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25 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 25 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.

Backend Software Engineer Resume Example

• Then, why not let your piece showcase your eye for detail? Take the time to go through it, ensuring every line is polished to perfection. While tools like Grammarly can be handy here, they aren’t foolproof, so be critical of the suggestions. Even better, enlist a friend or family member—a fresh pair of eyes might catch something you missed.

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  AI 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!

Resume Worded   |  Proven Resume Examples

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• Engineering Resumes

18 Software Engineer Resume Examples - Here's What Works In 2024

Software engineers need to be equipped for a field of ever-changing technology. showing your adaptability in your work is essential for any software engineer’s resume. today we’ll be helping you by providing five software engineer resume templates to help you do just that: display your technical versatility, prove your results, and demonstrate necessary skills in 2023..

Software engineers play a crucial role in various elements of software development. The programs that you run on your computer? The many apps installed on your phone? Some of the tech inside smartwatches? At some point, a software engineer was needed to finish the product. Even the coding of this website required a software engineer to make. With technology continuously on the rise, so is the demand for software engineers. The need for them hasn’t declined in a long time. Developers have a bright future in the job market; employment in this field is projected to boost 22% over the next decade. Because technology is ever-changing, recruiters want to see a willingness to learn and adapt. However, they also want to see your experience with various software programs or skills like HTML/CSS, Python, Java, and more. If you’re transitioning to or from a role like data analytics, many of the skills you learned or used will be useful in your new job. Continue reading to view examples of effectively written software engineer resumes that will get you your next job.

Software Engineer Resume Templates

Jump to a template:

• Software Engineer
• Entry Level Software Engineer
• Senior Software Engineer
• Software Test Engineer
• Software Engineering Lead
• Software Engineer Intern
• Experienced Software Engineer
• Junior Software Engineer
• Principal Software Engineer
• Mid-Level Software Engineer
• Software QA Engineer
• Lead Software Engineer
• Software Architect

Jump to a resource:

• Keywords for Software Engineer Resumes

Software Engineer Resume Tips

• Action Verbs to Use
• Bullet Points on Software Engineer Resumes
• Related Engineering Resumes

Get advice on each section of your resume:

Template 1 of 18: Software Engineer Resume Example

A software engineer is a multifaceted professional who is involved in the entire software development life cycle. Software engineers can work for a variety of companies and industries. Software engineers are responsible for gathering requirements from clients, developing software based on these requirements, programming features, testing code, troubleshooting bugs, maintaining software, and much more. To become a software engineer, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in computer science or IT. An associate's degree with relevant experience and certifications may also be considered. Hiring managers will be looking for some with technical knowledge and experience in creating code. They may look for someone with prior experience as a test engineer or technical support engineer. Ideal candidates for this role will be knowledgeable in many coding languages, with strong problem solving and project management skills.

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

Tips to help you write your Software Engineer resume in 2024

   showcase the breadth of your coding language knowledge on your resume.

There are several coding languages software engineers may use depending on the project at hand. The more coding languages you are fluent in, the more dynamic you will look to hiring managers. You should list off all of the coding languages you are comfortable working with on your resume for this reason.

   Highlight your ability to build software according to client requirements

Often, software engineers are answering to a client who wants a specific outcome. Though it may be challenging to meet client requirements, it’s imperative that software engineers are skilled at taking client requirements and meeting them using problem-solving skills. You should showcase any prior examples where you met difficult or unusual software requirements from clients on your resume.

Skills you can include on your Software Engineer resume

Template 2 of 18: software engineer resume example.

Software engineers with a few years of experience will want to list a good amount of relevant skills, and explain their application in their experience. This sample provides a list of skills needed for the job. It also talks about how those skills were used to deliver effective results. In your resume, talk about what skills/programs you’ve used and how you benefited the company from using them.

   Tailored to the software engineering job

Along with mentioning the job title at the top, this sample lists the job title a few times throughout the whole resume. It also lists certain key terms that are common for this profession. In your resume, try to use keywords that are relevant to the position. This will help your resume pass the ATS during the application process.

   Demonstrates effective results with context

This sample explains how certain skills were used to achieve positive results for the company. A notable example is “ahead of schedule by 6 months.” If a project you’ve completed on the job was finished ahead of schedule, explain that in your resume. Employers want to see that you’re efficient in your work.

Template 3 of 18: Entry Level Software Engineer Resume Example

As an entry-level software engineer, you'll be working in an exciting field with numerous opportunities to grow. With the tech industry constantly evolving, it's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and skills. When writing your resume for this role, focus on showcasing your technical proficiency, teamwork abilities, and desire to learn new technologies. In the second paragraph, emphasize your relevant practical experience, such as internships, coding bootcamps, or personal projects that demonstrate your competencies and passion for software engineering.

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

   highlight programming languages and frameworks.

As an entry-level software engineer, it's crucial to demonstrate your proficiency in key programming languages and frameworks relevant to the job you're applying for. List them in a dedicated section on your resume and mention any certifications or coursework that supports your skills.

   Showcase personal and collaborative projects

Hiring managers look for candidates who not only have the technical skills but can work effectively in a team. Showcase any personal or collaborative projects you've worked on, highlighting the technology stack, challenges faced, and your contribution to the project to emphasize your aptitude and teamwork abilities.

Skills you can include on your Entry Level Software Engineer resume

Template 4 of 18: entry level software engineer resume example.

If you’re a recent college graduate or completed a Bootcamp, this is the resume template for you. The key here is for you to sell yourself with the skills you’ve learned, projects you’ve completed, and software tools you’ve used. Internship experience, if any, will be useful to highlight as well. This sample lists many activities, projects, and classes that are relevant to the position, and communicate effective use of the knowledge they have.

   University projects and activities relevant to software engineering

We understand that you may not have much experience right out of college. That’s why you should list relevant activities you’ve done while in school. This sample does so by listing important courses, projects completed and explaining the different software used.

   Strong action verbs related to software engineers

This sample communicates strong relevant verbs to highlight their experience. Use of words like “developed”, “designed”, and “implemented” all help to show usage of the skills they have. Use action verbs like these in your resume to show you can apply the knowledge you have to real situations.

Template 5 of 18: Senior Software Engineer Resume Example

A senior software engineer is a managerial role who oversees many facts of a company’s software development team. Typically, senior software engineers have many years of experience in software engineering roles and are highly talented programmers. The responsibilities of the senior software engineer include managing mid-level software engineers, creating and spearheading new projects, problem solving high level issues and bugs, guiding junior engineers in coding, and more. Since this is a senior level role, hiring managers will be looking for a candidate with a mix of experience and knowledge. A bachelor's degree in computer science or IT will be required, though a master’s degree can help you stand out. Moreover, hiring managers will be looking for candidates with several years of experience in relevant roles. Previous experience as a software engineer, IT development manager, or software analyst will be valuable to land this role. Most importantly, candidates for this role must have strong leadership and project management abilities.

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

   showcase progression in responsibility on your resume.

For this role, it’s important to showcase your leadership skills alongside technical skills. Your resume should show how you gained more responsibility in previous related roles. Showcasing a progressive journey will tell hiring managers you are ready for the challenge of leasing a software engineering team.

   Consider a certificate in agile project management

Agile project management frameworks, often known as SCRUM, are popular with software engineers and their teams. This type of management allows teams to plan, structure, and manage work with an emphasis on communication and flexible reprioritization. A senior software engineer may need to use these principles to keep their team on the right track. Gaining a certification in SCRUM can help you stand out for a senior software engineer role.

Skills you can include on your Senior Software Engineer resume

Template 6 of 18: senior software engineer resume example.

It takes more than being skilled in different software to excel as a senior software engineer. You also need to convey that you can effectively lead a team that delivers positive results. This sample demonstrates the success they’ve had bringing individual success and managing a team that also succeeds.

   Shows growth in promotions

Recruiters love to see that your success led to achievement and promotion. If you’ve been promoted, describe that promotion, listing timelines and achievements leading up to it. An example found in this sample is “promoted within 18 months due to strong performance and organizational impact”.

   Strong senior software engineer skills

While it is key to list the skills you’re proficient at, you should list which skills you excel at. Did you achieve high marks for something complex? Were you in charge of a project that led to large profits? Elaborate on the skills used to accomplish these feats in your resume.

Template 7 of 18: Software Test Engineer Resume Example

As a software test engineer, you play a crucial role in ensuring the quality of software products. Your expertise in testing methodologies, as well as your ability to identify and resolve issues, are highly sought after by employers. In recent years, companies have been adopting agile development processes and incorporating automation tools in testing, making it even more important for you to stay up-to-date with these trends. When crafting your resume, it's essential to showcase your knowledge in these areas and demonstrate how you've contributed to successful projects in the past. A well-written resume for a software test engineer should highlight not only your technical abilities but also your ability to work effectively within a team. Employers are increasingly looking for candidates who can communicate well with both developers and other stakeholders, so be sure to emphasize your soft skills as well as your technical prowess.

Tips to help you write your Software Test Engineer resume in 2024

   highlight your testing methodologies.

As a software test engineer, it's crucial to showcase your understanding of different testing methodologies (like unit testing, integration testing, and system testing) and how you've applied them in your past experiences. Detail your approach to testing and any specific tools or frameworks you've used to carry out those tests.

   Showcase automation and scripting skills

Automation is becoming increasingly important in the software testing process, so it's essential to emphasize your skills in utilizing automation tools and scripting languages, such as Selenium, JUnit, or Python. Describe any projects where you've implemented automated testing solutions and how you've contributed to improving overall efficiency.

Skills you can include on your Software Test Engineer resume

Template 8 of 18: software test engineer resume example.

Software testing is different from the other similar job titles listed. Instead of building software, you’re testing it. This sample explains how they did various quality assurance tasks to find flaws and boost performance. Add your achievements in your experience to show that you know what to specifically look for when testing software.

   Numbers and metrics relevant to software test engineers

Because you’ll be testing numerous software to improve results, you need to provide metrics of your results. This sample does this by numerically explaining how much productivity and efficiency were increased.

   Emphasis on project management skills

Experience leading a team is necessary for this role. It’s also great for when you desire to level up within a company. This sample lists how effective team leadership led to satisfactory results. If you’re chasing a promotion, list some of your project management experience throughout your resume.

Template 9 of 18: Software Engineering Lead Resume Example

If you're a software engineer with a few years of experience under your belt, use a template like this one. It's simple, effective at highlighting our work experience, and minimizes the emphasis on the education section (the dates are omitted which is good to prevent ageism, especially if you graduated more than 10 years ago).

Tips to help you write your Software Engineering Lead resume in 2024

   resume summary highlights key accomplishments.

The first rule about including a resume summary is that it does not repeat accomplishments mentioned elsewhere on the resume. This resume stresses new software engineering and leadership skills right at the top of the resume, and includes an award too. If you include a summary, try to include a mix of both technical accomplishments (e.g. projects you developed or led), as well as career-related accomplishments (e.g. being promoted).

   Strong mix of relevant action verbs

Each bullet point starts with an action verb that stresses the skills relevant to the role. For example, action verbs like "Led", "Spearheaded", or "Launched" emphasize leadership.

Skills you can include on your Software Engineering Lead resume

Template 10 of 18: software engineer intern resume example.

This is an entry-level position. Tasks assigned to you may include coding, testing apps and patches, debugging, etc. While you may not have extensive software engineer experience, recruiters will expect to see that you are qualified as a software engineer. You can prove this by listing relevant certifications, tools, and degrees. Keep in mind that as an intern you will likely not be paid or may be paid a minimal amount.

Tips to help you write your Software Engineer Intern resume in 2024

   highlight the range of your capabilities..

Show recruiters that you will be an asset to the software engineering team by including the wide range of tasks that you have had experience completing.

   Work on expanding your toolset.

You may not be able to impress recruiters with your experience, but you can impress them by having an extensive tools list. So keep learning new relevant software and programs to add to your list. It’ll put you above your competitors and show recruiters your dedication to the industry.

Skills you can include on your Software Engineer Intern resume

Template 11 of 18: experienced software engineer resume example.

As the name indicates, this position calls for an applicant with extensive experience as a software engineer. Your tasks may include developing new software or apps, coding, creating patches, testing software, etc. As a senior in the department, you may also be put in charge of a team of more junior engineers. Managerial skills will also need to be shown if this is the case.

Tips to help you write your Experienced Software Engineer resume in 2024

   keep your tools section current..

Because you have had extensive and lengthy experience in the field, you may forget to update your tools section to incorporate new software, languages, and programs that have been developed. Remember to keep updating your tools list to reflect current industry standards.

   Highlight your managerial skills and successes.

This is a senior position so show recruiters that you would be a good team leader within the department. Mention if you have led teams before, the size of the teams you have led, and what success your teams have had under your leadership.

Skills you can include on your Experienced Software Engineer resume

Template 12 of 18: junior software engineer resume example.

A junior software engineer might be new to the industry or has had minimal experience. You will work under a senior software engineer or manager and will be given tasks like coding, testing, and fixing bugs, among others. Recruiters strongly prefer to see an educational background in software engineering or a similar field and expect you to be experienced using industry-standard tools.

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

   have a thorough skills list..

Your skills list can be used to impress recruiters where your experience section may not. Here you can list all software and languages you are skilled in under the tools section, and list the tasks you can complete. Make sure you keep updating this list.

   Show growth through promotions.

Recruiters will want to see a progression in your career up to this point. Showing promotions in your career indicates to recruiters that you are an exemplary employee that previous employers have felt was deserving of a promotion.

Skills you can include on your Junior Software Engineer resume

Template 13 of 18: principal software engineer resume example.

This position is the highest ranking software engineer position and there is usually only one principal software engineer in a company. In this position, you will oversee the entire software engineering department and so may find yourself spending more time managing and leading teams and projects, rather than doing the software engineering yourself. Regardless, recruiters will need to see that you are an expert at software engineering and that you have had a long and successful career.

Tips to help you write your Principal Software Engineer resume in 2024

   mention your style of leadership..

Recruiters will want to know if your leadership style fits in with the company’s ethos and culture. If you have a specific style, be sure to list it. This applicant uses Agile methodology to lead.

   Include extra communication skills.

If you speak any extra languages, be sure to include them. You may find it useful when applying to an international or multicultural company.

Skills you can include on your Principal Software Engineer resume

Template 14 of 18: mid-level software engineer resume example.

This position is also sometimes called a junior software engineer position. You may not have extensive experience coming into this role but you should have a strong software engineering educational background and skill set. You will be working under a senior software engineer or a principal software engineer.

Tips to help you write your Mid-Level Software Engineer resume in 2024

   use metrics to show you value addition..

All companies and recruiters are impressed by decreases in costs and increases in productivity, output, profit, and efficiency. Use metrics to show where your work has led to success in these areas.

   Get certification where possible.

Because you might not have a lot of experience, proving your skills may be the main way to impress recruiters. A way to prove your skills and put you above your competitors is to get certification in industry-standard software, especially new software.

Skills you can include on your Mid-Level Software Engineer resume

Template 15 of 18: software qa engineer resume example.

A software QA (Quality Assurance) engineer tests software to discover any points of weakness or defects. To do this you must be able to design test plans, carry out the tests, and properly report any bugs or defects you may come across. This position requires you to be thorough and creative when designing and enacting test plans.

Tips to help you write your Software QA Engineer resume in 2024

QA testers are tasked with finding anything that stops an app or software from not operating at its most efficient. If your testing led to an increase in response time or a decrease in launch time, this will be particularly impressive to recruiters. So include these successes with metrics of just how successful you were.

   Include any recognition and awards.

Show recruiters that your work stood out and earned you recognition in previous positions. It is an easy way to indicate your skill level and to present you as the best amongst your peers.

Skills you can include on your Software QA Engineer resume

Template 16 of 18: lead software engineer resume example.

A lead software engineer is tasked with developing, maintaining, testing and evaluating software. You may be assigned a team to manage and lead, and may also work directly with clients. Communication skills are therefore paramount. You also need to have an extensive background as a software engineer and an extensive skills list that at least covers industry standards. Take a look at this strong lead software engineer resume sample.

Tips to help you write your Lead Software Engineer resume in 2024

   highlight your leadership/managerial experience..

Tell recruiters the size of the teams you have led and what impressive progress your team made under your leadership. They need to trust that not only are you a good software engineer but that you can effectively lead a team of software engineers.

   Use software engineering keywords.

An easy way to indicate your level of expertise is to use software engineering keywords. It shows a good understanding of the industry. An assimilation of its keywords into your everyday communication can only come from extensive experience.

Skills you can include on your Lead Software Engineer resume

Template 17 of 18: software architect resume example.

A software architect is a software engineer in charge of designing software systems and programs. You will also be responsible for troubleshooting problems and finding software solutions. You need to have a strong software development background and a strong skill set. Take a look at this strong resume sample.

Tips to help you write your Software Architect resume in 2024

   have a focused technical skill set..

Focus your skill section on the skills most fundamental to your software architect tasks. This applicant has included skills like ‘integration’ and ‘software architectural design’.

   Show career progression in software development.

Show recruiters that you are exceptionally skilled and successful by showing promotions in your career. It will also show recruiters your dedication to your profession. This applicant started as a programmer and moved their way up to a software architect position.

Skills you can include on your Software Architect resume

Template 18 of 18: software architect resume example.

Software architects make high-level decisions for the software development process. They identify the project’s requirements and create an actionable plan to develop them. This includes designing the structure needed for the software and tools the team will use. That’s why you should highlight skills in your resume, such as systems design and databases.

   Indicate your knowledge of agile principles.

As a software architect, you will be responsible for supervising the entire software development process, so you need to work with a system that promotes productivity, such as Agile. Most employers might look for candidates with knowledge of Agile principles, so it’s important to mention this in your resume.

   Mention your experience with DevOps practices.

As a software architect, you may have to coordinate with both the development and operations teams, so some DevOps skills might be relevant for this position. DevOps practices will help you automate and integrate processes for the successful completion of the project.

As a career coach and hiring manager, I have worked with numerous software engineers to help them create resumes that stand out. I have also spoken with hiring managers at top tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon to gain insights into what they look for in software engineer resumes. Based on my experience and research, here are some essential tips for crafting a compelling software engineer resume that will catch the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

   Highlight your technical skills and programming languages

Employers want to know what technical skills and programming languages you possess. Be sure to list them prominently on your resume, ideally in a separate 'Skills' section.

• Languages: Python (Expert), Java, C++ (Intermediate), and JavaScript (Familiar)
• Frameworks: React, Angular and Flask
• Databases: MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL

Avoid simply listing generic skills or ones that are not relevant to the job you're applying for. Instead, tailor your skills section to the specific requirements mentioned in the job description.

   Quantify your achievements and impact

When describing your work experience, use metrics and numbers to quantify your achievements and the impact you made. This helps employers understand the scope and significance of your contributions.

• Worked on a team that developed a new mobile app
• Helped improve the performance of the company's website

Instead, provide specific details and numbers:

• Developed a mobile app that was downloaded by over 50,000 users in the first month of launch
• Optimized the company's website, reducing page load time by 40% and increasing user engagement by 25%

Using metrics makes your achievements more tangible and impressive to potential employers.

   Showcase your projects and provide links

As a software engineer, your projects are a crucial part of your resume. They demonstrate your practical skills and give employers a sense of the type of work you can do. When listing projects, provide a brief description of each one and highlight your role and contributions.

• Personal Blog - Created a responsive blog using React and Node.js, deployed on Heroku, and attracted over 1,000 monthly readers
• Collaborative Task Manager - Worked in a team of 4 to develop a task management web app using Vue.js and Firebase, implemented features such as user authentication and real-time updates

To make your projects even more impactful, include links to live demos, GitHub repositories, or blog posts that showcase your work. This allows employers to explore your projects in more depth and see your coding skills firsthand.

   Demonstrate your problem-solving abilities

Employers value software engineers who can solve complex problems efficiently. Use your resume to showcase your problem-solving skills by providing examples of challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

Faced with a performance bottleneck in a critical system, I profiled the code, identified the issue, and implemented a caching solution that reduced response times by 75% and allowed the system to handle 10x more traffic.

When describing problem-solving experiences, focus on the impact of your solutions and how they benefited the company or project. This demonstrates your ability to think critically and deliver results.

   Tailor your resume to the job description

One of the most important things you can do to make your resume stand out is to tailor it to the specific job you're applying for. Read the job description carefully and identify the key skills, technologies, and experience the employer is looking for.

For example, if the job description emphasizes experience with cloud platforms like AWS or Azure, make sure to highlight your relevant experience prominently on your resume.

• Deployed and managed a microservices architecture on AWS using EC2, S3, and Lambda
• Implemented CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps to automate build, test, and deployment processes

By tailoring your resume to the job description, you show employers that you have the specific skills and experience they are looking for, increasing your chances of getting an interview.

   Highlight your soft skills and teamwork abilities

While technical skills are essential for software engineers, employers also value soft skills and the ability to work well in a team. Use your resume to showcase your communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.

• Collaborated with cross-functional teams, including designers and product managers, to deliver high-quality features on time
• Mentored junior developers, providing guidance on coding best practices and helping them grow their skills
• Presented technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and alignment

By highlighting your soft skills, you demonstrate that you're not just a strong coder but also a valuable team member who can contribute to a positive work environment and drive successful projects.

Software engineering is an analytics-heavy profession. It’s going to involve many percentages, projects, and the use of different software. Hard skills are necessary to excel in this job. But software engineers need to be proficient at teamwork or team management. To succeed in a company project, you’ll need to gather all of the info necessary to get the job done. Recruiters want to see your resume communicate that you can use relevant skills for projects, and for helping others reach a common goal. To make your resume stand out against the competition, follow our suggestions:

  List your skills, then talk about them

This is a highly technical field. It’s not enough to just say that you know programs like Java, SQL, or CSS. You need to show that you know how to use them. How have you used different programs in your previous jobs? Did you use it in a large project? What did you accomplish, improve, or make more efficient? Think about these questions as you fill out the experience section of your resume.

   Don’t leave out metrics

As previously mentioned, it looks good if you talk about the things you accomplished or improved on in your previous job. But it makes your resume even stronger to have the numbers support your claims. If you were responsible for doing something that led to a “25% increase in annual revenue,” recruiters want to see that. It communicates how effective you are at using the tools you know. It also looks good to hiring managers when they see that you can possibly help the company earn money, reduce costs, increase productivity, or solve customer issues more effectively.

   Talk about every relevant achievement

Did you win an award on the job for your superior work? Were you promoted at any point? Did a team meet or exceed a goal under your leadership? Talk about it. If previous managers recognized your exceptional work, it’ll catch the eyes of hiring managers as well.

   Describe your projects

Even entry-level software engineers gain from talking about a project. That’s a way for you to demonstrate your project management skills. If you were in charge of --or started-- a project, then talk about it. Show recruiters that you can work with, or lead, a team to generate positive results.

Writing Your Software Engineer Resume: Section By Section

  header, 1. put your name front and center.

Your name should be the most prominent element in your resume header. Put it on its own line at the top, using a larger font size than the rest of your contact details.

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

Avoid formatting your name like this:

• John Q. Smith, Software Engineer

Remember, your goal is to make it easy for hiring managers to remember your name and find your contact information quickly.

2. Include essential contact details

After your name, list your key contact details on a single line, separated by vertical lines or bullet points. Essential details to include are:

• Phone number
• Email address
• LinkedIn profile URL
• GitHub profile (optional but highly recommended for software engineers)

Here's an example of a well-formatted contact details line:

• 555-123-4567 | [email protected] | linkedin.com/in/johnsmith | github.com/johnsmith

Keep your email address professional, ideally [email protected] . Avoid outdated email providers like AOL or Hotmail that may make you seem out of touch.

3. Decide whether to include your location

In the past, job seekers were advised to always include their full address in their resume header. However, with the rise of remote work and privacy concerns, this is no longer necessary.

If you're applying for jobs in your local area and want to demonstrate that you're a local candidate, you can include your city and state, like this:

Seattle, WA

However, if you're open to relocating or primarily seeking remote software engineering roles, you can leave your location off your resume header entirely. This can help avoid any potential bias from employers who may prefer local candidates.

  Summary

A resume summary for a Software Engineer is an optional section that provides a brief overview of your professional experience, skills, and career goals. While a summary is not strictly necessary, it can be beneficial if you have extensive experience or are making a career change. However, avoid using an objective statement, as it is outdated and focuses on what you want rather than what you can offer the employer.

When crafting your summary, tailor it to the specific Software Engineer position you are targeting. Highlight your most relevant qualifications, technical skills, and achievements. Be concise and objective, using metrics to quantify your impact where possible.

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

1. Emphasize your technical expertise

As a Software Engineer, your technical skills are your greatest asset. Use your summary to showcase your proficiency in programming languages, frameworks, and tools that are relevant to the position you are seeking. For example:

• Experienced Software Engineer with expertise in Java, Python, and C++, and a strong background in developing scalable web applications using Agile methodologies.
• Proficient in full-stack development using React, Node.js, and MongoDB, with a track record of delivering high-quality, maintainable code.

Avoid simply listing your skills without context, as it doesn't demonstrate how you've applied them in your work. Instead, tie your skills to specific projects or achievements to show their impact.

2. Highlight your problem-solving abilities

Software Engineers are often tasked with solving complex problems and finding innovative solutions. Use your summary to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and ability to overcome challenges. For example:

• Creative problem-solver who developed a machine learning algorithm that improved product recommendation accuracy by 25%, resulting in increased user engagement and revenue.
• Collaborative team player with a proven ability to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks, optimizing application speed and scalability.

Avoid using generic phrases like "problem-solver" or "critical thinker" without providing concrete examples. Instead, use specific instances that showcase your ability to analyze problems and develop effective solutions.

3. Tailor your summary to the company and role

To make your summary more effective, customize it to the specific Software Engineer position and company you are targeting. Research the company's mission, values, and projects, and incorporate relevant keywords and phrases into your summary. For example:

Passionate Software Engineer with 5+ years of experience developing robust, scalable applications for the fintech industry. Skilled in Agile development, microservices architecture, and cloud computing using AWS. Seeking to leverage my expertise to contribute to [Company Name]'s mission of revolutionizing the way people manage their finances.

Avoid using a generic, one-size-fits-all summary that could apply to any Software Engineer position. Instead, tailor your content to demonstrate your fit for the specific role and company culture.

  Experience

Your work experience section is the heart of your software engineer resume. It's where you prove to employers that you have the technical skills and experience to excel in the role you're applying for. In this section, we'll cover what to focus on in your work experience section and share examples of how to make your achievements and contributions stand out.

1. Highlight your technical skills and tools

Employers want to see that you have hands-on experience with the programming languages, frameworks, and tools relevant to the job. Be specific about the technologies you've used in each role.

Instead of this:

• Developed software applications
• Worked on front-end and back-end code

Highlight your technical skills like this:

• Developed web applications using React, Node.js, and MongoDB
• Built RESTful APIs with Python and Django
• Implemented CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and Docker

Not sure if your technical skills are coming through? Try Targeted Resume , which scans your resume against a job description and identifies missing skills and keywords that employers look for.

2. Quantify your impact with metrics

Numbers jump off the page and grab attention. Whenever possible, use metrics to quantify the impact of your work. Think about how you improved processes, optimized code, or contributed to business objectives.

Weak, vague bullets:

• Improved application performance
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams
• Managed project timelines

Impactful, quantified bullets:

• Reduced page load time by 40% by implementing lazy loading and code splitting
• Collaborated with product and design to ship new features that increased user engagement by 25%
• Delivered project under budget and 2 weeks ahead of schedule

If you don't have access to metrics, use numbers to provide a sense of scale, like the size of the codebase, user base, or team you worked with.

3. Showcase promotions and leadership

Career progression and leadership roles are strong signals to employers that you are a high performer. If you've been promoted, make it obvious by listing your different titles separately.

Software Engineer, ABC Corp Senior Software Engineer, ABC Corp Tech Lead, ABC Corp

Also highlight your leadership experience, whether that's mentoring junior developers, leading projects, or driving technical initiatives.

• Mentored 3 junior developers and onboarded 6 new hires
• Led a team of 5 engineers to rebuild the payment processing system
• Spearheaded the adoption of TypeScript across the organization

Make your promotions and job titles stand out by bolding them. Recruiters often scan for this to quickly assess your career trajectory.

4. Tailor your bullets to the job

Hiring managers look for candidates whose experience aligns closely with the job requirements. Review the job description and prioritize the projects, skills, and achievements on your resume that are most relevant.

For example, if you're applying for a front-end focused role, emphasize your experience with:

• JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, Vue
• HTML, CSS, responsive web design
• Performance optimization, accessibility, cross-browser compatibility

If the job involves more back-end work, focus on your experience with:

• Server-side languages like Java, Python, Ruby
• Database management, SQL, NoSQL
• System design, scalability, security

Score My Resume is a helpful tool that analyzes your resume against 30+ key criteria, including how well your skills and experience match the job requirements. Get objective feedback to improve your resume's tailoring and relevance.

  Education

Your education section is an important part of your software engineer resume. It shows employers that you have the necessary background and training for the job. Here are some tips to help you write an effective education section:

1. Put your education section at the top if you're a recent graduate

If you graduated within the past few years, it's best to put your education section above your work experience. This is because your education is likely to be your strongest qualification at this stage in your career.

Here's an example of what your education section might look like:

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science University of California, Berkeley Graduated: May 2022 GPA: 3.8/4.0 Relevant Coursework: Data Structures, Algorithms, Software Engineering, Database Systems

2. Keep your education section concise if you have several years of experience

If you have several years of work experience, you can keep your education section short and to the point. Employers will be more interested in your professional accomplishments than your academic background.

Here are some examples of what not to include:

• Irrelevant coursework or projects
• High school education (unless it's your highest level of education)
• Outdated or non-accredited certifications

Instead, focus on your degree, university, and graduation year:

Master of Science in Software Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 2015

3. Include relevant certifications in your education section

If you have certifications that are relevant to software engineering, you can include them in your education section. This can help demonstrate your expertise and commitment to professional development.

Some examples of relevant certifications include:

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
• Oracle Certified Java Programmer

Be sure to include the full name of the certification, the issuing organization, and the date you earned it.

Action Verbs For Software Engineer Resumes

The use of weak action verbs will hurt the overall strength of your resume. You don’t want to use generic verbs. You want to use ones that are complementary to the software skills you’ve used. Try not to overuse one action verb; variety helps keep your resume unique. If you’re not sure which action verbs to use, here’s a list of action verbs that are useful for software engineers.

• Conceptualized
• Architected
• Restructured
• Troubleshooted

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 Engineer Resumes

Skills for software engineer resumes.

To get your resume noticed, it needs to list skills that make you look like you’d be successful in the role. It’s equally important to talk about how you used these skills to succeed. If you want your resume to be seen, thoroughly read through the job description. Find keywords and hard skills in the description that you can use in your resume. Doing so will get your resume past ATS and in the hands of hiring managers. Here is a list of skills and keywords we’ve analyzed from job descriptions; use these to make your resume powerful.

• 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 Engineer 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 Engineer Resumes

This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Software Engineer 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?

Resume bullet points from software engineer resumes.

You should use bullet points to describe your achievements in your Software Engineer resume. Here are sample bullet points to help you get started:

Designed and implemented 50+ E2E tests using Selenium & Protractor, simulating each user group's actions

Analyzed impact and effectiveness of in-app UI changes on customer retention; identified features of customer behavior and recommended additional menu modifications [R, MySQL, Chart JS]

Developed web scraping program in Python to help the firm download public data, including over 10,000 company descriptions and stock quotes, enriching internal data and increasing research efficiency by over 50%

Designed and implemented an automated system for processing employee timesheets, eliminating the need for manual handwritten timesheets and resulted in a 10/hr per week time saving

Led code review sessions with peers to present and analyze system designs; recommendations reduced defect creation rate by 35%

For more sample bullet points and details on how to write effective bullet points, see our articles on resume bullet points , how to quantify your resume and resume accomplishments .

Other Engineering Resumes

Product manager.

Sales Engineer

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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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Software Engineer resume example & writing guide

Choosing the best resume format for a software engineer

Use your header to include contact information, make use of a summary, compile your software engineer work history: manage your workflow, curate a list of the key skills that make you an exemplary software engineer, detail your education & relevant software engineering certifications, choose the right layout and design for a software engineer resume, what type of salary can you expect in software engineering , software engineer resume example.

A software engineer resume is like the user interface for your connection with potential employers or clients. By design, it can be your next ticket to success from a career launchpad aimed at infinitely higher and wider targets all the time. 

How does a resume get you an interview? By presenting a clear story of success.

When you meet with clients, you discern what it is they need and repeat it back to them to create a first impression that you are an active listener who can deliver what they need. A software engineer's resume performs the same function during your job hunt. Demonstrating that you can solve your prospective employer’s problems programs you for success.

Resume guide for a software engineer resume

For those who recognize the crucial difference between an acceptable and an outstanding job application, Resume.io is continually expanding its collection of practical tips and tools. That now includes more than 500 occupation-specific resume examples and writing guides, plus a resume builder .

This guide, along with a software engineer resume example, will take you step-by-step through the writing process with insights as follows:

• How to write a software engineer resume, including the correct structure and best format
• Section-by-section advice for crafting your software engineer resume, optimizing the impact of the header, summary, employment history, education, and skills content
• Professionally engineered resume design and formatting hints
• What software engineers earn, and how their future looks

Let’s get started.

How to write a software engineer resume

Software engineering requires adherence to structure, and so does any resume for a software engineer. The following are the elements to include:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Your resume is designed with one purpose in mind, to answer the question, “Why should I interview you?” To accomplish that, you need to gather as much information as possible about the role, the company, its IT systems and its culture. Then, you can speak directly about how you will fit into the team and what contributions you will make. 

Here are the fundamental tenets to remember as you compile your software engineer resume:

• A work history bullet item illustrating an achievement is much more compelling than one that names a responsibility.
• Speak directly to the job for which you are applying. In other words, target your audience by personalizing every application.
• Reflect on your professional personality in the content and design of your software engineering resume.

Software engineers can pursue opportunities as company employees or independent contractors. They may be courted relentlessly by head-hunters and business leaders in a multitude of burgeoning industries. 

Beyond the more obvious technology sectors, opportunities are endless in areas from healthcare, automotive manufacturing, and green energy to remote sensing, aeronautics, and finance. Lucrative positions are available in all manner of government, private, and non-profit organizations. 

Beating applicant tracking systems

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are used by popular employers to screen supposedly undesirable candidates, sending only the best resumes to human recruiters. This is done based on keywords in your resume.

Seize the opportunity to outshine the savviest of other software engineers whose ATS-busting resumes will be fully loaded with all the same keywords. The more times you scrutinize the job description language, the better — often, even one word or abbreviation related to a desired skill can be the difference between getting to the interview or not. So, make sure you. Just don’t overstuff your resume with keywords and end up sounding like a robot.

How do you add keywords without sounding fake? Aside from your skills section, where you can simply list the attributes from the job listing, consider inserting phrases into both your summary and work history sections. 

Here are software engineer resume examples that include specific desired traits from a job listing:

Summary sentence: Software engineer with 5+ years of experience in object-oriented design, TypeScript , and C++.

Work history bullet item:   Created website for appliance repair company using React and Redux

From an engineer’s analytical and strategic perspective, consider which of these three resume formats is the best fit for your job experience.

The most widely used chronological resume format is failsafe if you’ve worked mostly as an employee for one organization at a time. Your progressive job experience, skills, and accomplishments are traced under employer headings in reverse chronological order, from most recent to earliest dates. 

But if your job history is more project-based, perhaps in mostly contract positions, then the functional resume format might work well. A functional or hybrid structure can also be useful for highlighting specialized skills or accomplishments, especially if relevant to where your sights are set now.

There is no right or wrong choice, but possibly a better one to bridge your past and future. Again, always think about what each prospective employer expects or should know about your employment history. It’s yet another custom-tailoring strategy.

The header of your software engineer resume should be distinctive enough to set your job application apart from the rest. With no extra effort but double the impact, use the same header design for your resume and cover letter so they look like a matching pair.

The header’s main purpose is to display your identifying information prominently so readers will see it first and can easily retrieve it when contacting you later: your name, occupation/job title, phone number, and email. If you have a LinkedIn profile, that should also appear in the header, along with a link to your online portfolio of work samples.

Leave out any information about your private life, such as your marital status or identifying numbers, that could lead to identity theft. Do not include a photograph . HR personnel are sensitive to any potential for bias in hiring.

Theodore Martin

Software engineer

[email protected]

(617) 781-3542

www.tmartin.com

Geek extraordinaire

An awesome software engineer resume summary — some call it a profile or personal statement — is where you become the envy of every peer who may be vying for the same software engineer job. But that’s not the point. You’re not trying to impress your competitors. 

The only other IT experts you should care about are those who may have a say on the hiring side, even if it’s not the first or last word on who gets the job. So, first things first. Your resume summary must be flawlessly efficient in capturing attention for longer than the six or seven seconds that studies contend is the worthiness average. 

Limited page space dictates conciseness, without selling yourself short. Don’t be shy or unduly modest, but don’t boast or exaggerate either. Let your stellar track record as a software engineer speak for itself. Use clear, precise, descriptive language in a few terse statements. Omitting “I am” or “I have” helps with word economy. So do action verbs such as: equipped, executed, excelled, built  … and, of course,  engineered. Add modifiers that are appropriate but not overblown: proficient, robust, rapid, striking, nimble, agile, solution-focused, innovative, and cutting-edge.

Not sure how to put your software engineer resume together? Have a look at these related IT resume samples below:

• Systems Analyst resume sample
• Technical Project Manager resume sample
• Computer Science resume sample
• Network Engineer resume sample
• IT Director resume sample
• Software Engineer resume sample
• Film and Video Editor resume sample
• Motion Graphics Artists resume sample
• Network Systems Analyst resume sample
• 3D Animator resume sample
• Software Developer resume sample
• Web Developer resume sample
• Programmer resume sample
• Data Scientist resume sample
• IT manager resume sample
• Data Analyst resume sample
• IT Project manager resume sample

You can find adaptable software engineer resume example summaries below:

Newly-minted software engineer with dual degrees in computer engineering and mathematics ready to apply analytical capabilities to real business problems in a collaborative setting. Hands-on experience in Microsoft SQL Server, JavaScript and Python. Adaptable and dependable team player.

 Business-focused software engineer with 5 years of experience designing, developing and deploying state-of-the-art solutions. Communicative mentor of junior team members and collaborator with cross-functional teams specializing in full-stack development. Committed to continued professional development to stay current in this ever-evolving field.

Results-driven software engineer with a decade of experience offering cutting edge engineering solutions and effectively guiding developer teams. Proven expertise in managing all stages of the software development life cycle. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills to confidently execute software tasks from start to finish.

We’ve already covered the options for formatting a resume for a software engineer, with reverse chronological order being the most common way to organize someone’s work experience. However, this resume section might require some structural decisions you are best qualified to make. 

Whether it’s your first job change or the latest in a series, or your career path is geared more toward consulting opportunities, adaptability, and responsiveness are hallmarks of a software engineer’s career. 

Whatever structure you choose, optimize the space you have and maximize the impact through power-packed bullet point statements. Have a master list handy of incisive verbs describing what you’ve done and can do: analyzed, evaluated, created, designed, customized, built, augmented, bridged, spearheaded, streamlined, oversaw, solved, advanced, delivered, applied, debugged, persuaded, negotiated, collaborated, expedited, reconciled. 

Demonstrate tangible outcomes, not duties or responsibilities. Quantify your achievements whenever possible.

Below is the employment history section from our software engineer resume example.

Software Engineer at Revive Inc., Boston  June 2016 - Present 

• Define, develop and implement guidelines to ensure code quality. 
• Provide troubleshooting support to a 12-member team of developers and engineers. 
• Collaborate with colleagues to deliver innovative advancements, including three award-winning applications. 
• Instrumental in building and improving tools to boost overall team efficiency by 28%. 
• Mentor and lead junior developers, including 12 who were subsequently promoted or recruited by other companies.

Junior Software Engineer at Untold Designs, Boston  June 2013 - April 2016 

• Provided optimal project support to development teams in a 125-employee IT firm. 
• Identified opportunities for product optimization. 
• Built and maintained web application for the accounting platform. 
• Contributed boldly original or pragmatically simple ideas during weekly software design discussions. 
• Problem-solved with various stakeholders. 
• Effectively managed priorities to meet or beat deadlines 96% of the time, often under tight time constraints.

Regardless of your occupation, the skills section serves a vitally important purpose on all resumes. Software engineers will appreciate the elegance and simplicity of making their key strengths impossible for any hiring manager to ignore by highlighting them in a carefully considered list. 

Zeroing in on what you most want under that person’s nose might be the easiest and fastest part of your resume-writing task. Be sure to include any skills that are stipulated in the advertised job requirements.

But don’t be too offhanded about this golden opportunity to convey that you are a remarkable software engineer, not just average. On each custom-targeted resume you create, reserve your skills list for the shiniest nuggets.

Pay special attention to the soft skills that may set you apart from other candidates. In fact, it’s possible the hard skills you have in common (which, ironically in this occupation, are software-specific skills) might not give you the kind of edge your resume should strive to display. Try brainstorming a master list of skills that you possess in any and all areas. Then - cherry pick the most appropriate ones for the job opening. 

Below is our example of a software engineer resume skills section that you can adapt to your own expertise.

Key skills and proficiencies

But don’t stop at your skills list! Your entire software engineer resume should be infused with the attributes that make you great at your job. Consider illustrating:

• Critical thinking with an example of a thorny development problem you solved and what tools you used to do so.
• Cybersecurity expertise by explaining how you thwarted an attempted attack.
• Programming talent with a description of software you engineered and the tools you used.

Computer skills should feature prominently in many resumes, but if you last performed these skills a while ago, do you need to refresh your knowledge? We look at the most popular computer skills and where to revisit your expertise.

Off the top in your resume's education section, your college degrees should be listed in reverse chronological order, from highest to lowest level.

The right combination of additional training, certifications, and skills development could give you a job-winning edge over other software engineers. Every post-college stride you’ve taken to keep your knowledge and skills current has a place on your resume.

Most software engineers receive on-the-job training as newly hired company employees. Off-the-job training opportunities abound for software engineers throughout their careers, from seminars and international conferences to specialized courses that help keep a pace of new technology.

Coding bootcamps have grown exponentially since the first program launched in 2011. Schools offer nontraditional pathways into software engineering to meet the demand for quick, intensive programming education outside the traditional university environment. 

Certification s available to software engineers include: Oracle Certified Associate and Oracle Certified Professional (OCA and OCP), Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) and Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP).

Professional association memberships also send the right message about taking your software engineer career seriously. Possibilities include Sigsoft , an Association for Computing Machinery interest group for software engineers, and the Transaction Processing Performance Council .

The education section below comes from our software engineer resume example.

Master of Computer Science, Northeastern University, Boston September 2014 - May 2016

Bachelor of Software Engineering, Boston College, Boston September 2012 - May 2014

Nothing less than a superior-caliber resume document is acceptable for software engineers. As we’ve emphasized before, put yourself in the hiring manager’s chair. Deliver on the expectation of a clean, user-friendly layout that does you justice.

The result should be eye-catching without being flashy or gimmicky. Keep it sleek, streamlined, and uncomplicated — inviting at first glance and disappointing no one reading further. And it goes without saying your resume must be character-perfect and bug-free in every other sense. Subject it to multiple beta test runs under anyone's scrutiny but your own. Tweak it further each time and do a proofreading reboot.

Fonts and size

Most tech-minded people (IT hiring managers included) widely favor sans-serif fonts popularized by web designers/developers and web-based companies. Fonts like Open Sans, Roboto, Arial, Calibri, Lato, Helvetica, and PT Sans will feel right at home in a software engineer resume. Incidentally, most of them can be found in the Google Fonts library or as standard inclusions on PC/Mac systems.

For font size, stick to a range between 10 to 12pts (11 pt is usually the sweet spot for your one-page resume).

While your designing eye could come in handy, we’re guessing you don’t have hours to spend reinventing unbroken wheels. Consider using one of our field-tested resume templates as the simplest and fastest way to achieve professional results. Choose a template you like from one of four style categories  — perhaps a simple or professional design would be most suitable. Then, enter your own replacement text using our resume builder tool.

Software engineer job market and outlook

BLS projections for software developers (again, software engineers are not classified separately) see market demand increasing by 25% between 2022 and 2032, much faster than the national average. And with 377,500 more jobs forecast in the computer and information technology workforce during the same decade, computer software engineers will have no shortage of job options.

Whether it was astute planning or lucky breaks that landed you on this trajectory in the first place, software engineers can afford to be choosy. Exceptionally lucrative job prospects are on offer as explosive IT growth appears unstoppable. Few occupations are as dynamic or less likely to stagnate from dried-up opportunities. 

Software engineers can pursue opportunities as company employees or independent contractors. They may be courted relentlessly by head-hunters and business leaders in a multitude of burgeoning industries. Beyond the more obvious technology sectors, opportunities are endless in areas from healthcare, automotive manufacturing, and green energy to remote sensing, aeronautics, and finance. Lucrative positions are available in all manner of government, private and non-profit organizations. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) $127,260 was the median annual wage in May 2022 for software developers (there is no separate data category software engineers, which are grouped together with software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers). For comparison, the average annual software engineer salary posted by Builtin.com is $136,295 in 2024, while Glassdoor.com puts base pay at $154,397. Salaries range from $72,401-$182,129.

Key takeaways for building a software engineer resume

• The talents of software engineers are highly sought-after in virtually all industries globally. There are no sunsetting signs on this horizon, only continued explosive growth in IT economies.
• It’s essential for software engineers to have a versatile and adaptable resume document for easy updates and tailoring to specific job and employer requirements. Speak the right language in each case, including carefully mined ATS-safe keywords from the job description.
• Also think strategically each time about an intuitive resume structure and format that showcases your attributes to best advantage. Emphasize soft skills that might set you apart from your peers with similar technical skills.
• The right resume design choices, found within the resume builder, help ensure you come across looking as good as you sound and get you into the job market faster.

Beautiful ready-to-use resume templates

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

Software Engineer Resume Example, Tips & Tricks

No one should be surprised to learn that demand for software engineers is expected to increase over the coming decade. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a 25% increase in job growth for these professionals through 2031. As a skilled coder, you can expect your skills to be in demand for many years to come, but just having those skills may not be enough to fuel your career journey. You’ll also need a Software Engineer resume that captivates prospective employers.

Transform your resume

To help you achieve that goal, we’ve created this “Software Engineer Resume Example, Tips & Tricks.” It contains key insights into the resume creation process and helpful tips that can assist you in highlighting your key competencies, experiences, and other qualifications. By using this guide, you can learn how to craft the compelling resume you need to make a great first impression and earn more interview opportunities.

Software Engineer Resume Example

How to write a resume.

It’s always a great idea to start with the basics when you’re learning how to create your Software Engineer resume. Of course, that means starting with the proper foundation to ensure that your resume delivers the right message to any potential employer. Let’s begin with some essential tips to get you started.

Use the correct format and structure

While you need compelling content in your Software Engineer resume, it is just as important to ensure hiring managers can easily find that information. That’s why it is so important to use the right format when you outline your resume. There are three basic formats that you can choose: reverse chronological, combination, and functional. Most employers prefer the reverse chronological since it presents information in a clear, chronological format that is easy to skim.

You will also need to use an organized structure if you want to create a resume that is easy to read. The best structure to use for your reverse chronological resume is one that separates your skills, experiences, and other qualifications into distinct sections identified by clear headings. Those sections should include:

Contact details like your full name, city and state, phone, email address, and the URL to your optimized LinkedIn profile 

Job title for the position you are trying to get

Summary or profile statement, which consists of one paragraph that summarizes your relevant skills, experiences, and unique value proposition

Core competencies should include hard technical skills as well as soft skills you use as a Software Engineer

Professional experience , with your positions listed in reverse chronological order and covering the previous 10 or 15 years of work

Education is where you list college degree, any continuing education, certifications, and coursework

Additional information like awards, industry recognition, public speaking, and specialized research

Create a winning summary statement

With its location just below your contact details, the summary statement may be the most critical part of your Software Engineer resume. Think of it as your unique elevator pitch – an opportunity to make a first impression on a hiring manager and convince them to continue reading your resume. A great summary statement should always be no more than three to five concise sentences that highlight your most important skills, experiences, and achievements. For example:

Solutions-focused software engineer with demonstrated success in architecting, developing, and delivering cutting-edge applications for diverse environments. Adept at analyzing and interpreting business requirements to develop robust solutions aligned with business user needs and expectations. Engaging communicator and collaborator; able to partner with cross-functional teams through all phases of development, prototyping, and deployment. Continually research and evaluate new technologies, concepts, and methods to maintain a competitive advantage.

Identify your most relevant experiences and skills

Before you can complete the professional experience and core competency sections of your Software Engineer resume, you must know which skills and accomplishments to include. To identify those details, you should examine the job posting and description to see what the employer has listed as key qualifications. To be considered for hire, your resume will usually need to highlight each of those requirements to demonstrate that you are the right person for the job.

Pay careful attention to the words that the company uses to describe any skill, educational achievement, or professional experience. More than likely, those words will be keywords and phrases that the hiring manager looks for when skimming your resume. More importantly, those words may be used by applicant tracking systems (ATS) , which many companies use to screen out applicants whose listed qualifications don’t meet the job post requirements.

Software Engineer resume example

Now that we’ve provided some critical insight and tips to help you get started, it might be helpful for you to see an illustration of just how all these elements can work together to create your resume. We have you covered there as well, with this example of an outstanding Software Engineer resume. Use it as a guide and template as you gather the relevant information you need and begin the process of crafting your resume.

Key hard & soft skills for a Software Engineer

When employers read a Software Engineer resume, they pay close attention to the skills highlighted on that document. They want to see that you have the technical knowledge and ability they’re looking for, including proficiency in programming, an analytical mind, and keen problem-solving skills. They also expect you to highlight your soft skills , too, such as creativity and the ability to collaborate in a team environment. Below are some of the most in-demand core competencies you can include in your resume.

Hard skills

Hard skills are specific technical abilities you need to fulfill the technical requirements of your job. They are typically obtained through formal training, education, and hands-on experience. For a Software Engineer, those hard skills may include:

Software programming in languages like Python, Java, C/C++, SQL

Software architecture

Object-oriented design

Testing and debugging

Performance tuning

Enterprise integration

Proficiency with platforms like Microsoft SQL Server, Linux, Oracle, JBoss, etc.

Soft skills

Soft skills are all those personal abilities and traits that you possess. Some soft skills develop naturally over time, while others can be improved through conscious effort. Though technical skills are often the first thing people think of when they reflect on a coder’s abilities, these professionals also need to possess a wide range of developed soft and interpersonal skills, such as:

Communication

Collaboration

Attention to detail

Team leadership

Critical thinking

Adaptability

Summary & last words

Before you even begin to craft your own resume, make sure you understand the vital role this document plays in any successful job search. It is your main marketing tool and your first and best opportunity to make a great and lasting first impression on any employer. If your resume is a substandard document that fails to capture a hiring manager’s imagination, you may never get the chance to interview for that job.

The good news is you don’t have to rely on the whims of chance to make the right first impression. By using our Software Engineer resume guide, tips & tricks, you can craft a more convincing narrative for prospective employers and increase your odds of landing an interview. That can help give you the confidence and peace of mind you need as you continue to advance your career.

Introduction to TopResume: Professional resume writers

Knowing how to create your own resume can provide invaluable benefits for your job search efforts. However, even that knowledge may not be enough to ensure you can successfully land the interviews you need. In a highly competitive field and labor market, you need every advantage you can get. Fortunately, the resume writers at TopResume are always here to provide the professional assistance you need to craft the best possible resume document.

Why you should make use of our resume writing services to land your next job as a Software Engineer

Our team of resume writers is passionate about creating resume narratives that speak directly to each employer’s unique hiring needs. We understand what Software Engineers need to highlight to capture an employer’s attention and work with you to ensure that your Software Engineer resume presents you as the most qualified and capable applicant for any position. And because our team is made up of people with deep knowledge of your industry, you can be confident that their expertise is second-to-none.

Resume writing service for Software Engineer: Let us write your resume

No matter how qualified you might be, you’ll always struggle to land your dream job if you can’t effectively convey those qualifications to prospective employers. When you partner with TopResume’s team of expert resume writers, you never have to worry about that again. By investing in our writing services and teaming up with one of our experienced resume writers, you can finally unleash your job search potential and begin to make your career dreams a reality. Contact us today !

Who are the TopResume writers?

Senior Resume Writer

4+ years of experience, bachelor of arts in humanities and classical studies.

Billie is a passionate writer whose mission is to write impactful resumes to support career growth, evolution, and transition targets. Billie’s love of the written word spans her entire life, and she enjoys utilizing that passion to empower successful career transitions.

10+ years of experience

Master of arts in english.

Traci has a Master of Arts in English and has been writing since middle school. After spending several years in marketing, she used her writing skills and corporate knowledge to help job seekers put their best foot forward and achieve their career goals.

15+ Years of Experience

Bachelor of arts in english and business writing.

Jeremy has helped 6K+ clients gain the confidence to apply for and get their dream jobs. His educational background in English and business writing and dedication to supporting clients’ needs inspire him to deliver top-tier career support.

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Software Engineer Resume Examples For 2024 (20+ Skills & Templates)

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Looking to score a job as a Software Engineer?

You're going to need an awesome resume. This guide is your one-stop-shop for writing a job-winning Software Engineer resume using our proven strategies, skills, templates, and examples.

All of the content in this guide is based on data from coaching thousands of job seekers (just like you!) who went on to land offers at the world's best companies.

If you want to maximize your chances of landing that Software Engineer role, I recommend reading this piece from top to bottom. But if you're just looking for something specific, here's what's included in this guide:

• What To Know About Writing A Job-Winning Software Engineer Resume
• The Best Skills To Include On A Software Engineer Resume

How To Write A Job-Winning Software Engineer Resume Summary

How to write offer-winning software engineer resume bullets.

• 3 Software Engineer Resume Examples

The 8 Best Software Engineer Resume Templates

Here's the step-by-step breakdown:

Software Engineer Resume Overview: What To Know To Write A Resume That Wins More Job Offers

What do companies look for when they're hiring a Software Engineer?

Companies look for Software Engineers who are proficient in languages such as JavaScript, Python, or Java, with expertise in essential tools and frameworks.

Companies also seek candidates who can collaborate, solve problems, communicate well, and align with their values and tech interests.

Your resume should show the company that your personality and your experience encompass all these things.

Additionally, there are a few best practices you want to follow to write a job-winning Software Engineer resume:

• Customize your resume to the job description: Tailor your resume for each job application, matching your skills, experiences, and proficiency in programming languages and tools with the requirements of the software engineer role you have an eye on.
• Detail your previous experiences: Provide detailed information about your past experiences, emphasizing responsibilities related to software engineering.
• Quantify achievements and impact: Use specific metrics, such as the percentage of performance improvement, the number of lines of code written, or the successful completion of projects within deadlines.
• Showcase technical skills and tools: Clearly outline your technical skills, programming languages, and tools you are proficient in.
• Make it visually appealing: Use a clear and professional layout for easy reading. Maintain consistency in the font and formatting throughout and limit your resume to one or two pages.
• Use keywords:   Use a skills section to provide a quick overview and consider incorporating relevant keywords from the job description. This helps automated applicant tracking systems (ATS) identify your compatibility with the role and ensures your resume passes through initial screenings.
• Proofread your resume: Proofread your resume to eliminate errors (I recommend using the Hemingway App or Grammarly ). Also, if you want to make sure that your work is easy to understand and effective, it's always a good idea to ask for feedback from your colleagues or mentors!

Let's dive deeper into each of these so you have the exact blueprint you need to see success.

The Best Software Engineer Skills To Include On Your Resume

Keywords are one of the most important factors in your resume. They show employers that your skills align with the role and they also help format your resume for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

If you're not familiar with ATS systems, they are pieces of software used by employers to manage job applications. They scan resumes for keywords and qualifications and make it easier for employers to filter and search for candidates whose qualifications match the role.

If you want to win more interviews and job offers, you need to have a keyword-optimized resume. There are two ways to find the right keywords:

1. Leverage The 20 Best Software Engineer Keywords

The first is to leverage our list of the best keywords and skills for a Software Engineer resume.

These keywords were selected from an analysis of real Software Engineer job descriptions sourced from actual job boards. Here they are:

• Development
• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Communications
• Communication
• Organization
• Team Member
• Verification
• Time Management
• Problem-Solving

2. Use ResyMatch.io To Find The Best Keywords That Are Specific To Your Resume And Target Role

The second method is the one I recommend because it's personalized to your specific resume and target job.

This process lets you find the exact keywords that your resume is missing when compared to the individual role you're applying for.

Here's how it works:

• Open a copy of your updated Software Engineer resume
• Open a copy of your target Software Engineer job description
• In the widget below, paste your resume on the left, paste the job description on the right, and hit scan!

ResyMatch is going to scan your resume and compare it to the target job description. It's going to show you the exact keywords and skills you're missing as well as share other feedback you can use to improve your resume.

If you're ready to get started, use the widget below to run your first scan and get your free resume score:

Copy/paste or upload your resume here:

Click here to paste text

Upload a PDF, Word Doc, or TXT File

Paste the job post's details here:

Scan to compare and score your resume vs the job's description.

Scanning...

And if you're a visual learner, here's a video walking through the entire process so you can follow along:

Employers spend an average of six seconds reading your resume.

If you want to win more interviews and offers, you need to make that time count. That starts with hitting the reader with the exact information they're looking for right at the top of your resume.

Unfortunately, traditional resume advice like Summaries and Objectives don't accomplish that goal. If you want to win in today's market, you need a modern approach. I like to use something I can a “Highlight Reel,” here's how it works.

Highlight Reels: A Proven Way To Start Your Resume And Win More Jobs

The Highlight Reel is exactly what it sounds like.

It's a section at the top of your resume that allows you to pick and choose the best and most relevant experience to feature right at the top of your resume.

It's essentially a highlight reel of your career as it relates to this specific role! I like to think about it as the SportsCenter Top 10 of your resume.

The Highlight Reel resume summary consists of 4 parts:

• A relevant section title that ties your experience to the role
• An introductory bullet that summarizes your experience and high-level value
• A few supporting “Case Study” bullets that illustrate specific results, projects, and relevant experience
• A closing “Extracurricular” bullet to round out your candidacy

For example, if we were writing a Highlight Reel for a Software Engineer role, it might look like this:

You can see how the first bullet includes the Software Engineer job title, the years of experience this candidate has, and it wraps up with a value-driven pitch for how they've helped companies in the past.

The next bullet is a “Case Study” of specific results they drove at their past experiences and the third one covers relevant skills for the role. The last bullet wraps up with a certification and additional skill set.

This candidate has provided all of the info any employer would want to see right at the very top of their resume! The best part is that they can customize this section for each and every role they apply for to maximize the relevance of their experience.

Here's one more example of a Software Engineer Highlight Reel:

The content of this example showcases the candidate's years of experience and wraps up the first bullet with a high-value pitch, while the following bullet points focus on measurable results. The final bullet point wraps up by mentioning their academic achievements.

If you want more details on writing a killer Highlight Reel, check out my full guide on Highlight Reels here.

Bullets make up the majority of the content in your resume. If you want to win, you need to know how to write bullets that are compelling and value-driven.

Unfortunately, way too many job seekers aren't good at this. They use fluffy, buzzword-fill language and they only talk about the actions that they took rather than the results and outcomes those actions created.

If you apply this framework to each of the bullets on your resume, you're going to make them more compelling and your value is going to be crystal clear to the reader. For example, take a look at these resume bullets:

❌ Responsible for building applications to help achieve company goals

✅ Software Engineer with 9+ years of proven experience leveraging React and PHP to build SaaS applications supporting 1M+ users

The second bullet makes the candidate's value  so much more clear, and it's a lot more fun to read! That's what we're going for here.

That said, it's one thing to look at the graphic above and try to apply the abstract concept of “35% hard skills” to your bullet. We wanted to make things easy, so we created a tool called ResyBullet.io that will actually give your resume bullet a score and show you how to improve it.

Using ResyBullet To Write Crazy Effective, Job-Winning Resume Bullets

ResyBullet takes our proprietary “resume bullet formula” and layers it into a tool that's super simple to use. Here's how it works:

• Head over to ResyBullet.io
• Copy a bullet from your resume and paste it into the tool, then hit “Analyze”
• ResyBullet will score your resume bullet and show you exactly what you need to improve
• You edit your bullet with the recommended changes and scan it again
• Rinse and repeat until you get a score of 60+
• Move on to the next bullet in your resume

Let's take a look at how this works for the two resume bullet examples I shared above:

First, we had, “Responsible for building applications to help achieve company goals”.

ResyBullet gave that a score of 25/100.  Not only is it too short, but it's missing relevant skills, compelling language, and measurable outcomes:

Now, let's take a look at our second bullet,  “Software Engineer with 9+ years of proven experience using Jira for agile project management, reducing project delivery time by 15%.”

ResyBullet gave that a 50/100. Much better! This bullet had more content focused on the experience in the Software Engineer role, while also highlighting measurable results:

Now all you have to do is run each of your bullets through ResyBullet, make the suggested updates, and your resume is going to be jam-packed with eye-popping, value-driven content!

If you're ready, grab a bullet from your resume, paste it into the widget below, and hit scan to get your first resume bullet score and analysis:

Free Resume Bullet Analyzer

Learn to write crazy effective resume bullets that grab attention, illustrate value, and actually get results., copy and paste your resume bullet to begin analysis:, 3 software engineer resume examples for 2023.

Now let's take a look at all of these best practices in action. Here are three resume examples for different situations from people with different backgrounds:

Software Engineer Resume Example #1: A Traditional Background

Software Engineer Resume Example #2: A Non-Traditional Background

For our second Software Engineer Resume Example, we have a candidate who has a non-traditional background in Sales. Here's an example of what their resume might look like:

Software Engineer Resume Example #3: Senior Software Engineer With A Master's Degree

For our third Software Engineer Resume Example, we have a candidate who has 14+ years of experience and a Master's Degree. Here's an example of what their resume might look like:

At this point, you know all of the basics you'll need to write a Software Engineer resume that wins you more interviews and offers. The only thing left is to take all of that information and apply it to a template that's going to help you get results.

We made that easy with our ResyBuild tool . It has 8 proven templates that were created with the help of recruiters and hiring managers at the world's best companies. These templates also bake in thousands of data points we have from the job seekers in our audience who have used them to land job offers.

Just click any of the templates below to start building your resume using proven, recruiter-approved templates:

Free Job-Winning Resume Templates, Build Yours In No Time .

Choose a resume template below to get started:.

Key Takeaways To Wrap Up Your Job-Winning Software Engineer Resume

You made it! We packed a lot of information into this post so I wanted to distill the key points for you and lay out next steps so you know exactly where to from here.

Here are the 5 steps for writing a job-winning Software Engineer resume:

• Start with a proven resume template from ResyBuild.io
• Use ResyMatch.io to find the right keywords and optimize your resume for each role you apply to
• Open your resume with a Highlight Reel to immediately grab your target employer's attention
• Use ResyBullet.io to craft compelling, value-driven bullets that pop off the page
• Compare the draft of your resume to the examples on this page to make sure you're on the right path
• Use a tool like HemingwayApp to proofread your resume before you submit it

If you follow those steps, you're going to be well on your way to landing more Software Engineer interviews and job offers.

Now that your resume is taken care of, check out my guide on how to get a job anywhere without applying online!

Paula Martins

Paula is Cultivated Culture's amazing Editor and Content Manager. Her background is in journalism and she's transitioned from roles in education, to tech, to finance, and more. She blends her journalism background with her job search experience to share advice aimed at helping people like you land jobs they love without applying online.

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Software Engineer Resume & Writing Guide

Looking for a Software Engineer job? To get your resume up to professional standards it is essential to first check out top-notch Software Engineer resumes from the field. You want to make sure your resume is going to stand out from the rest by being both informative and compelling to read, without overwhelming the recruiter or hiring manager with irrelevant information.

How you create a resume into an interview-winning document, we will explain to you in detail below with this writing guide. We give you samples per resume section to help you efficiently craft a professional resume.

What you can read in this article

17 Software Engineer Resume Examples

Download these resume examples in PDF at the bottom of this page for free.

Software Engineer Resume Writing Guide

Resume sections.

1. Contact Information :

Be sure to include alternative contact channels like your LinkedIn profile URL details.

2. Profile Summary : View this as the introduction to your resume and include 1-3 sentences giving a broad overview of your background, years of industry experience and the industry sectors of interest plus a wow factor or qualification you have completed.

3. Qualifications Summary: Provide accurate details about the certifications and qualifications you have completed with the institution, qualification name, and dates. Don’t forget to include qualifications you are currently completing too.

4. Relevant Software Experience : Clearly state your employment history from the duration of your internship up to your current position. Use brief sentences with bullet points to list your most important daily activities under each role you have had.

5. Other Employment Experience : This will include projects or work history outside of the formal software engineering field, but which may be necessary for the employer to know of. This section is especially important if you are on a level slightly more junior than a Software Engineer. You need to reveal your software engineering experience gained unofficially while for instance in a vocational or temporary job to showcase your abilities to write code, program systems or develop applications.

6. Skills Summary/Key Skills : Incorporates keywords from the job posting and your specific skill set. These add much-needed credibility to your resume.

7. Education/Licenses/Certifications/Relevant Coursework/Training : Start with your formal training certifications and post-school diplomas or accreditations. List any professional development that better prepared you to work in the software engineering field like coding and development courses.

What to Highlight in a Software Engineer's Resume

Regardless of your career tenure in software engineering, there are a few vital things that employers and recruiters need to know about you as to ensure that you are the right fit for their team.

Software engineers are essential members of development teams for new pieces of software. They perform integration functions between the scripts and codes written by the programmers and the product or interface that the end user gets to see. Software engineers are crucial to create product flow and often write code themselves to make the product functional for use.

The first aspect to highlight is the range of projects you have worked on. Mention the types of software you have created, tested and evaluated. These may include software for business applications, network control systems, middleware, operating systems, and even computer games or smartphone applications.

Software engineers may use various programming languages, sometimes up to three different ones in a specific project. Clearly, state and even bold the programming languages you are familiar with as they serve as suitability indicators to the recruiter or hiring manager. (View them as SEO keywords for your resume)

Next, Software Engineers can work with systems where they would design and implements data assurance and security protocols. Another type of software engineering function is focused on networking, which involves the complex design of the intranet and collaboration between company servers. As a Software Engineer, you may also be responsible for customizing applications for clients or updating current software systems. Testing, writing training manuals, and suggesting scope for system improvement also forms part of a Software Engineer’s role. Be as specific as you can without, of course, writing an entire product concept proposal.

*Cool Tip for Software skills include:

Make an impact by summarizing your technical competencies by Database, Software, and Languages per every project. You can even attach these in a separate document if you have multiple projects completed:

Databases : MySQL, Oracle, Access, SAP etc. Software : Microsoft Office, Remedy, Microsoft SQL Server, DB Artisan, Eclipse, Visual Studio.NET, Front Page Languages : C#, Java, Visual Basic, ASP, XML, XSL, JWS, SQL, and T-SQL

Make sure to include the following details:

• The locations you are allowed to work in, according to your licensing and certifications obtained.
• Your GPA score if you have completed a bachelor's or associate's degree. (if higher than 3.5)
• A list of all the industries you have worked in for example Automotive, Medical Devices, Specialty Chemicals, etc. (Use specific sic codes, which you will find on any labor classification website)
• Extended or irregular working hours are typical to this job, and so is travel; therefore, you need to indicate your willingness to do both.
• Much of a software engineer's work is done on a laptop/computer and telecommuting is always an option. This effectively means you can apply freely for international jobs too, just check the working hours in terms of time zone differences.

Software Engineer Resume Summary

Hiring managers typically have hundreds of resumes to go through and very little time to read them all in detail. Keep your career summary concise and to the point. Put the most important information first to capture their attention while they’re quickly skimming your resume.

Start your profile summary with your years of experience in the industry and the main duties you performed. When deciding what duties to add, use the job description as your guide. For instance, if the job you are applying to emphasizes expertise in designing code or embedded software development, use the same words in your summary. The more your resume resonates with the job description of keywords, the better fit you will seem.

Next, add a line that showcases any outstanding qualities that will add value to the company. A hiring manager would be interested to know if you have “strong programming skills, creative problem-solving abilities, and excellent time management.” It’s important to note that these qualities should be proven in the professional experience section to re-enforce your message.

Lastly, close with your educational degrees/diplomas, and any certifications/licenses you may have that are pertinent to the job

Example Profile Summaries:

Profile Summary Sample 1 “Out the box thinking Software Engineer with expertise in Java, T-SQL, and C#.Net and proven integration problem-solving tenure of 10 years. Skilled in developing systems architecture, writing requirement specifications, and user documentation training manuals. Holds a Masters Degree in Computer Engineering.”

Profile Summary Sample 2

“Senior Software Engineering with eight years of hands-on experience in core web design, coding, and product life cycle development. A guru in Python, R, and Perl offering quick turnaround times to clients. Holds a Bachelor of Engineering coupled with various certifications in embedded systems development.”

Software Engineer Job Descriptions and Responsibilities

An employer would expect to see the following proven foundational duties and skill sets within an applicant’s resume, depending on educational level and career stage.

Example Job Descriptions

An entry-level stage software engineer (less than five years experience) may:.

• Assist in developing software solutions to meet customer requirements
• Participate in the full development life cycle of products including requirement analysis, architectural design, and component software features through to implementation of test plans and documenting final product solution
• Assist in the groundwork development of applications written in PHP, JavaScript, Perl, C++, C#, or Java.
• Other duties include reviewing code, writing documentation, and following test procedures
• Also involved with UI (user interface) design, graphics development, and 3-D programming

A Software Engineer at the mid-career stage (5-10 years experience) may:

• Programming computer controls which are used to activate machinery in manufacturing industries, for example, PLC and Agile based systems
• Develop a project development plan together with the business analyst
• Setting up new IT systems, networks, and intranets for clients
• Modifying and updating current software applications
• Writing documentation and training manuals
• Testing the model for compatibility and installation problems
• Conduct debugging and fix system incompatibilities arising after new software was implemented

A Software Engineer at an experienced/advanced stage (10–15 years experience) may:

• Develop software solutions by following the software development life cycle: documenting information requirements; conferring with users; investigating systems flow, data usage, and work processes; and studying problem areas
• Determine operational feasibility by evaluating analysis, problem definition, requirements, solution development, and proposed solutions
• Develop documentation, flowcharts, layouts, diagrams, charts, code comments, and clear code
• Determine system specifications and standards before installing product solutions
• Conduct system analysis and recommend changes in policies and procedures
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level software engineers

Highlight Your Accomplishments

Under your experience section, you may be tempted to copy and paste the list of duties you performed as detailed in your job description. The drawback to doing this, though, is that you won’t stand out from the other applicants with similar experience.

Your goal is to think about what sets you apart, what you are most proud of, or what you accomplished in your previous roles, and communicate these through action-packed statements that are compelling.

Flat, Simple Duty:

• Present software solutions to clients

Accomplishment Statement:

• Translate user needs into easy-to-understand software solutions via client workshops and webinars which resulted in closing deals for the sales team of more than $500k in value
• Installing and configuring servers and workstations
• Designed a process tool suite that automates the installation and configuration of servers from bare metal to 90% completion saving 75 work hours per installation

Quantifying Your Resume

When writing your resume, if you can answer the questions, “ How much ?” or “ How many ?, How long ? By when ?, How often ?”, It would help if you tried to include that number. For instance:

Quantified Example 1

• Developed error analysis for Intel i32 servers by designing algorithms within three weeks and reducing systems downtime by 28% after running those algorithms

Quantified Example 2

• Solve technical issues within 30 minutes on average by creating continuous bug fixes daily for the newly implemented ERM Software for the first 30 days after implementation

Software Engineer Education Section

The education section forms an integral part of your resume. In short, indicate What, Where, and When regarding your qualifications, certifications or industry licenses obtained. The name of your qualification, institution, and date of completion is more than sufficient. Unless you are a graduate with limited working experience, there is no need to include major subjects or course curriculum topics.

Remember to include current qualifications you are in the process of completing. Regarding courses and certifications, discretion and relevance must be considered.

Completed Secondary and Tertiary Education must be listed as follows:

Start with the commencement date and completion date for diplomas, associate degrees, and bachelor's degrees. For courses, you can just list the date of completion. Next comes the full name of the qualification, then the full name of the institution, and then the City or abbreviated State name. List your high school diploma details similarly, but only include this when you have less than five years of working experience.

Examples with more than five years’ experience:

2012-2015 Masters Degree in Computer Science, Kaplan University, FL

2010-2011 Certified Network Professional (CNP), Florida Institute of Technology, FL

2007-2009 Associates Degree in Software Engineering, Milwaukee School of Engineering, WI

Examples If you have less than five years’ experience, you may also add your majors, minors, GPA scores and accolades, and honors awards

2013 – 2015 Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA Majors: Electrical Engineering , Computer Engineering Overall GPA: 3.21/4.00

2018 – Certificate in Multiplatform Software Development, Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals (ICCP), TN

2017 Ridgefield High School, High School Diploma, Ridgefield, NJ

Software Engineer Resume Skills

Although the production field requires specific technical skills , employers look for other skills, called soft skills . These are the main types of skills that indicate to your fitness as a potential employee who will add value, has adequate knowledge, sufficient experience, and will be easy to manage. Incorporate these into your summary, or profile, and your accomplishment statements.

Technical Skills Examples:

• Educational Attainment : A university degree is an entry-level requirement to become a Software Engineer, but if you want to have a better chance of moving up into senior management later, it will be an advantage to complete a Master's or Ph.D.
• Technical Aptitude : Analytical, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills, as well as creativity and attention to detail; familiarity with database management, development environments, and program testing, are essential must-haves. Software Engineers, need to be process orientated and meticulous to accurately assess client requirements and follow the set-out milestones of a product development life cycle to the tee.
• Other Technical Skills : Programming languages, for example, JavaScript, C++, Smalltalk, Visual Basic, Oracle, UML, Linux, Python, Perl, and Ruby. Knowledge of CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) tools and ERP Systems. Understanding of system standards: XML, HTTP Object-oriented design (OOD).

Software Engineer Resume Soft Skill Examples

Qualifications/Certifications associated with Software Engineers

Action Verbs for your Software Engineer Resume

Other Software Engineering Titles

Professional Information on Software Engineers

Sectors : Various Career Type : Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Programming, Networks Person type : Writer , Coder, Implementer, Designer , Developer , Fixer Education levels : From Bachelor’s Degree upwards Salary indication : From $98k to $130k annually / $42 – $52 per hour Labor market : A whopping 26% from 2016 – 2016 (350.000 jobs) Organizations : All

Software Engineer Resume Examples in PDF

>Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (2) | >Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (3)

>Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (4) | >Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (5)

>Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (6) | >Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (7)

>Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (8) | >Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (9)

>Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (10) | >Resume – Software Engineer.PDF (11)

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The ultimate software engineer resume builder & guide

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• Contact information

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• Other important parts
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How to create an effective software engineer resume

What makes a great software engineer resume? Comparing a good resume with a bad resume makes it easier to spot the difference. Read on to create your best developer resume ever!

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in software engineering and development will grow by 22% in the decade between 2019 and 2029. Globally, according to Evans Data Corporation, the number of developer jobs is expected to increase to 28.7 million in 2024.

Though more software engineer positions will open up in the coming years, more candidates will be vying for your position. And that's especially true for the higher-paying jobs at top startups and multinational companies.

Meaning, don’t phone it in if you want a serious shot at an interview. You need to know how to write a killer software engineering resume to be considered.

Well, you’re in luck!

Below, you’re going to learn exactly how to write a resume for software engineering jobs. What to include on your resume, how to structure it, things to omit, and more - it’s all here. There is no need to hire a resume writing service, as you can do this by choosing a great developer CV template on Google Docs or Microsoft Word or start building your resume using our resume builder.

For this guide, Arc partnered with Christian Eilers, career expert and CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) to lay out exactly how to write a resume for software engineering jobs in detail.

Whether you’re starting from scratch, already have the alpha version of a software engineer resume drafted up, or want to find a software engineer example resume, you’ll find all the best advice and expert tips below to transform it into a stable release candidate .

Read more: What to Include on a Software Developer Resume — and What to Leave Off

So, ready to get going?

Here’s how to write a software engineer resume that’ll land you interviews:

Contact information section

As you might have guessed, the first software engineering resume section is all about your contact details and personal information.

While it is easier than the other resume template sections, many software engineer candidates actually mess this part up. Turns out, there’s way more to consider than what you might have thought.

First, take a look at a bad example SWE resume contact section:

And here’s a good example:

Now, what makes the good example good and the bad example bad?

Hint: it’s not the formatting.

Here are the important details to consider when preparing your contact information section:

Name - First name and last name is fine, but a middle name or initial could help when there are many others with similar names on Google and LinkedIn. Job title or branding statement - An optional subtitle below your name listing your current professional title or short personal description is a common and accepted practice. You could put "Entry Level Software Engineer, User Interfaces" if you want to be specific. With that said, you want to avoid convoluted titles like "Full-Stack Dev Ninja," as this title may not work well with ATS. Email address - Don’t turn IT recruiters off with your old high school handle (e.g., [email protected] ). Use a basic, professional email address with just your first and last name. You can also create an alias or a brand new email address if necessary. Phone number - Give your cell phone number rather than your home phone number, and include your country code. As recruiters may leave a voicemail, make sure you have ample space. Also, re-record your voicemail greeting if it’s unprofessional. Physical address - In most cases, don’t include your home address or mailing address, as it’s usually unnecessary. Add it only if the company you’re applying to requires local candidates for onsite positions. Website - A personal portfolio website is a great supplement to your resume for software engineer jobs. Use it to document your past professional, freelance, and personal projects in detail. LinkedIn profile - Around 72% of recruiters use LinkedIn to make hiring decisions. Before sending your software developer resume, complete your profile and update it with current information. To showcase your software engineer skills, complete LinkedIn skills assessments to earn badges and impress IT recruiters with your expertise. GitHub URL - If you’re active on GitHub, add a link to your profile to show off your projects, repositories, and other development activities. Many hiring managers give you bonus points if you’ve contributed to open-source projects. Other social media profiles - In most cases, leave your other social profiles off, as they’re likely irrelevant (and easily found on Google anyway). However, add these profiles to round out your resume if you are a software engineering thought leader on Reddit or Twitter. Sensitive information - Don’t include your social security number, date of birth, political affiliations, religion, or other super-personal details. It's not safe and could lead to bias, which may result in you being excluded from consideration. Formatting - Feel free to be a bit creative here and consider customization options, but don’t go overboard. Make sure your name stands out (larger font size, bold, etc.), and align as you please. Keep the header the same on both your software engineer cover letter and resume template for consistency. Hyperlinks - Make it as easy as possible for recruiters and CTOs by hyperlinking any URLs in your software engineering resume.

Finally, before we move on to the actual resume content, a warning — make sure to clean up your online presence!

Whether you list your social media profile links or not, an interested hiring manager or head of IT will Google your name to see what comes up. You want it all (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) to be professional, so thoroughly comb them beforehand for lewd photos, political rants, and other potentially offensive material. Hide them, or better yet, remove them completely!

Hiring managers and IT recruiters spend an average of six seconds scanning through every single resume the first time around, which is really no time at all.

If they notice something they like during that quick glance, your software engineer resume will be reviewed more thoroughly. If not, it’s game over at this particular company, unfortunately.

So, write an irresistible introduction paragraph to capture their attention.

This opening statement is a sales pitch that tells them, "Here's why you should continue reading my resume and keep me in the running as a software engineer job candidate." Let’s start off by looking at two examples of this opening paragraph.

First, here’s a bad software engineer resume example:

And here’s a good resume summary example:

The second resume sample provides enough information, like education, years of experience, and quantifiable measurements of success. With these information in hand, the HR hiring manager or tech recruiter is much more likely to pass your developer cv on to the head of IT for further review.

Let’s dive deeper to understand the characteristics of a compelling opening statement on software engineer resumes:

Concise & complete - A perfect resume summary statement is only about 3-5 sentences long, yet it touches on everything. Important keywords - It’ll allude to, or directly mention, key skills, education, professional experience, certification, and other items meant to keep your candidacy alive. Numbers as proof - Don’t simply write that you have certain technical skills or knowledge of software applications. Give the recruiter hard numbers to back up your claims. For example: “I increased speed and accuracy” is vague and requires clarification, but “I increased speed and accuracy by 12% in 6 months ” shows hiring managers just how capable you are. Tailored - The introductory paragraph should be tailored to each software engineer job you apply for. Start by mentioning the role and company you are applying to. Look at the job posting to find hints about the type of person they want.

There are two main kinds of resume introductions:

Resume summary - When you have previous experience in software development jobs or as an SWE, this is the one you’ll use. As the name suggests, it summarizes your relevant skills, experience, and education while showcasing key accomplishments. All in a way that is tailored to this particular job, of course. Resume objective - Also known as a "career objective," use a resume objective when you have little or no experience in software development or engineering (like if you’re fresh out of university or changing careers). Here, give quantifiable achievements from college or other professional areas that are transferable to software engineering. Then, mention your goals for a career in software engineering to wrap it up.

And, a quick pro tip —

Write your career objective or resume summary paragraph last. Though it's positioned at the top of the page, completing the rest of your software engineering resume first allows you to flesh out the important numbers and critical details. Once you’re done, you can circle back and fill in this opening paragraph, and it’ll be a heck of a lot easier!

Work experience section

Next comes the work experience section, where you’ll compile your previous job history.

As in the last section, let’s look at a good example and a bad example of a software engineering resume job experience section before discussing the best way to go about it.

Here’s a not-so-great professional experience example:

Now take a look at this good example work experience section:

Here’s what makes the second software engineer resume example the better choice:

Order - In your work experience section, the first line should be your job title, as it’s the most relevant information. Below each job title, include the company name, your working location (not their HQ city), and the dates you were employed. Start with the most recent software engineering position and work backward (reverse-chronological order). Active voice - Use active voice rather than passive voice. It’s way more powerful and effective to say “I formed and mentored a team” than to say “the team was formed and mentored by me.” Quantifiable achievements - Just as a checksum verifies the integrity of an associated file, achievement numbers verify how well you carried out past responsibilities. You can say you oversaw the redesign of a website, but you can prove you did a great job if you add something like “... leading to a 35% sales increase.” Power verbs - Things like “worked on,” “responsible for,” and “helped” are weak resume words and phrases. Add some oomph to your writing with powerful, software development-related words (e.g., “tested,” “engineered,” “transitioned”). Formatting - Group work experience achievements into bullet points. Around 3-5 bullet points per entry is ideal. Also, let it breathe - rather than cramming it all in there. Make use of negative space to help each point stand out. A solid text block is hard for recruiters to parse in that initial 6-second scan! Be consistent - You can choose to spell the full month name or abbreviate the state in which you worked. Just be sure to follow that same styling everywhere else in the work experience section and other resume areas.

Please note that we recommend a great mid-level or senior software engineer resume to have the work experience section immediately follow the introductory statement. However, if you’re writing a resume with little or no experience (perhaps for a software development internship or junior software engineer position), move more relevant sections higher, particularly skills and education. Always put the most impactful items highest.

Education section

Depending on where you’re applying, your academic history may play an important role in software engineering. Even if you are a self-taught developer or learned through a coding bootcamp, many job descriptions for software engineer roles still require some university education. While your degree may be completely unrelated to information technology, it’s still important to display your scholastic credentials in the best way possible.

Before we dive into how to write a resume education section, let’s again take a look at some resume examples.

A bad software developer resume example:

And a good SWE resume sample:

Note that there are many ways to organize the education section of your senior or junior software developer resume.

A general rule of thumb: the less professional experience a job seeker has (say on a junior software engineer resume), the more info ought to be included to compensate.

Here are the must-have elements:

Degree - If you've earned a degree, the first line of each entry should be the degree name and your major. Follow the naming convention the job description uses when deciding to choose between “bachelor’s degree,” “BS,” or “B.S.” If you’re working on a degree, write instead “Majoring in Computer Science,” for example. School Details - On the following line, simply write the name of the university and the city and state (or city and country). Dates - Follow the same dating format you used above in the work experience section. Format - In the bad example, the date is a second column within the education entry, which itself is in the resume’s second column. This very likely would make it difficult to parse if scanned into HR’s ATS (applicant tracking system) software. The fewer columns, the better, but a single column is best!

And some optional items to consider:

GPA - Adding your grade point average is often problematic, as anything much less than a perfect GPA will turn them off. Relevant coursework - Include college classes you took that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. And not just specifically connected to software engineering. For example, if you’re applying to become the lead software engineer, adding that course you took on business leadership is a great way to increase your chances! Minor - Listing a minor (or double major) on your resume shows you can balance a heavy workload and are eager to soak up knowledge. Honors - If you graduated with honors or earned any academic awards, show them off. Projects - Similarly, highlight any relevant software engineering projects, academic publications, or research papers.

Finally, while most job descriptions may specifically seek someone with a degree in computer science or software engineering, don’t pass up the chance just because your university history doesn’t match. As one of the more modern employment sectors, they may still consider you - especially if you have enviable software engineering skills and experience.

For those of you applying for software engineer jobs with non-traditional learning pathways in your past, we’ve got you covered! Use the resume education section to list traditional education, and we’ll talk more about where to add the others in just a moment.

Skills section

The software engineering resume skills area should be well thought out. Managers are looking for abilities you have that are relevant to the position, and anything that doesn't just get in the way.

Reread the job description. Find the software engineer skills they’re looking for, and, if applicable, include these in your resume skills list.

Here’s a bad resume skills example:

And this is a better example:

Let’s look at the characteristics of a great SWE resume skills section:

Quantity - Include only relevant skills that will help you land the software engineering position. These will usually be listed in the job description. As a software engineer, there's probably no point listing your proficiency with Microsoft Office, but more relevant software applications should certainly be included. Go “Hard” - Hard skills are those that can be developed through learning, such as technical skills, while soft skills are acquired as life goes by, such as people skills. Go heavier on the hard skills. Grouping - IT managers often prefer you to include skill levels to identify just how proficient you are at each one. Follow our convention above or choose your own, but omit any skills with which you have only a rudimentary understanding. Format - Remember that ATS we mentioned earlier? To make sure hiring software will read your resume correctly, opt for a text-based format (see the good software engineer resume example) over bar charts or fancy graphics.

An important thing to remember - your entire resume shows off your software engineering skills and abilities, not just this skills section. And, other places often show these skills off in a better way, particularly when accompanied with numbers.

You can save crucial resume real estate by thoughtfully cherry-picking, especially for soft skills. For example, rather than (or on top of) adding “communication skills” or “leadership skills” here, imply you are a great communicator or leader using the career summary statement, education section, or work experience bullet points.

If you’re looking to apply Pareto’s principle (the “80/20 rule”) to writing a resume for software engineering jobs, the certification and awards section will surely give you the most bang for your buck.

If you can include this section, the few words you list here may just be the most impactful items found on your resume. Why? Certifications and awards, including online qualifications, automatically prove a certain level of technical skills and knowledge, especially when delivered from an industry-renowned organization.

However, though just a few words long, there’s a right way and a wrong way to list them.

Here’s a bad software engineer resume sample:

First and foremost, the bad example is hard to notice as it’s crammed there into a corner. The good example makes use of white space all around to ensure the contents stand out to hiring managers.

Also, always remember to stay consistent . The bad example uses the full name of one certification as the first entry but the abbreviation for the second. Our recommendation is to write out the full name and include the abbreviation in parentheses to maximize resume keywords.

Finally, if you have several certifications and awards each, consider splitting them up into their own sections. Otherwise, one section combining both is just fine.

Personal projects section

Software developers are a passionate, dedicated, enterprising bunch, and you likely have some (or many) personal projects, open-source contributions, or freelance work to show off. And that’s great! These software side projects are very useful in getting the hiring manager on your side.

Let’s just figure out how to highlight your software projects in the best possible way.

A personal projects section *on* a resume is a good idea for lower-level software engineering positions with little professional experience. If you’re writing an entry-level software development resume or a resume for a software engineering internship position, add a few of your proudest projects. Having these projects shows you’re not just in it for the paycheck, but rather you are wholly passionate about software development and engineering.

But, for mid-level and senior software engineering resumes, link out to an online portfolio of your projects in the resume contact information section instead. As a software engineer with experience, you’re going to need all the room on the resume you can get, which is why the online projects portfolio is better. However, if you find yourself with room to spare, by all means, include them!

Anyway, if you’ve decided to add projects directly onto your resume, here’s what to do:

Grouping - When listing more than a couple of projects, group them into subheadings like “Technical Projects,” “Business Projects,” and “Other Projects.” Title - On the first line, identify the type of project. It could be something like “iOS Mobile Application” or “eCommerce Chatbot.” If you have a website with expanded details on the project, hyperlink the title there. Description - Give a short description of the project, no more than 3 sentences. Perhaps include the problem it solved, why you created it, and the client (if applicable). Skills - To end each entry, identify the skills you used (e.g., API access, JavaScript Interop) or tech stacks required to complete the project (e.g., LAMP, MEAN).

An entry-level software engineer resume should be about a *single page* in length, and an experienced candidate should have a two-page resume at most. If your side projects resume section is causing your document to become too long, opt for linking to an online portfolio of projects, instead.

Other important parts of a resume

Above are some of the most common and important sections to include on a resume for software engineer positions, but other areas may help your chances as well. The important thing is to tailor each resume for one particular software engineer job description, rather than sending one generic resume everywhere.

Here are a few additional sections to consider for a good software engineer resume:

Languages - I don’t mean Java, Go, or Python here, but human languages. Adding languages you’re fluent in, along with your proficiency level in each, could be a great addition — especially if you’re joining an international team! Volunteer work - Volunteering speaks to your character, commitment, and values. Any job seeker with a volunteer work experience section will definitely earn some extra points. Publications - Are you an IT thought leader? Let the recruiter know with a few choice links to articles you've published on software design, containerization, or big data! Memberships & affiliations - Highlight your dedication to computer science, information technology, and software engineering in particular by listing professional organizations where you have an active membership. Hobbies and interests - This may seem irrelevant at first, but, like volunteering experience, they help to portray you as a human rather than just as a candidate. If you have some extra space left over on your resume template, consider adding hobbies and interests you’re proud of. Coding Bootcamps - If you attended or graduated from a coding bootcamp, don’t be shy! Adding this type of non-traditional coding school and education to your resume is more and more common these days. Plus, it looks great to recruiters, especially for software developer resumes with little experience. Courses - If you took courses related to software development but unrelated to a specific college degree (for example, the University of New South Wales’ “Introduction to Systems Engineering” on Coursera ), add these in a section separate from your other education. Do the same for courses you took for other skills you want to show, such as leadership, communication, or business, for instance. Additional activities - Have other life experiences or activities which may benefit your chances of landing that tech interview but nowhere to put them? Create a section called “Additional Activities” on your developer CV template. Here you can put things like conferences you attended (or better yet, spoke at), side projects you have, and other projects and pursuits.

And finally —

A software engineer cover letter .

A cover letter may not exactly be part of a resume, but you definitely ought to include one *with* your resume.

Just be sure to use it wisely.

Tailor your software engineering cover letter to the job description. Don’t repeat your resume on the cover letter, but use it instead to expand upon or add value to your resume. Explain why you’re applying and why you believe you’re the most eligible candidate for the software engineering position. Highlight key skills, experience, qualifications, and other items which support your claim.

“Every job is essentially a problem looking for a solution. So every job posting has within it a problem that the company is trying to solve by hiring a human to do that,” as Lisa Smith, Engineering Manager at Zapier, told Arc . If you can use your resume and cover letter to convey how hiring you helps them solve their problems, you’ll be well on your way to that software engineer interview.

And just before you send off your application, do a quick resume review to ensure everything is in order, from your resume format to your relevant skills section. Reread the software engineer job description to see if you missed anything. If possible, get a friend, family member, or roommate to proofread your documents or resume builder draft. Now, send your perfect resume to the hiring manager or IT recruiter, and keep your fingers crossed for a smooth job search experience.

💻 Create an effective software engineer resume

Want to land interviews for your dream job? Click "Create my resume" now to start crafting your best resume ever with Arc's resume builder!

📚 More Tips on Crafting Your Software Engineering Resume

8 Resume Format Tips for Senior Software Developers

10 Hard and Soft Skills to Put On A Resume

8 Best Sites for Free Resume Templates for Software Developers

What to Include on a Resume — and What to Leave Off

8 Best Resume Builders & CV Makers for Software Developers in 2023

How to List Programming Languages (& Other Technologies) on a Resume

❓ software engineer resume faqs.

Still have some questions about our resume builder or questions about software developer resumes in general? Check the following resume frequently asked questions — and their answers.

Why should I use Arc’s developer resume builder?

At Arc, we help developers get great remote jobs. So looking at developer resumes is something we do all day, every day. We've designed a resume builder to include all the must-have information for recruiters to notice and pick you from a sea of applicants.

What if I don’t have a resume to upload? Can I make one from scratch?

No resume? You can just create a new one using this resume builder . Without a resume, we can't pre-fill the template and you'll need to do some more writing. That said, you'll still get professional tips and will be able to use the optimized resume template.

How long should a resume be?

Have you ever been told that your resume must only be one page long? If you're a recent grad or a junior developer, one page might be sufficient. However, if you're a seasoned developer, you may need up to two pages to cover all the crucial information that makes you a competitive candidate.

With that said, your resume should be concise and as relevant to the job you're applying to as possible. Why? On the one hand, technical recruiters don't usually spend more than 6-8 seconds skimming through any given resume. But just as important: the 1-page or 2-page rule sets up a constraint for you to only include the most relevant experiences and achievements.

When writing your resume, you should always make sure the highlighted skillsets, experiences, and achievements map onto the job description of any given job. This means your resume should look different for every job you're applying to .

As a final reminder, try not to include every project you've contributed to or led simply because they seem meaningful to you. Always think from the hiring manager's point of view. Does the experience help them understand how your skills fit the role? If not, consider leaving it out.

How to add a resume to LinkedIn?

While LinkedIn allows its users to essentially host their resumes — a summary, work experience, skills, education, certifications, and volunteer experience — on its platform, LinkedIn is more about networking and gaining exposure. As your resume should be uniquely tailored to each job you apply to , your LinkedIn profile should only be an overview of your experience, skillsets, and connections.

"Featured Media" Want your resume to show on LinkedIn? Upload it as a "Featured Media." After converting your resume to a PDF file or multiple PNG files, you may add your resume as a "Featured Media" by clicking on "Add Profile section" via your profile. The catch: the resume you upload is likely a generic resume that doesn't specifically cater to the exact jobs you're interested in. Resumes as "Featured Media" may be useful for providing extra information about you to proactive recruiters or for displaying your design abilities, but these resumes are still rather generic.

"Easy Apply" and "Upload Resume" If you're actively looking for new opportunities, we'd recommend tailoring your resume for each job. Once you click on a specific job's "Easy Apply" button, you'll see an option to "Upload Resume." Click this and follow the prompts. Make sure the resume you attach follows the best practices we provide in other sections of this FAQ.

What skills should I put on my resume?

Developers often include a separate "Skills" section on their resume that lists their technical skills in bullet point form. This is a great strategy because hiring managers can quickly scan your resume to see what skills you possess. To showcase your hard skills, you should list some of the skills you possess in the following areas:

• Programming languages
• Operating systems
• Data structures
• Database software
• Web frameworks
• Debugging tools
• Project management tools
• UI and UX design skills

(Make sure you use standardized spelling of technical terms — if in doubt, check!)

With that said, soft skills should be woven into your resume in succinct, story-telling bullet points. As the old saying goes, it's better show than tell when it comes to soft skills. When you're writing about your experiences, these are some of the soft skills you want to keep in mind:

• Critical thinking skills
• Collaboration ability
• Self-driven attitude
• Communication skills
• Conflict resolution skills
• Troubleshooting skills
• User-centric mindset
• Leadership skills

What is the best font for resume?

You've probably browsed enough websites and apps to know that fonts and font sizes can make or break a product and its readability/brand consistency.

The same applies to your resume.

Your resume is the first impression you make on the hiring manager and is part of your self branding. What fonts are best?

• Calibri: It's a sans-serif font that's professional and easy to read. However, it's quite an ordinary font.
• Cambria: It's serif font that's easy to read, especially when the font size is small. However, it can be seen as a little too traditional or old-fashioned.
• Helvetica: It's a minimalistic, iconic, and easy-to-read sans-serif. However, if you're using a Windows computer, you'll have to purchase it.
• Georgia: Like Cambria, it's a serif font that's easy on the eyes. With that said, it's a pretty generic font, so it wouldn't highlight your sensitivity to design.
• Verdana: The sans-serif sister to Georgia, Verdana is great for smaller fonts. Again, the downside of Verdana is that it doesn't add any "wow" factor to your resume.
• Garamond: A classic serif from the 1400s, Garamond is classy and easy to read. It is, however, 600 years old, so some may consider this font too old-school.

Feeling a little too overwhelmed by all the fonts out there? Just decide whether you want to use a serif font or a sans-serif font . Serifs are fonts with little lines at the end of each stroke in a letter while sans-serifs are those without lines at the end of each stroke. Serifs tend to be easier to skim but a little old-fashioned, whereas sans-serifs might be tougher on the eye but modern, simple, and minimalistic.

Besides what fonts you use, you should also make sure your font size is larger than 10pt. The standard font size is 12pt, but for names, job titles, and company names, you can either enlarge the font or bold the words for emphasis.

In addition to fonts, you should pay attention to white space, color schemes, and formats. If you want to show off your design skills, you can add in some unique design elements or even consider making your resume look like an infographic . With that said, if design is not your strong suit, just keep your resume simple and clean.

What are the best action verbs and power words for resumes?

Still using "worked on" or "participated in" to start off your sentences on your resume? It's time to bring more power and action into your resume to show off your assertiveness and proactiveness. Here are some powerful action verbs to help you start each bullet point in your resume:

• Trained/Mentored
• Volunteered
• Decreased/Increased

and some more inspirations from MIT Career Advising & Professional Development .

Some technical "power-words" you can add in to the content of your experience and achievements include:

• Highly available
• Fault-tolerant
• Maintainable
• High-performing
• Asynchronous
• Distributed
• Large-scale

and more from CV Compiler about how other power words can be incorporated into your resume.

Instead of painting yourself as a passive participant, use action verbs to assert the active role you played in the completion of different projects. Incorporate power-words to showcase the impact of your contribution to products you’ve worked on and the company you’ve worked for.

🔥️ Apply for remote engineering jobs now

Ready to put your resume to use? Apply to the latest remote software engineer opportunities!

• Senior Mobile Engineer
• Senior Graphics Engineer

• Project Engineer - Railroad Water Resources
• Control Systems Design Engineer

Ready to take your software engineer resume to the next level?

Software Engineer Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

• Resume Examples

How To Write a Software Engineer Resume

• Resume Text Examples

Whether you’re just starting as a software engineer or have years of experience helping businesses build and debug products, your resume needs to make a good first impression. Every resume you send out should be tailored to the job posting and position you to keep moving forward in your career. Use the tips, examples, and templates provided below to revamp your resume and take the next step toward getting an interview.

• Entry-Level
• Senior-Level

1. Craft an outstanding profile with a summary of your software engineer qualifications

The profile section of your resume should be concise but give the hiring manager a concrete idea of your experience and what you bring to the table as a software engineer. Make sure to mention your current job title and be as specific as possible with your experience. Adding in your programming languages, such as C++ and Python, or whether you have worked with cloud computing or machine learning, also allows you to include some keywords from the job description to show you’re a good fit from the first paragraph.

Senior-Level Profile Example

A Senior Software Engineer with 10+ years of professional experience, specializing in Python, web development, and technical project management. A proven track record of coordinating with diverse teams across all phases of the software development lifecycle.

Entry-Level Profile Example

A Software Engineer with three years of experience specializing in data analytics, object-oriented design, Python, and Java. A strong history of delivering innovative software designs and web frameworks to support large user bases.

2. Showcase your software engineer experience

The actual job duties can vary widely when it comes to software engineer roles, so don’t assume that a hiring manager knows what you did in your previous job. Be specific about what your responsibilities included and use numbers and data whenever possible to quantify your achievements. A senior-level engineer with management experience can highlight how many direct reports they had and how they were able to detect and fix critical bugs with a tight turnaround time. An entry-level applicant may want to focus on how they used their skills in specific languages and frameworks to bring value to the team.

Senior-Level Professional Experience Example

Software Tech Lead

KMS Solutions, Philadelphia, PA | September 2016 – Present

• Manage a ten-person software engineering team writing, modifying, and debugging software for enterprise client accounts valued at $400K-$1M
• Serve as the subject matter expert during sales presentations, educate potential clients on software capabilities, and deliver presentations on product benefits
• Create high-quality, scalable code, write dynamic Python scripts, develop over 200+ Python-based GUIs, and conduct quality assurance testing for software releases

Entry-Level Professional Experience Example

Software Engineer

RCN Broadband, Philadelphia, PA | September 2019 – Present

• Analyze large data sets, write complex SQL queries, and store procedures to build reports for an internet provider with 3M customers
• Configure OpenSSL, manage SSL certificate for authentication, write ten automation scripts per quarter using Java, and design schemas for SQL servers
• Build dashboards using Tableau to enhance data visualization of performance metrics and financials for senior leadership

3. Outline your education and software engineer-related certifications

Because software engineering is highly focused on applying specific skills, you want to spend more time and give more page space to this section than applicants may in other industries. If you have a computer science degree, highlight specific coursework or projects you completed that align with the job posting, especially if you’re an entry-level applicant. Certifications can also help you stand out among the competition because they externally validate that you have the skills you’re claiming.

Certifications

• [Certification Name], [Completion Year]
• Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE Programmer, 2012
• [Degree Name]
• [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] – [Graduation Month and Year]
• Bachelor of Science, Computer Science
• Temple University, Philadelphia, PA – May 2009

4. List your key software engineer skills and proficiencies

Software engineers need to be able to hit the ground running when they are hired into a new position, and a key skills section on your resume gives you a place to list all your proficiencies in one spot so a hiring manager can tell at a glance if you’re a good fit. Including anything you’re comfortable working with is a good idea, such as different programming languages, cloud computing platforms, operating systems, and containerization systems.

How to Pick the Best Software Engineer Resume Template

Using a template for your resume can give you a standardized format that makes it easier to tailor your resume to each position. The best software engineer resume template is one that’s clean and simple and keeps the focus on your skills and experience. There should be a section for your key skills and proficiencies, certifications, and previous work experience. Make sure that the template has an easy-to-skim format with bullets and enough white space so that the reviewer will not be overwhelmed.

Software Engineer Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

Greg Jones (123) 456-7890 [email protected] 123 Address Rd, Anywhere, USA, 12345

A Software Engineer with three years of experience, specializing in data analytics, object-oriented design, Python, and Java. A strong history of delivering innovative software designs and web frameworks to support large user bases.

Job Experience

Software Engineer, RCN Broadband, Philadelphia, PA September 2019-Present

• Configure OpenSSL, manage SSL certificate for authentication, write 10 automation scripts per quarter using Java, and design schemas for SQL servers

Junior Software Engineer, Smith Tech Solutions, Philadelphia, PA June 2018-September 2019

• Coordinate cross-functionally with software engineering, data analytics, and infrastructure departments to migrate a legacy database to SQL
• Provide support for application testing, architecture redesigns, and quality assurance testing for the deployment of new web applications
• Programming Languages: Java, C++, Python, PHP, SQL
• Linux Command Line
• AWS Cloud Computing
• Data Analytics
• Software Testing and Debugging

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 2014-2018

Angela Martin (123) 456-7890 [email protected] 123 Address Rd, Anywhere, USA, 12345

A Senior Software Engineer with eight years of experience, specializing in front-end and back-end development, application design, and web development. A proven track record of designing scalable web frameworks to support enterprise customers.

Professional Experience

Senior Software Engineer, RSS Tech, Pittsburgh, PA April 2016-Present

• Coordinate cross-functionally with the software engineering and product management teams to redesign web application in React for a major credit lender, contributing to over 200K new downloads in a three-month period
• Oversee a team of 12 software developers and engineers, develop base frameworks using Java, Python, and C#, and perform code reviews
• Create a new system for the continuous integration of newly developed scripts to improve efficiency and deployment speeds by 10%

Software Engineer, Ruby Solutions, Pittsburgh, PA June 2013-April 2016

• Collaborated with a five-person software engineering team to identify, develop, and implement software solutions based on client business requirements
• Identified continuous improvement opportunities and created automated test scripts and SQL queries to reduce manual testing by 15%

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, August 2009-May 2013

• Coding skills (Java, Python, C#, Ruby)
• Software Development Life Cycle (SLDC)
• Mobile Application Development
• Technical Leadership

Christine Miller (123) 456-7890 [email protected] 123 Address Rd, Anywhere, USA 12345

Software Tech Lead, KMS Solutions, Philadelphia, PA September 2016 – Present

• Manage a 10-person software engineering team writing, modifying, and debugging software for enterprise client accounts valued at $400K-$1M

Senior Software Engineer, ABC Systems, Philadelphia, PA June 2009 – September 2016

• Developed 25+ front-end and back-end modules using Python and a Django web framework to enhance the user experience for an enterprise insurance company
• Built the logic for a streamlined ad-serving platform and enabled scalability for a user base of 50M, which improved page speed by over 11%
• Developed Perl and PHP scripts to translate data between applications
• Programming Languages: Python, Java, C#, PHP, Perl, and Swift
• Technical Project Management
• Strategic Planning
• Software Development Lifecycles (SDLC)

Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE Programmer, 2012 CIW Web Development Professional, 2011

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, August 2005-May 2009

Frequently Asked Questions: Software Engineer Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for software engineer resumes +.

Each bullet under your professional experience section should start with an action verb that either describes your job duties, such as “collaborated,” or the value you brought to the company, such as “improved.” But it can be hard to think of unique action verbs for each bullet, especially if you’re a senior-level applicant with a longer resume. Try out some of the options below if you get stuck and need some fresh ideas.

How do you align your resume with a job description? +

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that software engineering and development will likely see much faster than average job growth (25%) through 2031, which means you may see lots of options for open positions. If you’re applying for a specific job opening, it’s important to tailor your resume to the posting. Including keywords, skills, and proficiencies in the job description can help a hiring manager identify you as a good fit and increase your chances of making it to an interview.

What is the best software engineer resume format? +

Which resume format to use is largely a matter of personal preference, as long as it has space to include all of your skills and experience. However, a combination resume can be especially helpful for software engineers because it provides enough space to list all your technical skills and proficiencies while also providing an experience section where you can highlight how you used those skills to contribute to company objectives.

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Check Out Related Examples

DevOps Engineer Resume Examples and Templates

Embedded Software Engineer Resume Examples and Templates

Google Software Engineer Resume Examples and Templates

Build a Resume to Enhance Your Career

• Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: List of Best Examples for the Workplace Learn More
• How to Include Licenses and Certifications on Your Resume Learn More
• How to Show Technical Skills on Your Resume Learn More

Essential Guides for Your Job Search

• How to Write a Resume Learn More
• How to Write a Cover Letter Learn More
• Thank You Note Examples Learn More
• Resignation Letter Examples Learn More

• • Successfully converted whole project from python 2 to 3.8.0
• • Scripted unique test plans, test scripts and processes to remove previously known redundancy by 40% and ensured predictable outcomes
• • Developed a desktop application to automate database testing process, improved efficiency by 65%
• • Automated process to create usage graphs, saving $500,000 / year & increasing accuracy
• • Moved the automation solution into a commercial software ($60k/year)
• • Designed and developed reusable software components which used in 3 different project with reducing development effort by 50%
• • Re-engineered critical modules within a sprint to rely on a centralized library to optimize performance by 68%
• • Rated with the best annual performance rating for all the years during my stint; given to top ~5% employees
• • Helped to increase the accuracy of the reporting systems by 4%
• • Delivered configuration management tools to track server settings for performance testing which saved 25% of initial machine setup
• • Developed monitor reports that are using in-memory cache, updating the data shown to the user every 1 second
• • Optimized customer resources and reduce turnaround time by 20%
• • Performed root cause analysis for more than 10 issues to identify bugs and rolled out fixes to production within 24 hours
• • Fueled additional revenue stream through responsive customer support, generating $18k in new license sales within first three weeks of new release
• • Improved user interfaces by updating menus to be more intuitive, increasing sales by 5%
• • Reduced the time by 75% to process 70,000 to 1, 00,000 instruments from 16+ seconds to less than 4 seconds by redesigning the algorithm
• • Wrote optimized scripts for ​data-heavy & processing heavy task automation
• • Spearheaded the revamp of tech stack which resulted in 40% decrease in server costs

18 Software Engineer Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

Your software engineer resume must highlight your technical competencies. Include the programming languages and development tools you're proficient in. Emphasize your problem-solving abilities and your experience with system architecture. Demonstrating completed projects can showcase your practical application of these skills.

All resume examples in this guide

Software Engineer Intern

Software Engineer New Grad

Entry Level Software Engineer

Junior Software Engineer

Mid-Level Software Engineer

Senior Software Engineer

Associate Software Engineer

Director Of Software Engineering

Embedded Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

Software Development Engineer

Software Development Manager

Software Engineering Manager

Software Specialist

Software Support Engineer

Software Team Lead

Staff Software Engineer

Software engineer resume with Enhancv's Elegant resume template

Resume Guide

Resume Example

Resume Format

Resume Experience Section

Hard & Soft Skills

Certification & Education

Resume Summary/Objective

Software Engineer Cover Letter

Key Takeaways

By Experience

As a software engineer, you are like a swiss army knife, able to adapt and meet expectations with whatever task that’s thrown at you. Whether you’re engineering modern applications with JavaScript or designing and implementing PHP web applications, your software engineering success hinges on your ability to innovate and achieve your client’s expectations.

In that same way, you want to create a software engineer resume which achieves your goal: to land your dream job. At Enhancv, our job is to create resumes which allow you to get your foot in the door and to gain a highly sought after interview.

In this article, we will provide you with:

• How to detail your unique software engineer experiences over a wide variety of disciplines, such as mastery of programming languages, web development, and software development methodologies;
• How to summarize your career achievements in delivering scalable and robust software solutions;
• How to highlight your certifications from recognized bootcamps or specialized courses in AWS and Azure.

Before you go on, there are other resume examples with guides that can be relevant for you:

• Front-end developer resume
• Back-end engineer resume
• Full-Stack developer resume
• Python developer resume
• Node.js developer resume
• PhP developer resume
• Net developer resume

Software engineer resume example

Elegant resume template.

What does this resume example do well?

• Focusing attention on their programming skills: First, the author of this resume highlights their knowledge of programming languages. But they also list the operating systems they are comfortable working with, while also highlighting it throughout their resume. In fact, in their achievement section, they even mentioned that they created a unique Chabad which reduced customer costs by 240%.
• Showcasing their achievements through real-world numbers: Right as soon as your eyes glance over to the right side of the page, one phrase immediately sticks out, “Spearheaded a $12M software project.” The author of this resume chose to highlight their achievements through quantifiable, real-world examples. They shared that they increased efficiency by 30%, and successfully coordinated a yearlong project. These points prove to a potential hiring manager they are competent and able to handle a position.
• Highlighting their strengths: In addition, the author of this resume has a large section focused on their strengths. In this section, you can see the author mentions they were gold medalists for excellence in academics for five years.

How to format a software engineer's resume

As a software engineer, you should approach your resume like you would a line of code. When you format your code, you’re not just doing it for aesthetic reasons, but you’re doing it to enhance readability and make the codebase easier to maintain. In that same way, a properly formatted resume can enhance the readability of your resume for a potential hiring manager. In fact, by just making small tweaks to your resume, you can present yourself in a much more appealing way and potentially position yourself to get that much sought-after interview.

Below, you’ll find some helpful tips to keep in mind when you’re formatting your resume :

Is your resume good enough?

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

The top sections on a software engineer resume:

What hiring managers want to see on a software engineer resume, how to write your software engineer resume experience.

Your resume experience section will be the first thing that a recruiter looks for when they scan your resume. They’ll scrutinize the contributions that you made in your previous role, checking to see what impact you made. That’s why you should bolster your experience and skills with real, quantifiable examples from your career.

Below, you’ll find a list of two experience sections. One of them will be the correct way to fill out an experience section, while the other will be a resume section that falls below expectations. Use both examples as a guideline to create your own:

• • Helped to implement Agile methodologies within a cross-functional team of software engineers.
• • Conducted regular code reviews and mentored junior developers.
• • Actively participated in the evaluation and selection of new technologies and tools to improve development processes.
• • Designed and developed a scalable microservices architecture using Node.js and Docker.

What’s the issue with this resume experience section?

There’s not a single quantifiable example here. What exactly did implementing Agile methodologies do in your previous job? There’s nothing here to show the impact that the applicant made. Also, some of the weak verbs should be changed to active, engaging verbs. The verb ‘helped’ is a weak verb, which could be shifted to ‘collaborated’ or just simply ‘implemented’.

• • Led a cross-functional team of five engineers in the successful implementation of Agile methodologies, resulting in a 20% increase in project efficiency and on-time deliveries.
• • Conducted regular code reviews and mentored junior developers, resulting in a 30% improvement in code quality and adherence to coding standards.
• • Designed and developed a scalable microservices architecture using Node.js and Docker, reducing response times by 40% and ensuring high availability for a customer-facing application serving over 1 million users.

What does this do right?

There are quantifiable examples scattered throughout this resume experience section, and this helps to show the impact that the applicant has made in their previous roles. Not only that, but the applicant uses unique keywords of specific programming languages and open-source server platforms which would help their resume make it through a scan by applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Start every one of your bullet points with a power verb to make them super impactful. Examples of power words include collaborated, developed, advocated, facilitated, and transformed.

How to quantify impact on your resume

It’s important to quantify the impact you’ve made in previous roles because you can add credibility to the claims that you make. Chances are, as a software engineer, you’ve spent a great deal of time creating and developing software, fixing bugs, and creating programs and applications that can benefit people. But you likely have spent very little time reflecting on the impact that you’ve made.

Potential hiring managers don’t want to see a bland list of the things that you’ve done. They want to see real-world examples of the difference you’ve made. In order to do this, use the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) method to refine your contributions. List a specific problem and then share the actions you took to achieve a specific result.

Below, you’ll find a list of the top quantifiable achievements to include on your resume:

• Scalability: “Designed and implemented a scalable microservices architecture, enabling the application to handle 3x more concurrent users.”
• Bug Reduction: “Achieved a 15% decrease in post-release bug reports by implementing comprehensive testing suites.”
• Increased Application Performance: “Improved application response time by 30% through code optimization.”
• Efficiency Improvements: “Automated deployment processes, reducing deployment times from 4 hours to 30 minutes.”
• User Growth: “Contributed to a feature that increased user engagement, resulting in a 25% growth in monthly active users.”
• Customer Satisfaction: “Resolved customer issues with a 24-hour turnaround time, leading to a 20% increase in customer retention.”

How to list your hard skills and soft skills on your resume

In the IT field, you’ll likely find it easier to go into detail about the hard (technical skills) that you possess. You have a technical education which has allowed you to develop your coding and programming languages to become proficient in them. No doubt when someone asks what you do for a living, you might list off several technical skills you have and explain how that fits into your role in a company.

These technical skills may form the core of your experience, but you also possess soft (also known as people) skills. Whenever you collaborate with an interdisciplinary team filled with marketing experts, managers, and research and development professionals, you have to use communication skills to explain the decisions and actions you’ve taken.

Below, you’ll find two lists. The first one lists all the hard skills a software engineer should include on their resume. The second will include all the soft skills to include.

Best hard skills for your software developer resume

Best soft skills for your software engineer resume, 5 examples of skills to include on your resume:.

• Collaboration: “Provided leadership to an interdisciplinary team as the subject matter expert on hosting issues, staff and customer logins, and upgrades to servers.”
• Problem-solving skills: “Created ecommerce sites integrated with PayPal, Authorize.net, and other payment APIs. Navigated issues related to a complex ecommerce site.”
• Leadership: “Led a team of 5 programmers to structure several internal systems, including custom REST APIs through Python.”
• Attention to detail: “ Refined the application’s features to root out and fix bugs, which optimized overall performance, efficiency, and reliability.”
• Adaptability: “Modified and designed HTML, JavaScript, and CSS web pages in order to optimize the performance for quicker loading.

How to list your certifications and education on your resume

In the IT field, possessing the right education and certifications can make all the difference in finding the right job. In fact, if you possess the right educational background and certifications, you may be able to win job offers over more experienced software engineers.

Here’s what you need to include when listing your education on your resume:

Listing certifications on your resume:

Best certifications for your software engineer resume, how to write your software developer resume summary or objective.

There is a big difference between a resume summary on a resume objective. A resume objective, also known as an objective statement, is a short, position-focused statement that describes the value that you could add to the position you’re applying for. A resume objective tends to be used more for those who are new to the field, or those without as much experience.

You can use bullet points in your resume objective to help break up a large paragraph of text. It also helps to draw the eye to each of the individual unique skills you possess.

In contrast, a professional summary goes into a little more detail than a resume objective does. Resume summaries go into more depth about how each unique set of skills you possess will aid the company. Using real-world, quantifiable examples, a resume summary should effectively build your case on why your experience shows you’ll be the best candidate to fill the position. Resume summaries can be used by those who have more experience under their belt.

Let’s first examine a couple of resume objectives for software engineers, and see what they do bad and well.

One major issue with his resume objective is that it lacks specific details about the technical skills that the applicant possesses. Don’t be afraid to explain individual skills that you highlight later on in your resume.

What does this example do right?

It’s a lot more specific, going into more detail about the skills and abilities that the applicant possesses. Not only does it mention programming languages, but it also mentions their unique background in database management and cloud technologies.

Now, let’s move on to resume summaries and focus on how to do them well and what to avoid.

This resume summary doesn’t have the same impact as the one you will read below. It misses the unique programming languages that the applicant possesses, as well as not possessing powerful words. For what could be a great resume summary, it falls lifeless and flat.

Conversely, not only does it showcase all the unique programming languages and skills the applicant possesses, but it also shows that the applicant is looking for a new challenge. This shows someone who is driven to create an impact and to innovate.

Cover letter matching your software engineer resume

Cover letters are important because they allow a hiring manager to learn a little more about you than what your resume can offer. In your cover letter, be sure to go into more depth about the skills and experience you possess, while also showing how you are interested in the position you’re applying for.

Below, you can find a list of tips to help you craft your cover letter:

• Cover letter header: Make sure to include all the contact information that you provided in your resume and make sure that they match.
• Address the letter to a hiring manager: Do your best to find the specific person who is hiring for the position. If you tailor your cover letter to a specific hiring manager, it’ll show that you took the time to find out their name and put it on the cover letter.
• Write a salutation and introduction: Begin your cover letter with a salutation like “Dear ___” and then write an introductory paragraph. Your introductory paragraph should give a first taste of who you are. It should also include a bit of information about why you are interested in working at the company you’re applying for.
• Describe technical and soft skills: Next, include some specific skills that you possess. Make sure to quantify and provide real-world examples of the skills.
• Call to action: Finish off your cover letter with a call to action, a specific statement that provokes a response. This can include asking them to contact you through email or your phone number provided.

Check our software engineer cover letter here .

Software Engineer resume examples

Explore additional software engineer resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

You're likely to gain more software development knowledge during your initial months on the job than throughout four years as a computer science major.

Both technical and non-technical recruiters appreciate real project experience, as it demonstrates your ability to thrive in a production environment, collaborate with a team, and adhere to guidelines.

If your work history is sparse, focus on presenting your experience through software projects. Side applications, contributions to open-source code, and even relevant Fiverr gigs can give you a competitive advantage over candidates with less experience.

Your GitHub profile can be a wildcard in the hiring process. Some recruiters may scrutinize it to make their decision, while others might disregard it completely.

Prepare for the possibility that someone will review your GitHub page. What will they find? Unnecessary comments? An empty profile? Regardless of whether the code was written three or five years ago, your work will be evaluated based on today's standards.

Include your GitHub link on your resume only if you believe it adds value. Otherwise, it could work against you.

Mid-level software engineers are indeed the "workhorses" of the programming world. They deliver significant impact through routine code, optimize their workflows precisely, and exhibit excellent coding habits.

Highlight the following qualities in the context of your software projects to present yourself in the best light:

• Ability to deliver substantial amounts of work with minimal or no supervision;
• Active collaboration with team members and team leads;
• Deep understanding of platforms and tools relevant to the target company's tech stack.

Beyond operating independently at a highly-skilled level, senior software engineers are also capable of leading teams and serving as mentors.

When applying for senior positions, concentrate on your team's achievements and collaboration, rather than your personal accomplishments. Tech companies seek senior software engineers who can effectively guide less-experienced staff.

Examine the size of your target company's software department and emphasize experience with teams of comparable sizes. Showcase your successes as a leader and prove your ability to consistently solve company problems.

Structure parts of your experience using a challenge-solution-business outcome framework to attract the attention of your dream company.

Key takeaways

Looking to build your own Software Engineer resume?

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5 Rules for Writing a Software Engineer Resume That Will Get You Hired (Plus Example)

Software engineers are in high demand, so there’s no shortage of opportunities for people with the right skills. But just because you know how to design cloud solutions or build server-side web applications doesn’t mean you’ll instantly have scores of interviews lined up the minute you decide to look for a new job. You’re going to need to write a great resume first.

“A great software engineer resume should have a clear narrative about who you are as an employee,” says Peenak Inamdar, Director of Engineering at The Muse. “For example, are you great at execution, are you a self-starter, do you thrive in ambiguously defined roles, or are you a pinch hitter for your skill set?” Beyond simply listing your work history, your resume should capture the full breadth of your experience as it relates to the roles you’re pursuing, thus painting a fuller picture of what you bring to the table. Here’s how to do it.

1. Customize the User (or Reader) Experience

Most candidate applications will pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS) before they reach a pair of human eyes. These programs scan each resume submitted for a job posting in search of relevant keywords to determine whether a candidate’s skills are a match for the job. If your resume is devoid of relevant terms, the ATS will probably reject your application—even if you have the right experience. So for starters, you’ll want to incorporate as many job-specific and industry-specific keywords as possible, notes Muse career coach Steven Davis, owner of Renaissance Solutions Inc. , a coaching and recruiting agency specializing in software engineering, product manager, and project manager opportunities.

Beyond that, “Try to tailor your resume to the specific job posting where possible,” Inamdar says. “Hiring managers will compare the narrative of your resume to their role to determine whether your experience is compatible.” Think: What does the recruiter or hiring manager need to know about your experience in order to understand that you’re qualified?

So as you read through a job description, take note of the skills, responsibilities, languages, and programs mentioned and remember: If you have experience with anything listed, it belongs on your resume.

On the flip side, try to avoid including skills or experiences that don’t apply. “Utilizing words or descriptions that don’t match job requirements” is one of the biggest mistakes software engineers make when drafting their resumes, according to Davis.

Relevant keywords will vary from one specialty, company, or job posting to the next, but here are a few to get you started, depending on your area of expertise:

Front-End Development Keywords

• Back-End Data Display
• Collaborate with Back-End Developers
• Collaborate with Web Designers
• Create Web Pages
• Current Web Trends
• Dynamic Web Page Design
• Framework Templates
• Search Engine Optimization
• Software Workflow
• Styling and Color Design
• User Interface
• UX (User Experience)
• Website Content Display
• Website Navigation Optimization

Back-End Development Keywords

• Application Scaling
• Back-End Framework
• Back-End Programming Language
• Database Administration
• Front-End Web Technologies
• Hosting Environment
• Load Changes
• Security Compliance
• Version Control (e.g. Git)

Web Development Keywords

• Agile Software Development
• Application Code
• Command Lines
• Continuous Integration
• DevOps Practices
• Front-End Systems
• LAMP Development
• Object-Oriented Design
• Responsive Design
• Server-Side Scripting
• Version Control Systems
• Writing Modules

2. Feature Your Technical Know-How

Software engineers rely on specific programs, systems, and languages to perform their jobs, so recruiters will be especially interested in the technical skills section of your resume. That means it’s well worth investing some serious time and effort into creating a detailed technical skills section. “When I’m reviewing a candidate’s resume, I want to see how the technologies they’ve listed align with what we use. Does their technical experience mesh well with where we are as a company?” Inamdar says.

Breaking this portion of your resume down into more specific subsections will make it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to spot the specific skills they’re looking for (check out the example resume below to see this in action), so before you sit down to write your resume, make a list of the specific systems, methodologies, and platforms you’ve worked with, and note your corresponding level of expertise in each (e.g. are you fluent in JavaScript? Familiar with AngularJS? An expert in Python?). Bonus points if you’ve attended a training course or earned a certification!

Need a few examples? Davis has you covered. “Front-end developers should include frameworks such as Angular or React, back-end developers need to highlight their knowledge of the inner workings of web applications and server-side buildouts, and full-stack engineers should mention their use of Node.js or Serverless.” Davis also has a reminder for full-stack engineers: “It’s imperative to include experience with both front-end and back-end development.”

Again, tailoring your resume for each job description is crucial—especially as you’re drafting your technical skills section.

3. Be Specific About Your Accomplishments

“A great software engineer resume will demonstrate quantifiable success in areas like designing and delivering cloud solutions [or] using the latest technologies and development methodologies in DevOps, or [they’ll show their] experience with microservices, Lean, Agile, Serverless, containerization, and cloud platforms,” Davis says. Describing your experience using specific details (like the type of project, the technologies used, or the type of client) and outcomes (like a completed website design, successful application launch, or a % decrease in code churn) will help to bring your resume to life and help recruiters better understand how your experience fits into the opening they’re looking to fill.

“Make it a priority to provide context and highlight not just what your skills are, but when and how you applied them,” Inamdar explains. “If you know Scrum, when did you use it? If you’re an expert in Python, at which job did you use that language?”

So instead of writing a bland bullet point like “responsible for delivering end-to-end solutions using cloud-native platforms,” you could craft something much more compelling, like “leveraged architectural expertise in Kubernetes cloud-native platform to deliver mature end-to-end solutions for 20 unique internal applications teams.”

Notice how the second example includes details about the platform this candidate uses (Kubernetes), who they’re developing solutions for (internal applications teams), and the scope of their responsibilities (20 separate teams). Incorporating key details, technologies, or quantifiable metrics wherever possible will help your resume stand out.

Try using the below formula to craft bullet points that will paint a more detailed picture of your experience.

• Action Verb + Job Duty + Key Details (e.g. technologies used or % increase) = Outcome

4. Choose the Right Layout

“It’s important to choose a resume layout that allows you to create a narrative that’s easy for the reader to follow. They should quickly be able to understand what you’re looking for and what your experience is,” Inamdar advises. So unless you’re making a major career pivot (more on that below), a traditional chronological layout is probably the way to go. Recruiters tend to favor chronological resumes because they’re straightforward and easy to follow.

Similarly, avoid design elements that will make your resume hard to scan—either by a computer or by a person. “Too much formatting makes your resume less searchable,” Inamdar says. For example, some ATSs have issues parsing columns and will read them straight across. Meanwhile, an overly flashy design may make it hard for even a human to quickly pick out the information they want from your resume.

Dividing your resume into clear sections (like education, experience, and technical skills) will also make a recruiter’s job easier. “Keep the formatting as simple as possible and avoid using fonts that are hard to read,” Inamdar says. “The focus should be on your work history and your skills.”

If you’re feeling nervous about getting past the ATS but want to show off your design chops, consider creating an online portfolio that you can link out to from your resume. Check out Alex Motzenbecker or Joe Laquinte’s portfolios for two good examples.

5. Remember the Basic Framework of Resume Design

No matter what your specialties are or where you are in your career, there are a few tried and true resume writing rules you’ll want to keep in mind as you draft your own.

Try to keep it to a single page. Most recruiters prefer resumes that are tailored and to the point. So unless you have decades of experience, a single-page resume should suffice. Streamlining the content of your resume to reflect the job posting you’re applying to and keeping the focus on your most recent experience should help you to keep your word count down.

Call out your key achievements. If you’ve worked on multiple projects throughout your tenure at a particular job, you might want to consider creating a key achievements subsection. This helps you highlight the projects you’re most proud of—and the ones that are most relevant to the position. You’ll see this in action on the sample resume below.

Don’t forget to edit. Your resume is a reflection of your skills and qualifications, so you’ll want to make sure it’s perfect before you click submit. Be sure to proofread every draft of your resume—even if you’re positive it’s error-free. You may also want to enlist a friend, family member, or colleague to give it a read, too!

If You’re New to the Field or Making a Pivot

If you’ve never technically worked as a software engineer, but recently earned a computer science degree or completed a robust training program (like a coding bootcamp ), you can still create a stellar resume. You’ll just need to make a few minor tweaks to the traditional format.

Write a Summary

When executed properly, summaries can serve to bridge the gap between your past experience, recent training, and future goals, helping recruiters to better understand how your skills might translate into the role you’re hoping to land. Here’s how it might all come together:

Creative, technical, design-savvy recent coding program graduate fluent in HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Excited to blend graphic design experience with hands-on technical training in a junior-level front-end software engineering role.

Be Consistent

In addition to writing a strong resume with a focus on your most transferable skills, you’ll want to be sure you also have an updated LinkedIn profile and corresponding cover letter . “If someone is making a career pivot, I want to see consistency,” Inamdar says. “I’ll always look at their cover letter for additional context.”

Emphasize Your Education

If you don’t have much (or any) direct professional experience to speak of, your education, training, and technical skills will be especially important. So you’ll want to be sure that it stands out. Creating detailed “Education and Training” and “Technical Skills” sections and featuring them prominently toward the top of your resume will help highlight your transferable qualifications.

Play Up Your Projects

Remember that the projects you’ve completed in school totally count. You might want to consider creating a dedicated “Software Engineering Projects” section (below your education and technical skills sections) to detail your experience designing a website, coding with JavaScript, or building a web server while you were in school.

Think Outside the Box About What’s Relevant

“If you’re a career switcher, don’t feel like you need to hide your past work experience—whatever it might be,” Inamdar says. “The skills you’ve already learned are an asset because it means your next employer won’t need to teach you.” So for example, if you’ve worked as an administrative assistant before going to a coding bootcamp, don’t be shy about hiding your relevant responsibilities. “If you’ve done lots of planning or project execution, call it out. Be proud of it. Don’t bury it,” Inamdar advises.

Weigh Your Layout Options

Finally, if you’re making a career pivot, you might want to consider an alternative layout (maybe a combination or functional resume ), as these formats take the focus off of your chronological work experience while giving you the flexibility to feature your most relevant experience most prominently. One caveat, though: Recruiters and hiring managers tend to prefer more traditional chronological layouts, so there are tradeoffs to using an alternative. You can read up on the pros and cons of every option here .

Now for an Example

Whether you’re a front-end, back-end, or full-stack software engineer, you’ll want to be sure that your resume hits the right points.

As you read through the below example, make note of the relevant keywords, detailed technical skills and education sections, quantified experience, and clearly defined sections. You’ll also notice that this candidate has included external links to projects they’ve worked on and to their website. This can be a great way to showcase your creativity and accomplishments without adding length or design elements to your resume.

While your finished product might feature a different layout, focus, or specialty, it should still include the same basic building blocks.

Download an example software engineer resume

Your resume is a reflection of your experience, expertise, and creativity, so investing time and energy into getting it right is sure to pay off. Remember, tailoring your resume to reflect the job description, incorporating relevant keywords, and getting specific about the details of your experience will serve to strengthen your resume and ultimately help you land your next job.

Watch related employer videos:

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 .

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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:.

ATS Resume Templates

Download an ATS-friendly resume template for free. These templates can be edited in Microsoft Word and can be accurately scanned by an applicant tracking system.

If you’ve made it to this page, then you probably already know more about applicant tracking systems (ATS) than the average job seeker. That gives you an advantage! Why?

Many companies use ATS to manage resumes and applications. In fact, Jobscan research shows that over 97% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS.

If an ATS can’t read or understand the information on your resume, then your application might not be seen when a recruiter searches for candidates with specific skills or experience – even if you have those skills or the experience!

Your resume needs to be ATS-friendly in order to give you the best chance of getting a job interview. That means that you need an ATS resume template.

We’ve designed 15 ATS resume templates that can be downloaded as Microsoft Word files and easily edited. Download one for free or use our free resume builder to get a customized ATS-friendly resume in minutes.

Free ATS Resume Templates

Executive and Management ATS-Friendly Resume Templates

As a leader, you want your experience and accomplishments to shine. These resume templates give you opportunities to show the measurable results you’ve achieved, as well as your hard and soft skills .

Using correct formatting is critical here. The ATS needs to be able to parse all of that vital information and categorize it correctly. You also need your resume to be searchable by an ATS so that when a recruiter filters candidates by skills, your application stays on the list.

Entry-Level ATS-Friendly Resume Templates

You might not think you have a lot to show on your resume, but you do! These templates provide sections where you can highlight your education, internships, volunteer experience , personal accomplishments, and more.

An ATS-friendly resume will help you get found by recruiters and hiring managers. This is important because an entry-level position could have hundreds of applicants! Use these templates to make sure the ATS picks up your skills and experience.

Make your resume faster with our free resume builder

Write your resume the free and easy way with the only resume builder designed specifically with ATS-compliant resume templates.

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ATS Resume Templates - What You Need to Know

How to make the perfect ats resume.

Remember, an ATS is just a computer filing system. It needs to be able to scan and understand the text on your resume in order to correctly parse the information and sort it properly.

An ATS will never auto-reject a resume, but an ATS optimized resume does make it easier for a recruiter to find you among the sea of applicants.

Even more importantly, an ATS-friendly resume naturally follows expert-recommended resume writing standards as well. That means that when the recruiter personally views your resume, it will include the relevant information they’re looking for and will be formatted in a way that makes it easier to read

Follow these tips for making the perfect ATS resume :

1. Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for

Focus on quality over quantity. Each job you apply for is unique, even if they all have the same title. Every company has different needs for that role. The job description will make it clear which hard skills, soft skills, experience, and education the company is looking for. So tailor your resume to show them that you are the perfect candidate.

Tailoring each and every resume can be time consuming, but it’s worth the effort!

You can speed up this process by using a tool like Jobscan’s resume scanner . Powered by AI-technology , this tool analyzes your resume against the job description and provides you with a resume score that tells you how closely your resume matches the job description. It also tells you exactly what you need to do to increase your score.

2. Match your resume keywords to skills found in the job description

Recruiters might use an ATS’ search function to find applicants with specific skills. How do you know what skills they will search for? By examining the job listing. Use a resume scanner to automatically pick out the hard and soft skills the recruiter might search for, and then include those on your resume.

Even if the recruiter doesn’t search applications for those skills, they’ll definitely be looking for mentions of them on each resume they review.

3. Use long-form and acronym versions of keywords

Some ATS will only return resumes with the exact keywords the recruiters would search for. For example, if you included “Search Engine Optimization” in your resume but the recruiter searched for “SEO,” your profile may not appear in the results. Try to include both the acronym and the unabbreviated form of the term.

Use a tool like Jobscan’s resume fixer to make sure your resume doesn’t contain mistakes that will eliminate you from consideration.

4. Use Chronological or Hybrid resume format to write your resume .

Recruiters do not like the functional resume format . Unless you’re making a career change, a functional resume is going to work against you. (And even then, we recommend you steer clear of the format for a career change resume .)

The best format for the ATS is traditional reverse chronological. You can also use chronological and hybrid resume formats as these are familiar to most recruiters.

5. Use an easy-to-read, traditional font

For readability, use a traditional serif or sans serif font. Untraditional or “fancy” fonts can cause parsing errors, which means the full text of your resume won’t be searchable.

6. Use standard resume section headings

Section headers like “Where I’ve Been” in place of “Work Experience” will confuse applicant tracking systems, causing them to organize information incorrectly.

7. Save your file as a .docx if possible

A docx file is most compatible with ATS.

What is the best resume format for ATS?

There are three standard resume formats to choose from in your job search. They shape your first impression and determine the way recruiters and hiring managers view your fit as an applicant.

Your resume formatting can also determine how well your resume is parsed within an applicant tracking system (ATS) and how likely you are to be noticed as a result.

Regardless of the format you use, the most important thing is to use standard section headings like Experience, Skills, and Education. That will make it easier for the ATS to categorize the text.

How to tailor your ATS-friendly resume to a job

Tailoring your resume proves to recruiters that you’re an experienced professional. Most importantly, it shows them that you’re the perfect fit for this role.

Follow these three steps for tailoring your resume to a job description:

1. Examine the specific job description of the position

Go line by line through the job description and ask yourself these questions:

• “Does my resume experience section clearly state that I can do what’s required of this role?”
• “Am I using the same language found in the job description or job posting?”

You might find several different or missing skills and keywords in your generic resume.

2. Match skills and keywords from the job description

Mirroring the language, keywords, and buzzwords found within the job description is the easiest way to demonstrate you’re a better match than the competition.

The best way to show you’re the best fit for the position is to take words from the job posting and strategically put them in your job descriptions and other resume sections. A resume scanner will automatically pull out these keywords in seconds and speed up this process.

3. Write your job title clearly

Recruiters might search for people who have done the job they’re hiring, so list your job titles clearly and match the titles to the one in the job posting when possible. If you haven’t held the job before, list it under your name at the top or as part of your summary section.

What is Applicant Tracking Software (ATS)?

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software used to assist with human resources, recruitment, and hiring. While each system offers a different package of features, applicant tracking systems are primarily used to help hiring companies organize and navigate large numbers of applicants.

For example, an ATS stores job candidate information like resumes, cover letters, references, and other recruitment and hiring data that HR teams can easily access and organize. It will also track job candidates and their application status throughout the hiring pipeline.

Ultimately, an ATS automates time-consuming administrative tasks such as manually screening applicants, reading resumes, scheduling interviews, and sending notifications and emails to job candidates and employees.

Can you add graphics to your resume?

When it comes to creating an ATS-friendly resume , the rule is: The simpler, the better. ATS are improving at scanning different formatting features, but not all of them are good at this.

Adding graphics and images could cause ATS parsing errors , which means the text on your resume won’t be fully searchable or accurately categorized by an ATS. We recommend that job seekers err on the side of caution. Avoid graphics, images, and photos.

Are Google Docs or Microsoft resume templates ATS-friendly?

They can be. We talked about some formatting features to avoid on your resume – fancy graphics and non-traditional fonts. Those features can trip up an ATS, even if they’re on a Word document or Google Docs file.

However, as long as you follow the guidelines on this page, or use one of these ATS resume templates, you’ll be fine.

How to get your cover letter past the ATS?

To increase your cover letter’s chances of passing an ATS, focus on using a clean format without complex formatting, incorporate relevant keywords and phrases from the job description, and ensure that your content is easy for the ATS to parse.

Consider using a tool like Jobscan’s cover letter generator to help you create an ATS-friendly cover letter. If you already have a cover letter, run it through our cover letter checker tool to get personalized feedback on how to improve your cover letter and make it more compelling to employers.

More Resume Resources

Google Docs Resume Templates

Professional Resume Templates

Resume Builder

Resume Writing Guide

Score your resume and start optimizing it to get more job interviews

3 Gen Z software engineers share the résumés that got them a Google interview

• Three Gen Z software engineers at Google shared their résumés that landed them an interview.
• One applied with references and the other two sent in cold applications. 
• All three interned at a Big Tech company, had a 3.6 GPA or higher, and studied computer science.

Google is well known for offering its employees cushy Silicon Valley pay and enviable office perks — but it's also known for being extremely competitive .

The tech giant reportedly receives millions of applicants a year and has been said to be more difficult to get into than Harvard.

So what does the résumé of a successful applicant look like?

BI spoke to three recent graduates who now work as software engineers at Google . They each shared the résumé they used to land an interview — but it's important to remember there's no silver bullet for getting your foot in the door at Google.

Two of them sent in cold applications, and the third applied with references. All three went through Google's lengthy interview process which included a super round of interviews that lasted multiple hours.

The three résumés varied in style and content. Some were heavy in text and others didn't fill the full page. But one factor all three applicants had in common was an internship at a Big Tech company.

They also all had a degree in computer science and listed their GPAs, which were between 3.6 and 3.8.

Check out their résumés below and see what the Googlers had to say about what they think stood out in their applications.

Kevin Tsui is a 24-year-old software engineer at Google. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Computing and Information in 2022 and said he applied to Google with no referrals at the time.

Tsui said he felt it was important to show multiple years of work experience, even if not every internship was related to what he does now.

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He also said he felt that spending two years at a bigger name, like Amazon , which also gave him global product experience, may have helped him stand out.

Tsui said he decided to include outside interests on his résumé, like cooking and traveling, because he wanted to show that his coworkers could connect with him outside work.

A job isn't just doing that kind of work 24/7, Tsui said, you need to "be a person" in your off hours.

Tsui said he felt that it's important to be a team member and sociable.

Eric Stein is a 23-year-old software engineer at Google. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 2022 and applied with three connections at the company.

He said he thought his involvement with the Google Developer Student Club was the biggest contribution to his résumé, and it ended up getting him his references too.

"That showed my commitment to Google and my commitment to improving the world around me with technology," Stein said.

He said another highlight on his résumé was his inclusion of personal projects, like being the cofounder of Pareto Touch. He said he thought of it as a testament to his willingness to find work if he didn't have any. He also said he thought it showed his dedication to sharpening his skills.

Matt Wilkinson is a 24-year-old software engineer at Google. He graduated from American University in 2021 and applied to Google without a reference.

He said he thought his experience at Roku stood out the most on his résumé. While he's not necessarily working in the same specialization at Google that he did at Roku, he worked in a software engineering role at both jobs.

Wilkinson said he started off as a finance major and switched after sophomore year. He said because of that, he didn't have as many tech experiences and felt it was important to include some projects he worked on related to the field. He also said he thinks his role in one of the projects helped show leadership.

Do you work at Google? Reach out to the reporter from a non-work device and email at [email protected]

Watch: How Gen Z will change the workplace, according to LinkedIn's CMO

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