Software Engineer Resume Examples

Software Engineer is currently one of the hottest titles in tech, with software development talent in high demand across virtually all industries. But although Software Engineer skills are in high demand, the top software engineering talent is also competitive about landing the top jobs at the top companies. That’s why it’s so important to have a great software engineering resume.

So how do you prove that you’re the perfect fit for your dream job in software engineering? Here are our tips on how to write a software engineer resume that gets the job.

A Software Engineer resume is a cleanly designed document that summarizes the Software Engineer skills and career accomplishments of someone applying for a Software Engineer job.

In a professional resume, a job candidate should highlight their hard skills, education background, and work experience. Job seekers would also be wise to write a resume that clearly shows a business how they can help meet its goals.

Creating a great Software Engineer resume that gets the attention of a business will require some planning. Before sitting down to write a resume, take the following steps:

Every resume should be carefully tailored to the software engineering job you’re applying for. Make sure that your Software Engineer resume includes the key skills listed in the job description right down to the exact words, since many companies will use professional resume screening software to scan your resume writing for a series of key words.

A main goal of a resume – along with a cover letter – is to make sure your application is reviewed by an actual person. Key words might be the key to that.

A good software engineering job could attract hundreds of applicants. One way to stand out from the pack is to further personalize your Software Engineer resume so that it fits the needs and approach of a specific company.

It’s also worth trying to learn more about the person hiring for the job. Is it a Senior Software Engineer or, for example, a project management pro with little interest in your specific hard skills? The more you know about your audience, the more you can customize your Software Engineer resume.

If you’ve been a Software Developer for any number of years, chances are you have no shortage of projects, jobs, and experiences that you could consider including on a resume.

It’s important to be selective. Choose your most important projects and achievements. Similarly, only include relevant education, such as coding bootcamps you’ve attended or any technical degrees you have in computer science or related fields. It’s a wise idea even for a Senior Software Engineer resume to be kept to one page.

Still, you should never assume a hiring manager is going to read your cover letters, so ensure that all of your most important professional and education achievements are captured in both places.

A good Software Engineer resume should be cleanly divided into different resume sections. Software Engineers should generally include a work experience section, a list of relevant skills section, an education section, and a summary of notable past professional and personal projects.

The work experience section (which should be in reverse chronological order) does not need to include all the Software Engineer jobs you’ve ever worked, and similarly the education section should focus on relevant studies, such as computer science or software engineering.

And your contact information should be prominent because, to put it simply, it should be very easy for hiring managers to find you. Choose a resume format or resume template that puts your contact information front and center.

A Software Engineer resume should be completely free of mistakes. It should be flawless. At any level, Software Engineer jobs require an extremely high attention to detail. Just one error might be enough for a manager to toss your resume to the side.

The objective of a resume is to frame your software engineering skills, professional experience, and education background in such a way that an employer sees you as a potential asset to their company or development team.

Your Software Engineer resume should tell a story. A strong resume presents a persuasive case for the value you would bring to a Software Engineer job at a specific business.

You can use the following resume template for your Software Engineer resume:

• Heading
• Personal summary
• Work Experience Section
• Skills section
• Education section

Include your up-to-date contact information as well as any websites or projects you’d like to direct a manager to.

In a short paragraph, provide a summary of who you are as a software engineering professional. In only a couple sentences, try to state as concisely as possible what makes you special as a job candidate. This might be your best chance to hook a manager, so this might be the part of your resume you spend the most time writing.

List your most relevant professional work experience in reverse chronological order. Every entry should include the job title, company, and duration of your employment there. In bullet points, use active language to describe each development role. Try to focus on your achievements, rather than mundane day-to-day tasks that would be expected in any software engineering job.

Include any post-secondary education you’ve received, as well as online certificate courses, diplomas, or bootcamps you’ve completed. List dates again as well as any special achievements of your education.

Software development is a profession that still focuses largely on hard skills, so refer back to the job posting again and make sure the exact competencies required are all represented in the skills section of your resume. Soft skills are important too, so don’t forget to mention those as well.

It’s wise to include any of the following skills in a Software Engineer Resume:

• Computer programming and coding (including number of programming languages)
• Object-Oriented Design
• Software Testing and debugging
• Problem solving and collaboration
• Communication (written and oral)
• Team work

NAME Phone Number Email LinkedIn Portfolio

Dedicated Software Engineer experienced in [top skills]. Developed a [major software development accomplishment or project]. Enthusiastic about [software development interests].

Job title, Company Month, Year – Month, Year

• [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]
• [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]
• [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]

Job title, Company Month, Year – Month, Year

• [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]
• [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]
• [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]

Degree or certificate earned, School name Graduation date

• [Relevant courses]
• [Academic achievements]

• [Technical skills]
• [Programming languages]
• Soft skills

Project, Role

• Brief description of project

• [Award]
• [Volunteer]

As you work on your own software engineering resume, keep the following key takeaways in mind:

• Keep a clean design with your contact information featured prominently
• Read the job description carefully and repeatedly
• Use active verbs and focus on your professional achievements
• Be selective when listing work experience and projects
• Customize your Software Engineer resume to the job you’re applying for