. It's an opportunity to explain why you're passionate about software engineering, and show how you can add value to the organization.

Here are some of the key reasons for pairing your software engineer resume with a cover letter:

• It demonstrates your technical skills: As a software engineer, technical skills are key. Your cover letter provides an opportunity to showcase your ability to write code, troubleshoot problems, and develop innovative solutions.
• It shows your enthusiasm for the position: A well-written cover letter can demonstrate your passion for the role and the organization. This can make a big difference in the hiring manager's decision-making process.
• It highlights your relevant experience: Your cover letter allows you to explain how your skills and experience align with the requirements of the job. This can help the hiring manager understand why you're a good fit for the role.
• It sets you apart from other applicants: A well-crafted cover letter can help you stand out from other applicants who may have similar experience and qualifications.

We understand that writing a cover letter may seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Remember that the cover letter is an extension of your resume, so you can use the same format and content as your resume. It's also a chance to address any gaps or questions that the hiring manager may have after reading your resume.

Tips for aligning your cover letter with your resume:

• Use the same header as your resume: This will help the hiring manager identify your application as a complete package.
• Align the content of your cover letter with the requirements of the job: Use the job description as a guide to highlight your relevant skills and experience.
• Use keywords from the job posting: Incorporate relevant keywords from the job posting to help your application get past applicant tracking systems (ATS).
• Keep your cover letter concise and focused: Aim for one page and avoid repeating information from your resume.
• Proofread carefully: Errors in your cover letter can undermine your credibility, so make sure to proofread carefully before submitting your application.

Resume FAQs for Software Engineers:

How long should i make my software engineer resume.

The ideal length for a Software Engineer’s resume should be two pages. Brevity is key - highlighting your software engineering experience, achievements, and education should be the priority. Any necessary additional information or details can be added after this. Try to focus on concisely presenting your most relevant expertise and accomplishments so as to keep the resume concise and in-depth.

What is the best way to format a Software Engineer resume?

For Software Engineers, the best resume format is one that emphasizes the candidate’s technical strengths and accomplishments, highlights their related experience and training, and excludes any irrelevant information. To provide an effective overview of an engineer’s skills, it is suggested to keep the design of the resume clean and efficient, relying on the most relevant, impactful bullets and relevant keywords to provide an organized and compelling story. Additionally, it is important to tailor the resume to each position by leveraging buzzwords and phrases found in the job description.

Which Software Engineer skills are most important to highlight in a resume?

Some of the hard skills that Software Engineers should include in a resume are: coding proficiency (in a variety of programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, Python, etc.), knowledge of development tools, experience with databases and SQL, ability to work with source control management, excellent problem-solving Skills, and ability to develop algorithms and debugging. Additionally, Software Engineers should be proficient in operating systems and software design, databases, eCommerce platforms, and cloud platform and associated technologies. Knowing various application and development frameworks such as NodeJS, Drupal, and API integration is also important for Software Engineers. Finally, Software Engineers should have experience in designing and implementing unit and integration tests and ensuring application security.

How should you write a resume if you have no experience as a Software Engineer?

If you have no experience as a Software Engineer, be sure to highlight any academic, technical and/or quantitative coursework that is relevant to the position. Also list any programming languages, systems or libraries that you have experience with. If you have relevant course projects, internship projects, or programming projects that you completed, include those in your resume too. Show your enthusiasm for software engineering by citing any certifications, awards, or other extracurricular activities you have been involved with. Finally, make sure to demonstrate your transferable skills, such as problem-solving, teamwork, and communication, and how you have applied in them in other areas. These can help distinguish your resume from others without software engineering experience.

Compare Your Software Engineer Resume to a Job Description:

• Identify opportunities to further tailor your resume to the Software Engineer job
• Improve your keyword usage to align your experience and skills with the position
• Uncover and address potential gaps in your resume that may be important to the hiring manager

Related Resumes for Software Engineers:

Entry level software engineer resume example, experienced software engineer resume example, fresher software engineer resume example, junior software engineer resume example, senior software engineer resume example, software engineer intern resume example, software engineer resume example, senior ios software engineer resume example, vmware engineer resume example, google software engineer resume example, embedded software engineer resume example, more resume guidance:.

How to write a killer Software Engineering résumé

An in-depth analysis of the résumé that got me interviews at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and more.

This résumé got me interviews at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple.

I obtained these interviews by sending my résumé to the résumé black hole , also known as applying online.

Applying online is the most common way people go about applying for a job and therefore the least effective way to land an interview due to competition. Yet that is exactly how I obtained all my interviews.

How did I accomplish this?

In this article, I will go through a line-by-line analysis of my résumé for the following purposes:

• explaining the choices that I made in creating my résumé
• why I believe this résumé worked to help me land those interviews, and
• how you can create an even better résumé!

I decided to write this article because I struggled a lot with landing interviews when I first started looking for a job. It would have been extremely helpful for me to have a real-life example résumé to look at.

This article is organized into the following sections:

• The All Too Familiar Way of Not Landing an Interview - a short anecdote of my frustrations when I first started applying for jobs
• Evaluating the Options: Moving Forward - a reflection on different strategies to improve the odds of landing interviews
• Learning How to Write a Killer Résumé By Example - the step-by-step analysis of my résumé with each of the following sections corresponding to my résumé:

The Essentials from a Glance

• Who Are You
• Contact Information
• Personal Projects

The All Too Familiar Way of Not Landing an Interview

Applying online.

You probably know the link that every company provides for online applications. It’s the classic career site that shows you a bunch of job titles which you think you are totally qualified for until you open the job description and read the minimum requirements.

A job description with a bunch of words that you have never heard of, may have heard of, or hoped you had heard of. And it has an innocent-looking “ Apply” button .

Despite the uncertainty you may feel about your qualifications, you apply anyway because you want a job.

So you fill out the application form, press submit — and wait and hope for a positive response.

Your results will be varied:

• Phone Interview ? (yay, a chance at employment!!!)
• Immediate Rejection ? (darn, back to the drawing board)
• No reply  ? (ugh, at least give me the courtesy of having some closure)

Repeat Until Success… Right?

Sadly, this is the typical process that many people go through when looking for a job/internship.

Apply to a couple of companies. Get a couple of rejections or no replies. Apply to a couple more companies. Get a couple more rejections or no replies. Over, and over, and over again.

Why do we do this to ourselves? We spend all this time doing the same repetitive task to obtain the same, disappointing results.

Because this is what everyone does to get an interview, right? Because at least we’re working towards the right direction and have a glimmer of hope, right? How else are you supposed to get an interview?

Evaluating the Options: Moving Forward

“Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” - Dale Carnegie, (author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People”)

We can think of approaching the problem of not getting interviews in two ways:

• Putting your application/ résumé under the microscope
• Questioning the process in which you go about obtaining an interview

This article focuses on the former, because no matter what avenue you end up taking to get an interview, essentially every company utilizes your résumé as a basis for evaluation . Therefore, we will examine my résumé under a microscope and focus on learning how to write a remarkable résumé.

Getting an interview via online application is extremely challenging because your résumé has to pass numerous stages before it gets into the hands of the hiring manager.

It has to bypass online keyword filters , stand out to a recruiter who reviews it for about 6 seconds and meet the expectations of the hiring manager who decides whether you are worth interviewing.

Yet, despite all those hurdles, I obtained all my interviews by applying online. How? Trial and error . I’ve applied to hundreds of different software engineering positions since my sophomore year of college.

When I first started applying, I faced a staggering number of rejections, but over time I learned how to adapt. By the time I was a senior, I was extremely successful in landing interviews from almost every company I applied to.

The résumé that landed me all those interviews is the exact one in this article.

It took me four years of iteration and real-life testing to get to this point. From this experience, I have come up with a list of résumé writing principles to help you write an even better software résumé. These are principles that have helped me land my dream job and are principles that can help you land yours.

While it took me four years of college to figure this all out, you don’t have to go through all the leaps and bounds because you can learn all of it right here, right now.

My goal is to be the one-stop hub for all your questions on how to obtain a software engineering interview. That way, you don’t have to waste countless hours cross-referencing Google search results to find the best answer on how to write a software engineering résumé that gets interviews.

Your valuable time could be better spent on writing your killer résumé.

So start here and now with this article. Reap the benefits from my past experiences and let’s begin the step-by-step walkthrough of my résumé!

Learning How to Write a Killer Résumé — By Example

“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let’s take another look at this résumé:

One-page résumé

Recruiters do not have all day to read your résumé. On average they view it for less than 6 seconds. Keep it short and concise .

Sections (Header, Education, Employment, Software Projects, Skills)

Place sections in order of importance from top to bottom. The ‘ Personal Projects ’ section is a unique, must-have for people looking for a software engineering position.

Consistent layout + font per section

Make sure each section contains a uniform look. Consistent style is important as it enhances the readability. Readability is essential.

So why does this résumé work? Let’s explore the numbered bullet points.

Who Are You (1)

Target Audience: Anyone writing a résumé

Starting off real easy. Your name. Place your name at the top of your résumé in a large legible font.

No need to be all fancy about it with extravagant colors or fancy fonts. Plain and simple does the trick. You want the recruiter to see this easily from a mile away because you want them to know who you are. A recruiter who has to do minimum work is a happy recruiter. A happy recruiter is one who is more likely to give you an interview.

Recap: Make it ridiculously easy for the recruiter to read and find your name.

Contact Information (2)

Your contact info should be as easy as identifying your name. This is so important. Of all the things in the world, please do not mess this one up because how else on earth will the recruiter contact you?

Recap: Put in the correct contact information or you’ll never be contacted.

Education (3)

Target Audience: Anyone writing a résumé with a degree

If you are attending or attended college, this should be the first section of your résumé, because going to college is a huge accomplishment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only “66.7 percent of 2017 high school graduates age 16 to 24 enrolled in colleges or universities”. So be proud of it and include it!

Right off the bat, this tells the recruiter that you are invested in education and learning, which is crucial because technology is continuously changing. Furthermore, this information serves as an indicator of your successes, so be sure to put it down.

Recap: Put down where you got educated.

Be sure to include relevant coursework corresponding to the position that you are applying for. While a course on the History of Italian Gastronomy sounds exceptionally appetizing, it doesn’t have a place in a résumé that is trying to get you a job in computer science.

This will significantly improve the ability of the recruiter and the hiring manager looking at your résumé in deciding whether you are a good fit for the position. And as previously mentioned, a happy recruiter is more likely to give you an interview.

Recap: Only include relevant coursework.

Okay. GPA. Before we talk about this, let’s remind ourselves of the main purpose of a résumé.

The main purpose of a résumé is to highlight your knowledge, skills, and accomplishments succinctly. You want to include things on your résumé that you are proud of, but also things that will impress. You want to paint a picture of yourself in the best light possible so that recruiters and hiring managers want to interview you.

Now back to your GPA. It should be fairly obvious whether or not your GPA is impressive. If your GPA is below a 3.0, don’t put it on your résumé. There’s nothing wrong with excluding your GPA from your résumé if it only harms your chances.

If you have a GPA between 3.0–3.2, this is a judgment call. From personal experience, I have talked to some companies that require a minimum GPA of 3.2, but these were primarily financial or quantitative companies. Most software companies have little regard for your GPA. If you have anything above a 3.2, I would place it on your résumé.

If you have a low GPA, fear not, as this gives you the opportunity to be creative! My overall GPA was a 3.2 due to poor grades from my freshman engineering prerequisites and humanities classes. But once I finished and started taking courses within my major, my in-major GPA (GPA calculated from courses in my major) was a 3.44, which was significantly higher. So that’s what I put down (but make sure to qualify it as a departmental GPA).

There are many ways of going about presenting yourself in the best light possible, even when it may seem like the odds are stacked against you. I only provided one example of accomplishing this, but there are many more ways waiting to be discovered by you. Fully embrace your failures and accomplishments because they make up who are you. Be honest and truthful, and always focus on highlighting the best parts about yourself.

Recap: Your GPA does not define you. The purpose of your résumé is to present yourself in the best light. Never forget that! Be creative when going about this and DON’T LIE.

Employment (4)

Target Audience: Students with software engineering work experience

If you are a college student without any experience, don’t be afraid! This was my senior year résumé when I was applying for a full-time job. I was fortunate enough to have accumulated relevant work experience from summer internships, but this isn’t absolutely necessary to get an interview. If you find that you don’t have much to put in section, jump down to the ‘ Personal Projects ’ section.

While it is great to have past work experience, not all work experience is treated equally when it comes to looking for a job in software engineering. Focus only on including work experience that has relevance to the job that you are applying for. For instance, if you have experience working as a cashier in retail or a waiter in the food industry, don’t include it! Unfortunately, your abilities to handle money or serve food did not provide any indication that you will succeed as a software engineer.

A recruiter’s goal is to match candidates with jobs that fit the candidates’ skill sets. Therefore it is essential only to include past work experience that has some relation to the position that you are currently applying to, on your résumé.

Part of accomplishing this means creating a collection of various résumés, each tailored specifically for the different job that you are interested in. This is analogous to the college application process, where you had to write separate essays for each university that you applied to. Each college has its own values, culture, and vision, making it nearly impossible to write a generic, one-size-fits-all college essay. Therefore, tailor your résumé to the job that you are applying for.

Lastly, a note on dates. Order your experiences in descending order starting with your most recent experiences. For undergraduates, this means being mindful of including experiences that are both recent and relevant. Sadly, no one cares about whatever accomplishments you had in middle school or high school. If the experience is outdated, leave it out.

Recap: Have various versions of your résumé tailored for each job you are applying for. There is no one-size-fits-all résumé.

The hardest part about résumé writing is having descriptions that fully encapsulate your accomplishments from past work experiences in a meaningful and impressive way.

What does it mean for your descriptions to be meaningful and impressive? It means getting the recruiter to think: “This is someone that has the skill sets we are looking for. This is someone that has made a significant impact in their past jobs. This is someone we would like to interview and potentially hire.”

The primary objective of the Employment section is to show the impact and value that you had while working at an established institution. Your goal is to show recruiters that you are a candidate that can get things done and do them well.

To best showcase my accomplishments in my résumé, I adopted the following powerful formula, created by the Former SVP of People Operations at Google, Laszlo Bock:

“Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]” — Laszlo Bock

You can see this very clearly in the very first bullet point of this section on my résumé.

Improved device’s battery lifespan by 8% by integrating a fuel gauge sensor and establishing a battery saving state

Let’s break it down:

Accomplished [X]- Improved device’s battery lifespan

Measured by [Y]- by 8%

By Doing [Z]- integrating a fuel gauge sensor and establishing a battery saving state

I leveraged this formula in some shape or form in almost every sentence in my résumé.

To help you along this process, below is a word bank of excellent verbs you can and should use:

Here are some examples of fill-in the blank sentences that I have come up with for you to get started:

• Reduced _____ by _____ by _____.
• Redesigned _____ for _____.
• Implemented _____ for _____ by _____.
• Improved _____ by _____ through _____.
• Utilized _____ to _____ for _____.
• Increased _____ by _____ through _____.
• Integrated _____ by _____ for _____.
• Incorporated _____ for _____ by _____.

Recap: Use the “Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]” formula. It’s the most effective and most apparent way of showing recruiters/managers your impact.

Lastly, I end each work experience with a leveraged knowledge bullet point. The utility behind this last bit is it enables the reader to really get a sense of the technology I am familiar with by explicitly stating the technologies that I used for the project.

This also allows me to have a concise, but clean ‘Skills’ section located at the bottom of my résumé. Recruiters can then look at the bottom to immediately obtain a sense of my capabilities by seeing which computer languages I am familiar with. If they are looking to see if I have specific knowledge in a particular tool, framework, or library, then they can find this out by looking at my projects.

Recap: Including technologies that you used in your descriptions will help you bypass online keyword filters when applying online. This will also give recruiters a clearer idea of your experiences and knowledge.

Personal Projects (5)

Target Audience: Students looking for software engineering internships/full-time positions + Unique section for software engineering applicants

Maybe if I say it enough times, you will understand the importance of this section, especially for those that do not have work experience .

Personal projects are integral to piquing recruiters and hiring managers interest as it shows you are passionate about programming.

A personal project can be anything programming related, whether it be a Python script, Java program, web page, mobile application, etc. These projects show that you are genuinely interested in computer science and you have strong desires to work as a software engineer because you are willing to go beyond your schoolwork and create something on your own.

Taking the initiative to build something on your own is extremely impressive. It shows that you are dedicated to expanding your knowledge of computer science and that you are not afraid of putting in the extra work to do so. Ultimately, it is a fantastic way to demonstrate self-initiative and genuine interest in this field.

The other benefit of doing personal projects is that you inevitably gain the skills that apply to work in the real world. Things that you don’t usually do at school, but you will do at work such as using standard frameworks/libraries, understanding full-stack web development, creating mobile applications, setting up a development environment, or programming efficiently with Vim.

Tip: Create a personal website that showcases and documents all of your personal projects. This is a little hack that ‘virtually extends’ your résumé beyond the one-page limit.

To reiterate one last time, personal projects show your passion and dedication towards developing the necessary skills needed for a job that you don’t yet have. This is a must-have on any software engineering resume.

“Build some iPhone apps, web apps, whatever! Honestly it doesn’t matter that much what you’re building as long as you’re building something. You can build a fairly meaty project in one weekend. This means that with about 3–4 weekends of work, you can make your résumé go from so-so to fantastic. Seriously — I’ve seen lots of people do this.” - Gayle McDowell, former Google Engineer and Author of Cracking the Coding Interview

If there is a specific company that you really want to work at, one of the best ways to stand out is doing a personal project that is directly related to the job that you are applying for.

I got my internship at Autodesk by taking a free online interactive computer graphics course on Udacity. The course taught me to use a JavaScript library called three.js , and it just so happened that there was a software engineering internship opening at Autodesk looking for someone with full-stack website and knowledge in three.js (aka ME).

A word of caution on this technique. This strategy is not perfect. This only really works for companies like Autodesk which do not have generalized software engineering internships like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. When starting off early in your career, it is better to generalize and figure out the different disciplines of computer science. Nonetheless, this is an excellent method worth trying if there is a specific company you want.

Recap: Personal projects are imperative. If you haven’t already, start NOW! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Target Audience: Anyone looking for a software engineering job

The title explains it all. Keep this section dumb, simple, and clean. List all the relevant skills that you want the recruiter to know you have. The more skills you have listed here that match key technical words in the qualification section of the job description, the better your chances!

This will allow you to bypass the online keyword scanner easily. However, this is not a fool-proof method of circumventing the scanner. Ultimately it is a recruiter who gets their hands on your résumé that decides, but they will also be more inclined to give you an interview if they see you as a good fit for the job!

A thing to note about the skills section is to NOT simply list all the keywords on the job description just for the sake of showing you’re a good fit. It will come back to bite you as you will be questioned on the skills you claim to know.

Part of giving yourself some leeway in this is including an indication of your proficiency level. Since you are probably not practicing every language you’ve ever encountered on a day to day basis, including a proficiency level can help the recruiter know your strongest languages at a moment in time and other languages that you are familiar with.

I’ve opted to use two tiers:

• Proficient - Languages that I am very familiar with, feel very comfortable using, and can interview with right now.
• Familiar - Languages that I have utilized in the past but may not be as knowledgeable in currently, but can pick back up given time.

Other valid options include:

• Intermediate
• Working Knowledge
• Basic Knowledge

Recap: When applying for a specific job online, cross-reference the job description and add essential technical keywords on your résumé to increase your chance of getting an interview.

Key Takeaways

• Make sure your name and contact information is correct and legible
• Be sure to include your education. If your GPA is low, leave it out or be creative!
• Utilize the “Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]” formula to effectively show the impact that you had in your past employment
• Do personal projects — especially if you do not have past experience working in tech

Final Thoughts

While this résumé got me interviews at numerous software engineering companies, there is no guarantee that following all the principles and techniques I have explained here will yield the same results for you.

This was my senior year résumé in 2017. It is a showcase of my journey and interest in software engineering. Copying it will do you no good, as technology is constantly evolving and the talent search is an ever-changing process. Instead, use this as a reference.

Use my résumé and this article as a resource to become a better résumé writer and a more effective communicator. Focus on learning how to best convey your skills and achievements to others. This in itself is an invaluable, lifelong skill that you will need wherever you go.

As you write your résumé, please remember — be yourself!

Your résumé is a list of your own accomplishments, achievements, and interests. Your goal is to craft the most polished version of yourself. Lastly, have fun and enjoy the process!

For anyone interested in using this resume template, I obtained it from CareerCup which was founded by Gayle Laakmann McDowell, author of Cracking The Coding Interview .

From personal experience, what’s most important is the content. The resume writing principles discussed above can be applied to any template!

Also, check out my new website, memlayout.com , which helps students learn programming through visualizing their python code line-by-line.

software engineer @tesla. consider donating to https://oeop.mit.edu/. visualize python code line-by-line with https://memlayout.com/

If this article was helpful, share it .

Learn to code for free. freeCodeCamp's open source curriculum has helped more than 40,000 people get jobs as developers. Get started

Resume Worded   |  Proven Resume Examples

• Resume Examples
• Engineering Resumes

13 Software Developer Resume Examples - Here's What Works In 2024

Software developers are the magicians behind the applications we use daily on our mobiles or computers. they design, develop, and maintain programs by using programming languages. most software developers are problem-solvers, logical thinkers, and lifelong learners, as this industry is always evolving. according to the bureau of labor statistics, software developers are highly in-demand. their job outlook is expected to increase by up to 25 percent, which is significantly high compared to other occupations. yet, a good resume can elevate even more those expectations. this guide will help you create the best software developer resume..

Software development is the process of creating computer applications, including mobile apps, desktop programs, video games, IoT software, etc. Developers build the skeleton of the software by using backend techniques and design the visual aspect through front-end development. 

Computers are programmable, meaning that you can give them instructions to perform certain tasks. However, they don’t speak the same language we do. We must learn how to interact with them in their own vocabulary. This is what programming languages are for. 

There are numerous of them and each one has a different purpose and syntax. Programming languages like Python, Ruby, or Java are focused on the backend process, allowing us to interact with servers and databases. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, on the other hand, are used for the client side of the development process. 

There are two types of roles in the development community that often overlap and interact with each other: programmers, and software engineers/developers. Although both terms are often used interchangeably, programmers have a more specific role. They are responsible for tasks like writing code, displaying graphics, and merging databases.

Software developers have a wider spectrum of responsibilities. Developers design software by considering the perspective of end-users or business needs. Yet, they are also programmers themselves. Hence we’ve mentioned that these roles generally overlap. However, programmers are limited to writing functional code and app maintenance.

Today, we’ll show you how to create your own software developer resume. Take a look below to see some resume templates for each software developer role.

Software Developer Resume Templates

Jump to a template:

• Software Developer
• Senior Software Developer
• Junior Software Developer
• Entry Level Software Developer
• React Developer
• Backend Developer
• Node JS Developer
• AngularJS Developer

Jump to a resource:

• Keywords for Software Developer Resumes

Software Developer Resume Tips

• Action Verbs to Use
• Related Engineering Resumes

Get advice on each section of your resume:

Template 1 of 13: Software Developer Resume Example

A developer designs software solutions with an end-user perspective. They develop the software infrastructure with engineering principles and design the visual aspect of the platform. Software developers are part of the entire lifecycle process, meaning that they also debug, troubleshoot, and maintain the infrastructure. The traditional path to becoming a software developer is by earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science. However, today we have many other alternatives such as online courses, community college, and even self-training. Let's take a look at a strong resume example you can use when applying for a software development role.

We're just getting the template ready for you, just a second left.

Tips to help you write your Software Developer resume in 2024

   indicate your familiarity with the agile and scrum development approach in your resume..

The agile and scrum methodologies are project management systems that consist of an increase in efficiency and productivity. In this system, deliverables are broken down into shorter sprints to facilitate the project life cycle. Most tech companies these days use this methodology to improve their productivity. Therefore, it is crucial to mention your familiarity with this method in your resume.

   Mention the programming languages you are proficient at.

Companies can have a wide variety of needs in terms of software development and each computer solution has its own requirements, such as a particular programming language or framework. Therefore, you should try to include all those coding languages and tools you are familiar with in your resume to expand your possibilities.

Skills you can include on your Software Developer resume

Template 2 of 13: software developer resume example.

Software developers are assigned to do tasks similar to a software engineer. The difference is that a developer will be more focused on a specific project versus the broad work done by an engineer. For this, your resume needs to have achievements and results from a particular project.

   Strong action verbs related to software developers

When working on a particular project, stating the results is key. Examples listed in the sample include “resolved”, “documented”, and “customized”. All of these are action verbs that will help recruiters see that you played a major role in the improvements of a project.

   Focused on software development

Recruiters like to see tasks that solely pertain to software development. This sample has experience fully relevant to the position without much mention of skills for other fields.

Template 3 of 13: Software Engineer/Developer Resume Example

Software developers should always stress their technical programming and software development skills. They should do that throughout their work experience and skills section, and if you don't have enough work experience, use a projects section like this resume does.

Tips to help you write your Software Engineer/Developer resume in 2024

   add a projects section if you need to showcase more technical experience.

It's becoming increasingly standard for software developers to include one or two projects which stress their software development experience, outside their professional experience. This is what's been done in this template. Only do this, however, if you don't have enough work experience or your work experience doesn't emphasize enough technical skills (or doesn't emphasize technical skills relevant to the actual job you're applying to).

   Shows growth with promotions

Recruiters look for evidence of professional growth, and promotions are a great way to show recruiters that.

Skills you can include on your Software Engineer/Developer resume

Template 4 of 13: senior software developer resume example.

Senior software developers are experienced engineers that often lead the development team. They usually have four to ten years of experience in the field and are familiar with up-to-date trends in the industry. A senior software developer is responsible for designing the product standards, delegating, tasks, and monitoring colleagues to make sure they are following the specifications and delivering their job on time.

Tips to help you write your Senior Software Developer resume in 2024

   quantify your achievements with metrics..

Your role as a senior software developer can have a big influence on the development team's operations. Therefore, your achievements can be easily quantified. By doing this, you will provide more reliability to your resume by illustrating your influence on the organization’s bottom line.

   Demonstrate your project management skills.

Senior software developers have a managerial role. They are responsible for overseeing the development team’s performance and providing guidance. You must make sure everyone is on track with deadlines and following technical standards. That’s why it is important to include your project management skills in your resume.

Skills you can include on your Senior Software Developer resume

Template 5 of 13: junior software developer resume example.

Junior software developers assist their colleagues in the development team with all types of production activities such as software design, debugging, and coding. They will also be part of the design meetings. In this role, they will obtain industry experience to aspire to higher positions.

Tips to help you write your Junior Software Developer resume in 2024

   highlight your problem-solving skills..

Junior software developers are expected to fix bugs and perform testing to identify potential errors in the application. Therefore, having problem-solving skills is key for this role. If you want to make your resume stand out, highlight your problem-solving skills and your critical thinking.

   Use programming-specific keywords.

When writing your resume, you should always try to customize it to the software development industry. Most resumes go through an ATS filter that analyzes keywords to identify ideal candidates. Therefore, you must ensure your resume is optimized and will get past the ATSs. Try to include programming or software development-specific keywords throughout your resume.

Skills you can include on your Junior Software Developer resume

Template 6 of 13: entry level software developer resume example.

An entry-level software developer is a great role for gaining experience in the industry. You will be part of the development team by doing junior-level tasks such as coding or designing. This experience will help you enrich your toolkit and learn more about software development in the field.

Tips to help you write your Entry Level Software Developer resume in 2024

   include software development projects that you’ve done on your own..

As an entry-level software developer, you may not have a lot of industry experience, but that doesn’t mean you can’t apply for this role. You can use non-work-related experiences such as volunteering or your software engineering projects. These facets have more value than you may think.

   Highlight your transferable skills.

Another great way to enrich your entry-level software developer resume is by leveraging your transferrable skills. These are competencies you may have earned in previous jobs that are also relevant for a particular occupation. In this case, you can mention your organizational skills, graphic design, or logical thinking.

Skills you can include on your Entry Level Software Developer resume

Template 7 of 13: react developer resume example.

React is a front-end tool developed by Facebook. It works with JavaScript and it’s used for building desktop or mobile applications. React is actually a library and not a framework, meaning that it contains prewritten code and templates to ease the developer’s work. A React developer is a programmer who uses React/React.Js to create JavaScript-based applications.

Tips to help you write your React Developer resume in 2024

   mention your proficiency with responsive web principles..

Responsive web design is a popular approach these days that consists of developing software that adapts to users’ behavior based on their device (mobile, tablet, desktop). This means that the application should respond to the screen size, orientation, and users’ preferences based on their device. React developers must have high proficiency in developing web-responsive applications, so you should indicate this in your resume.

   Demonstrate your testing and debugging skills.

Just like any other programmer, React developers must perform testing techniques to ensure there are no bugs in the platform and that everything is up and running. We could say that this is a crucial skill in terms of functionality and security, so many employers expect you to have it.

Skills you can include on your React Developer resume

Template 8 of 13: backend developer resume example.

As a Backend Developer, you're responsible for crafting the backbone of applications and ensuring seamless data flow between server and user interface. Nowadays, many companies are transitioning to microservices architecture and cloud-based systems, so it's essential to demonstrate your expertise in these areas when tailoring your resume. Additionally, highlight any experience with containerization technologies (e.g., Docker) and working with agile methodologies, as those are often highly valued by employers in this field. When drafting your resume, emphasize your proficiency in various programming languages, frameworks, and databases, as well as your ability to design, develop, and maintain efficient solutions. Showcasing your adaptability and eagerness to learn new technologies will catch the eye of any hiring manager eager to build a strong and innovative backend team.

Tips to help you write your Backend Developer resume in 2024

   showcase language and framework mastery.

On your resume, specify your level of expertise with programming languages (e.g., Node.js, Java, Python) and frameworks (e.g., Express, Django, Spring). Backend Developers should emphasize their technical skills to prove their competency and ability to create server-side solutions.

   Demonstrate experience with databases

As a Backend Developer, working with databases is crucial. Mention your experience with various database management systems, like SQL, NoSQL, or GraphQL, as well as skills in data modeling, migrations, and optimization, to showcase your ability to manage and manipulate data efficiently.

Skills you can include on your Backend Developer resume

Template 9 of 13: backend developer resume example.

Backend developers work on the hidden side of the development process. While front end developers create the face of the website/app, backend developers manage servers, databases, and security. Basically, they work on the structure of the application. Backend developers use programming languages like Ruby, PHP, and Java.

   Indicate your knowledge of popular frameworks.

This may sound odd because most frameworks are mostly seen as front end developers’ specialties. They are not often associated with backend. However, the software development industry is pretty broad and fast-paced, so you need to be flexible. You might be quickly dragged into a JavaScript project where you might be limited to working with a framework to build the backend structure. Therefore, knowing at least one JS framework can set you apart.

   Mention your knowledge of Version Control Systems.

Version Control Systems are tools that developers use to monitor changes in code. It creates different versions of the code that can be restored when needed. They help the development team work smarter and more efficiently. Knowing Version Control Systems is definitely a plus in your backend development career.

Template 10 of 13: Node.js Developer Resume Example

A Node.js developer is a software engineer that integrates server-side logic with front-end elements in the application. Node.js is a programming environment that helps developers control the interchange of data between servers and users. As a Node.js developer, you would be constantly working with front-end developers, so it’s important to demonstrate some basic understanding of client-side programming principles in your resume.

Tips to help you write your Node.js Developer resume in 2024

   mention your proficiency in javascript on your resume..

As a Node.js developer, you should be highly proficient in JavaScript, which is the only native programming language supported by this programming environment. However, you can also use compile-to-JS languages, such as CoffeeScript or TypeScript.

   Mention your knowledge of frameworks available for Node.js on your resume.

There are numerous frameworks available for Express or StrongLoop. Your potential employer might have a required framework for their project. Hence, it’s a good idea to check their skills requirements first to identify the frameworks that are relevant for them.

Skills you can include on your Node.js Developer resume

Template 11 of 13: node js developer resume example.

Node.JS is an open-source runtime environment that allows developers to execute JavaScript commands on the backend side. A Node.JS developer codes server-side architecture using JavaScript of any of its variants. They handle the interchange of data between users and servers.

Tips to help you write your Node JS Developer resume in 2024

   demonstrate your ability to write clean code..

As a Node.JS developer, you will work with other team members to develop applications. Therefore, it is crucial to write clean code, as it enhances communication with all team members. They must be able to understand what you did in order to continue the development process. Writing clean code is a skill that isn’t often mentioned, but can definitely improve recruiters’ perception of your work.

   Indicate your time management skills.

Node.JS developers often work under tight deadlines and in a fast-paced environment, so it’s vital to have excellent time management skills. Your employer would like to know that you are capable of delivering work on time without sacrificing the quality of your work.

Skills you can include on your Node JS Developer resume

Template 12 of 13: node.js developer resume example.

To land a Node.js developer position, you need to show hiring managers that you have the right blend of technical knowledge (i.e. experience with JavaScript and JavaScript frameworks) and people skills to succeed on the job. Your resume skills section should showcase your proficiency with industry-specific softwares and programming languages. In your work experience section, underscore key accomplishments where you’ve used soft skills such as communication and teamwork.

   Emphasizes hard skills in separate skills section

Because technical abilities are so essential in a Node.js developer role, these skills should go in a dedicated skills section on your resume. In particular, highlight your knowledge of JavaScript and related frameworks such as React and/or Angular. The more tools you have at your disposal, the more versatile and effective you’ll be at your job.

   Strong use of technical action verbs to introduce past achievements

Your accomplishments from past jobs will stand out even more to recruiters when you lead into them with strong action verbs. For a Node.js position, it’s especially helpful to choose verbs that demonstrate your ability to solve problems, collaborate with others (such as “coordinated”, “optimized”, or “created”), and showcase developer skills (e.g. debugged, developed, coded).

Template 13 of 13: AngularJS Developer Resume Example

AngularJS is a front end framework used to create faster and lighter programs. AngularJS developers design and build applications using JavaScript. Since they focus on front end development, they will create everything that users see on the website or application. AngularJS developers will also test and troubleshoot the platform when necessary.

Tips to help you write your AngularJS Developer resume in 2024

   demonstrate your ability to coordinate with team members..

As an AngularJS developer, you will have to work with other team members such as designers and backend developers. You must coordinate with them on the application’s features, functions, and visual aspects. Therefore, you need to have excellent communication and team work skills. This is a great value that you should definitely include in your resume.

   Mention your proficiency with SEO.

This might seem odd because AngularJS developers don’t create the website’s content. However, SEO plays a huge role in the performance of single-page apps by improving their ranking on Google’s search. Knowing SEO is not usually a required skill, but it can help you stand out.

Skills you can include on your AngularJS Developer resume

We spoke with hiring managers and recruiters from top companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon to gather their best tips for creating a winning software developer resume. By following their advice and studying the examples they've shared, you'll be able to craft a resume that showcases your skills and experience in the most effective way possible.

   Highlight your technical skills

Employers want to see that you have the specific technical skills needed for the role. Make sure to:

• List programming languages you know, like Java, Python, or C++
• Include frameworks you have experience with, such as .NET, Angular, or React
• Mention tools you've used, like Git, Jenkins, or Docker
• Specify databases you've worked with, such as MySQL, MongoDB, or Oracle

Avoid simply listing skills without context. Instead, show how you've applied them:

• Java, Python, JavaScript
• Developed a Java-based application for managing customer data, resulting in a 20% increase in efficiency
• Created Python scripts to automate data processing tasks, saving the team 10 hours per week

   Show the impact of your work

Don't just list your responsibilities; show the results you achieved. Quantify your impact with specific metrics:

• Developed a new feature that increased user engagement by 30%
• Optimized application performance, reducing load times by 50%
• Contributed to a project that saved the company $100,000 annually

If you don't have exact numbers, estimate the impact of your work:

• Built a tool that significantly reduced the time spent on manual testing
• Implemented a new system that greatly improved the team's collaboration and productivity

   Include relevant projects

Showcase your skills and initiative by including personal projects or contributions to open-source projects. This is especially important if you have limited professional experience.

When listing projects:

• Briefly describe the project and its purpose
• Specify your role and the technologies you used
• Highlight the project's impact or any unique challenges you faced

Personal Project: Movie Recommendation System Developed a Python-based movie recommendation system using collaborative filtering techniques. Utilized the MovieLens dataset and achieved an accuracy of 85% in predicting user preferences. The project showcased skills in data processing, machine learning, and algorithm implementation.

   Tailor your resume to the job

Customize your resume for each job application to show that you're a strong fit for the specific role. Here's how:

• Read the job description carefully and identify the key skills and requirements
• Prioritize the skills and experiences that match the job description
• Use similar language and terminology as the job posting
• Remove or minimize irrelevant information

For example, if a job emphasizes expertise in a specific programming language:

• Proficient in various programming languages, including Java, Python, and C++
• Expert in Java with 5+ years of experience developing large-scale applications
• Led a team of Java developers to create a high-performance trading platform

   Showcase your soft skills

While technical skills are crucial, employers also value soft skills that enable you to work effectively in a team. Highlight your:

• Communication skills: Show how you've collaborated with others or presented complex ideas
• Problem-solving abilities: Describe how you've approached challenges and found innovative solutions
• Leadership experience: Mention any times you've mentored others or taken the lead on a project
• Adaptability: Show how you've learned new technologies or adjusted to changing priorities

For example:

Led a cross-functional team of developers, designers, and product managers to launch a new mobile app. Communicated regularly with stakeholders, adapted to changing requirements, and successfully delivered the project on time and within budget.

   Keep it concise and readable

Hiring managers often review hundreds of resumes for a single position. Make yours stand out by keeping it concise and easy to read:

• Limit your resume to 1-2 pages
• Use clear, simple language and short sentences
• Break up text with bullet points and headings
• Choose a clean, professional font and format
• Proofread carefully for grammar and spelling errors
• Long paragraphs or dense blocks of text
• Unnecessary jargon or technical terms
• Inconsistent formatting or hard-to-read fonts
• Personal information like age, marital status, or photo

Remember, your goal is to make it easy for the hiring manager to quickly grasp your qualifications and fit for the role.

Writing Your Software Developer Resume: Section By Section

  header, 1. put your name on its own line.

Your name should be the most prominent part of your header, so it's best to put it on its own line. Use a slightly larger font size than the rest of your resume to make it stand out.

• John Smith | Software Developer | [email protected] | 123-456-7890 | New York, NY

Instead, format your header like this:

• John Smith Software Developer [email protected] | 123-456-7890 | New York, NY

2. Include your job title if you're established

If you're an experienced software developer with a clear job title that matches the roles you're targeting, consider adding it to your header. This quickly communicates your career focus to hiring managers. However, if you're earlier in your career or are targeting a variety of roles, leave your job title out to keep your options open.

John Smith Senior Full Stack Developer [email protected] | 123-456-7890 | New York, NY

For entry-level candidates, a simpler header works well:

Jane Doe [email protected] | 123-456-7890 | San Francisco, CA

3. Make your location general

Including your location helps employers understand where you're based. However, for privacy reasons, only include your city and state, not your full address.

• 123 Main St, Apt 2B, Austin, TX 78701

Keep it concise:

• Houston, Texas
• Seattle, WA

If you're searching for remote roles, you can clarify that by saying "Location: Raleigh, NC (Remote)" or simply "Remote".

  Summary

As a software developer, your resume summary is an opportunity to provide a brief overview of your skills, experience, and career goals. While a summary is optional, it can be particularly useful if you are changing careers or have a diverse range of experiences that may not be immediately apparent from the rest of your resume. However, avoid using an objective statement, as it is outdated and does not provide value to the hiring manager.

When crafting your summary, focus on highlighting your most relevant qualifications and achievements, tailoring them to the specific software developer position you are applying for. Use metrics and specific examples to demonstrate your impact and value.

To learn how to write an effective resume summary for your Software Developer resume, or figure out if you need one, please read Software Developer Resume Summary Examples , or Software Developer Resume Objective Examples .

1. Highlight your technical skills and programming languages

Showcase your proficiency in the programming languages and technologies that are most relevant to the software developer position you are targeting. For example:

• Experienced software developer skilled in Java, Python, and C++, with a strong background in agile development methodologies
• Full-stack developer proficient in JavaScript, React, Node.js, and MongoDB, with experience building scalable web applications

Avoid generic statements that do not provide specific information about your skills, such as:

• Knowledgeable in various programming languages
• Familiar with multiple technologies

2. Emphasize your problem-solving abilities and achievements

As a software developer, your ability to solve complex problems and deliver results is crucial. Use your summary to highlight your problem-solving skills and notable achievements. For example:

Results-driven software developer with a proven track record of designing and implementing efficient solutions to complex problems. Developed a machine learning algorithm that improved product recommendation accuracy by 30%, resulting in a 15% increase in customer engagement and sales.

Avoid using vague or cliché statements that do not provide concrete examples of your abilities, such as:

• Excellent problem-solver
• Team player with a strong work ethic

3. Tailor your summary to the specific position

Customize your resume summary to the specific software developer position you are applying for. Research the company and the role to identify the key skills, technologies, and experiences they are looking for, and incorporate them into your summary. For example:

• For a mobile app developer position: Experienced iOS developer with a strong background in Swift, Objective-C, and Xcode, passionate about creating intuitive and engaging mobile experiences
• For a DevOps position: DevOps engineer with expertise in AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes, focused on automating processes and improving system reliability and scalability

Avoid using a generic summary that could apply to any software developer position, as it may not capture the hiring manager's attention or demonstrate your fit for the specific role.

  Experience

The work experience section is the most important part of your software developer resume. It's where you show hiring managers what you've accomplished in your career and how you've made an impact. Use this section to highlight your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and the results you've achieved.

Here are some key tips to keep in mind as you write your work experience section:

1. Highlight your technical skills

As a software developer, your technical skills are your biggest selling point. Make sure to showcase the programming languages, frameworks, and tools you've used in each role. For example:

• Developed and maintained web applications using React, Node.js, and MongoDB
• Built RESTful APIs using Spring Boot and MySQL
• Implemented CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and AWS

Don't just list your skills, though. Provide concrete examples of how you used them to solve problems and deliver results.

Use our Targeted Resume tool to make sure you're including the right technical skills for the job you want. It analyzes the job description and your resume to identify gaps in your skills.

2. Quantify your impact

Whenever possible, use metrics to quantify the impact of your work. This helps hiring managers understand the scale and significance of your contributions. For example:

• Reduced page load time by 40% by optimizing database queries and implementing caching
• Increased user engagement by 25% by redesigning the UI and improving site navigation
• Managed a team of 5 developers to deliver a $500K project on time and under budget

If you don't have access to specific metrics, you can still use numbers to provide context, like the size of the team you worked on or the number of users impacted.

Focus on your most recent and relevant experience. If you have older or less relevant roles, you can still include them but cut back on the details. Highlight key accomplishments and skills without going into too much depth.

3. Show your career progression

Hiring managers want to see that you've grown and taken on more responsibility over time. If you've been promoted or taken on leadership roles, make sure to highlight that in your work experience section. For example:

Senior Software Engineer, XYZ Company, 2019-Present - Led a team of 3 junior developers to build a new mobile app from scratch - Mentored and trained new hires on best practices for code quality and testing Software Engineer, XYZ Company, 2016-2019 - Collaborated with cross-functional teams to design and implement new features for the company's flagship product - Contributed to open source projects and spoke at local tech meetups

If you don't have a traditional career path, you can still show progression by highlighting increasing levels of responsibility or the impact of your work over time.

Use strong action verbs to describe your contributions, like "developed", "optimized", "architected", and "led". These help paint a picture of what you actually did in each role.

  Education

Your education section shows recruiters that you have the necessary educational background and knowledge for the software developer role. It also gives them an idea of your career trajectory and additional skills you may have gained through your education.

In this section, we'll cover what to include in your education section and tips for making it stand out to potential employers.

1. List your degrees in reverse chronological order

Start with your most recent or highest degree first, and work backwards from there. For each degree, include:

• Name of the institution
• Location of the institution
• Degree obtained
• Field of study
• Graduation year (if within the past 10 years)

Here's an example of how to format your education:

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Graduated: May 2020

2. Include relevant coursework, projects, and achievements

If you are a recent graduate or have limited work experience, you can boost your education section by including:

• Relevant coursework
• Projects you completed
• Academic achievements or awards

Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering San Jose State University San Jose, CA Graduated: June 2022 Relevant Coursework: Data Structures and Algorithms, Web Application Development, Database Systems Senior Project: Developed a mobile app for a local non-profit using React Native

This additional information shows employers the specific skills and experience you gained during your education that are applicable to the software developer role.

3. Consider adding a 'Certifications' section

Industry certifications demonstrate your expertise in specific technologies or methodologies. If you have completed any relevant certifications, you can either list them under your education section or create a separate 'Certifications' section.

Some popular software development certifications include:

• AWS Certified Developer - Associate
• Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE Programmer
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate

Certifications: AWS Certified Developer - Associate, Amazon Web Services, 2021 Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 11 Developer, Oracle, 2020

4. Tailor your education section to your level of experience

The importance and length of your education section will depend on your level of professional experience. Here are some guidelines:

• Recent graduates: Emphasize your education and include more details like relevant coursework, projects, and GPA (if above 3.5).
• Mid-level professionals: Keep your education section concise, focusing on your degrees and any notable achievements. Omit graduation dates if it has been more than 10 years.
• Master of Science in Computer Science, Stanford University
• Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering, California Polytechnic State University

At the senior level, your professional experience and accomplishments hold more weight than your educational background.

Action Verbs For Software Developer Resumes

There is a popular misconception about software developers. People often think that it is a merely technical profession, neglecting the value of soft skills like communication and resilience. A successful developer is able to translate highly complex requirements into actionable plans. 

Now, how can you demonstrate this in your resume? By using effective communication. Action verbs will help you do that by streamlining your work experience and precisely expressing your responsibilities. You can use bullet points to illustrate your experience and start the phrase with a strong action verb. We have curated some of the most relevant action verbs for your developer resume.

• Strengthened
• Troubleshooted
• Architected

For more related action verbs, visit Software Engineering Action Verbs .

For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs .

Action Verbs for Software Developer Resumes

Skills for software developer resumes.

Software engineering covers a wide spectrum of the development production cycle, so developers must have a holistic set of skills. This includes knowledge of the integrated development environment, programming languages, frameworks, data structure, and troubleshooting. 

You should use the skills section as an opportunity to display your potential. Don’t leave anything behind, but try to be as industry-specific as possible. Take a look below to see some relevant skills in the software development field.

• Software Development
• Agile Methodologies
• Cloud Computing
• Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
• Software Project Management
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Enterprise Architecture
• Distributed Systems
• Software Architecture
• Microservices
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Web Services
• Integration
• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
• Enterprise Software
• Technical Leadership

How To Write Your Skills Section On a Software Developer Resumes

You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:

Skills Word Cloud For Software Developer Resumes

This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Software Developer job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.

How to use these skills?

Other engineering resumes, c, c++, and c# developer.

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• • Increased the NPS score of our signature product to 8.9 by expanding the customer analytics and reporting functions of the platform.
• • Reduced CFR to 2.8% by updating current technical documentation and organizing a series of educational sessions among team members.
• • Boosted the traffic of 10+ traveling websites by 300% by developing search and filtering endpoints, handling information from 7 airlines and lodging websites.
• • Onboarded 5 new clients after presenting a streamlined way of handling payment endpoint errors at DevTernity 2022.
• • Employed Python and Django to contribute to 2 of the company's currently active projects.
• • Debugged a long pending Auto-login issue in GUI for regression platform on day 1.
• • Coursework in Algorithms, Computer security, Artificial intelligence, Natural language processing.
• • Designed a project management & learning environment for a class of 40 students.
• • Award for Upcoming SoftHero for 2019.
• • Successfully completed courses in mathematics, Computing and Statistics
• • Assisted the University Developer Club develop an iOS application which uses AR and VR concepts.

5 Entry Level Software Engineer Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

On your entry-level software engineer resume, it is essential to showcase your educational background and relevant coursework. Highlight any computer science or engineering degrees, as well as key subjects that have prepared you for software development. Ensure your resume includes practical experience, such as internships, hackathons, or personal projects. These demonstrate hands-on skills and a proactive approach to applying your knowledge.

All resume examples in this guide

Traditional

Entry level software engineer cover letter

Resume Guide

Choose an appropriate format for your entry-level software engineer resume, reference relevant industry profiles in the resume header, outline the tech stack you’re working with in the resume summary, include internships in your software engineer experience section, don’t list your high school diploma if you have a master’s degree, compensate the tech talk by highlight your software engineering soft skills, showcase your entry-level software engineering certificates, prove you are the right candidate by adding other relevant sections, support your outstanding software engineering resume with a fitting cover letter, key takeaways.

It’s time for you to start looking for a job in the tech industry and you need a foolproof resume.

We know it’s tough for first-timers. Especially with all the tech layoffs in the past few months.

So, what would make you stand out?

To write an exceptional entry-level Software Engineer resume, you must focus your efforts on:

• Constructing a convincing experience section
• Knowing which skills to include and how
• Building a pairing cover letter to support your application

Our complete guide will teach you all this and more. Read on.

Given that you’re just entering the tech business world, you must consider your choice of resume format carefully.

Recruiters tend to favor the reverse-chronological resume format . It’s intuitive and readable.

You can opt for this layout, if you’ve been a prolific project-maker over the years. Not only in school, but as a hobby, too.

Yet, if you’ve stuck to the traditional academic path and haven’t tried your luck with the gig economy, use the functional resume format .

Its layout pushes your technical and social skills to the forefront. While any projects and internships you’ve done are pushed to the bottom of the resume.

If, however, you fall somewhere in-between or you’re career hopping, the hybrid resume format is your best choice.

This layout provides enough real estate for you to share relevant experience and any transferable abilities you have.

Once you pick an option that fits your expertise level, it’s time to concentrate on some format specifics.

A while ago we conducted an internal research to check out whether there are any changes in how ATS tools assess different resumes.

We wanted to verify which factors make or break a resume in 2024.

Our research found that formatting and typos are still the most important dealbreakers. Other crucial components are:

• Colors and Design: These depend on the prospective employer. You can appeal to the company’s brand colors, but stray away from bold ones. Keep it tasteful.
• Fonts: It goes without saying - avoid using Comic Sans or other similar fonts. You can choose from any of the popular ones in the Google library.
• Length/Columns: Since you’re a software engineering fresher, it would be difficult to go beyond one page. Instead, think about how not to leave blank spaces.
• Section Headings: It’s important to note that ATS tools rely on appropriately named sections. Make sure you label them accordingly.
• File Format: PDFs are favored among most tech companies. But if you have a specific employer in mind, think outside the box.

Consider using a non-standard resume layout, such as an interactive web-based format.

By now you’re probably aware that you can’t rely on your education alone. You must display your skills in action.

As such, one of the first things hiring managers will check is your GitHub activity.

The best way to introduce your work to recruiters and tech managers is by adding your GitHub in the resume header .

Along with your:

• First and last name
• Current job title or preferred job title, if you’re switching careers
• Phone number
• Professional email address
• LinkedIn profile or a portfolio link, if you can showcase projects outside your GitHub.

If you’re not sure whether to place something in the resume header, regard the section as your business card.

Take a look at how Gustavo Zanetti has framed his:

Typically, a key component of your resume would be the resume summary . You can still choose to write one if you have industry-related achievements to boast about.

But if you’re just starting out, think about writing a resume objective . It’s similar to the summary in terms of purpose. The only difference is its focus.

Rather than displaying career achievements, tailor the resume objective towards the company’s core projects.

Prove that your skills will benefit your prospective employer. Listing your tech stack will also help you move up into the pile of resumes.

ATS tools boost resumes which mention tools and programming languages near the top of the document.

How do you do that?

In a short paragraph of 5-6 sentences talk about:

• Number of years in the tech industry
• Qualifications and talents you have to offer
• Any relevant milestones you think will improve your chances of getting hired

Compare the examples below. While the two candidates have different employment backgrounds, both are focused on project outcomes and professional development.

Depending on the type of resume format you choose, the size and position of your work experience section will vary.

Also, keep in mind that internships take precedence over side projects.

Having experience working in a corporate environment shows that you:

• Know how to operate in a team
• Focus on specific tasks
• Make small contributions to larger projects

But don’t count personal projects out yet.

They prove that you have the discipline and time management skills to see your work through to the end.

When it comes to structure of your experience section, make sure you:

• Arrange your entries in a reverse-chronological order
• Mention your job title
• State the name and location of your past employer, followed by a succinct description of its business focus
• List the dates of your employment or project involvement
• Summarize your top accomplishments in no more than 5 bullet points

Note that each of the achievements in your entries must start with an action verb . Then, continue describing a challenge you’ve tackled and the successful outcome.

Don’t forget to tie your results to data and numbers when possible. For example:

Leveraged consumer feedback, business data and log reports to develop 12 new features, thus increasing customer satisfaction by 140%.

But if you can’t cite numbers, remember that your phrasing is important. For instance:

Supported ABC company’s tech infrastructure overhaul by conducting seamless server migrations, implementing new caching methods and increasing user load.

Have a look at the following sample section for some inspiration:

We said that education isn’t everything. But your academic background is crucial because it shows how you’ve acquired your expertise.

If you’re aiming for a role in a more innovative field, having a good foundational knowledge in math is crucial.

In this case, list your bachelor’s and master’s degree on the education section of your resume. If asked, state your GPA, but only if it’s above 3.5.

Still, if you’re a self-taught professional, focus on your highest level of education and your certificates. And don’t include your high school diploma if you have a master’s degree.

Apart from your GPA, make sure to list the:

• Full name of your degree with relevant majors and minors included
• Name of the educational institution
• Course length and date of validity, if applicable

Here is a sample education section you can use:

It’s easy to fall into the tech talk trap, especially if you’re too involved in the industry. But don’t forget that not every hiring manager is familiar with the essence of your work.

Sure, they will consult with the manager of the respective hiring team. But before your resume reaches the manager it must pass both the ATS tests and the HR review.

To do that, you must balance out your hard skills and your social talents.

Let’s focus on your tech abilities first. As we mentioned in the beginning, outlining your tech stack in the resume objective is necessary.

It’s even more important to continue referencing your abilities in the experience section and the skills section .

If you haven’t had the chance to list all of your tech talents or you think you’re forgetting something, check out the table below for ideas:

Key 50 technical skills for software engineers:

Providing context and results for soft skills is considerably more difficult. But it’s not impossible.

Concentrate on how your work has affected those around you.

Has your work helped solve a painful issue? Did anyone benefit from using your products?

Do you have a knack for learning new things?

Also, take into account the job description. Confirm which qualities are hiring managers looking for.

When you have your list ready, employ the same Challenge-Action-Result (CAR) method you used in the experience section:

And if you’re stuck and can’t come up with examples for your own skills section, we have some recommendations:

34 fundamental soft skills for software engineering:

• Confidentiality

If your professional and academic background is not tech-related, the best way to prove you have what it takes to do the job is with certificates .

Show that you’re up to date with industry trends and best practices.

To make your certificates section complete, fill in the:

• Name of your certificate
• Issuing institution
• Year of obtainment or expected completion
• Expiration date (if applicable)

Among the many certificates you can add to your resume, it’s recommended you include those that confirm you know your programming basics.

Some good suggestions are:

Essential 25 software engineering certificates for your resume:

• Certified Associate in Software Testing (CAST)

One big plus about resumes is that you can attach extra sections with relevant information to impress recruiters.

Tech is practically everywhere now, so there’s plenty of ways to stand out:

• Memberships in university clubs or relevant associations
• List of projects , services and products you developed
• Awards from hackathons and competitions
• Presentations, project pitches, patents or papers you’ve authored

As long as you can boast any of these, your chances of getting hired grow exponentially.

You may think that cover letters are a thing of the past. But they are the best way to highlight your achievements and your character.

To show that your personality and work attitude match the corporate culture, pair your resume with a quality cover letter .

Divide your letter into three sections:

• In the first paragraph, address the recruiter and list your top 1-2 achievements. You can repeat the ones you’ve included in the resume summary.
• The second section is reserved for your core abilities, along with some background on how you’ve attained them. Share more about your personal experiences.
• Finally, thank the hiring manager for their time and consideration. Notify them how and when you can be contacted, should they want to discuss your resume with you.

• Take into account your experience when picking a suitable resume format
• Share your GitHub and portfolio links in the resume header
• Reference the tech stacks you’re proficient in
• List your internships at the top of the experience section
• Describe how you’ve handled professional challenges so far and what you’ve learned
• Bring variety to your resume by adding additional sections to your resume
• Make sure your cover letter compliments your job application

Looking to build your own Entry Level Software Engineer resume?

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