Write A Professional Summary
The professional summary is typically two to three sentences long. This section summarizes the contents of your resume. It also discusses your unique skills, expertise, achievements, and qualifications. Ensure you make this section engaging to encourage the hiring manager to read other parts of your application. You can also include your career goals and expectations for the new position.
Related:A Guide to Writing a Resume Summary with Samples
How Do You Use Or How Have You Used Your Skills Creatively
This is the critical question that can make or break your resume. As someone who has studied engineering, or worked professionally in some regard, youve probably encountered classmates or co-workers who are knowledgeable and book smart, but cant seem to put it to good use.
This is a classic problem in countries with authoritarian school practices the students are sharp, with impressive memories, but they couldnt cut their way out of a paper bag.
When writing your resume, you need to think back on your major creative accomplishments in your field. Maybe you invented more efficient methods or processes, improved safety standards, or solved complex problems through some ingenious solution. Communicate that information in your professional experience section.
Resume Example For A Senior Software Engineer Role
Here’s an example to guide you when writing your resume for a senior software developer role:
Michael Keane317-902-7358 | michael.keane@email.ca | Hampton, New Brunswick
Professional SummaryA dedicated and driven Senior Software Engineer with over five years of experience providing optimum infrastructure construction, project engineering design, and inspection. Hardworking professional skilled in project development plan review and approval. Seeking to apply proven software engineering and development skills to improve and increase Future Industries’ impressive line of applications.
ExperienceSenior Software Engineer | January 2020âCurrentCrown Tech. Institute | Hampton, New Brunswick
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Manage coded profitable applications and software development using C++, C#, and Java
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Enhance and optimize the company’s UI to ensure a seamless customer experience
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Issue process change information to prepare for new production requirements
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Troubleshoot production processes to identify the cause of issues and effectively resolve the problems, preventing a work stoppage
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Improve sales by 20% in two years by initiating proactive software initiatives
Software Engineer | July 2017âDecember 2019Royal Industries | Hampton, New Brunswick
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Developed cross-platform compatible solutions
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Monitored the designing and subcontracting of tools and fixtures according to the production requirement
EducationBachelor of Science in computer science | University of TechnologyHampton, New Brunswick
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Full Stack Software Engineer Resume
Use this template
Why this resume works
- Not all full stack software engineers are created equal. Despite having similarities among skills, such as HTML, CSS, MongoDB, and Jest proficiencies, the main differentiation will be in whatever your main programming language isJavaScript, Python, Go, or other programming languages.
- Include multiple programming languages in your resume skills section to show your increased value to recruiters and better fit ATS screening criteria.
- Adding specific keywords is a must for a great full stack software engineer resume. This resume optimizes itself in a non-standardized job market by highlighting more than one main programming language.
Software Developer Resume Writing Tips
Besides incorporating the applicable software developer resume skills to pass the ATS test, you must ensure your resume is clear, compelling, and professional-looking. Follow these five suggestions to write a killer resume.
1. Make it scannable.
The average recruiter spends about six seconds scrutinizing each software developers resume. Who can blame them? They receive dozensif not hundredsof applications every day. Your resume must make an impact as soon as it reaches the talent scouts hands.
An easy but effective way to make your resume more appealing and engaging is to make it scannable. Keep your sentences short and clear and use bullet points rather than paragraphs. However, make sure not to plague your document with tediously long lists. Go straight to the point when defining your profile, background, and responsibilities as a developer.
2. Add a compelling professional profile.
Incorporating a short paragraph at the beginning of your resume to introduce yourself is always an excellent idea. Think of it as a summary of what the recruiter is about to dive into. This is your time to shine as a software developer. Flaunt your knowledge in networks, databases, and encryptionor whatever your strongest hard skill is, for that matter.
Remember to keep this section short. After all, youll go into details about your software developer career, favorite projects, and relevant education later on. Heres a great structure to follow:
3. Customization is key.
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How To Write A Killer Software Engineering Rsum
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:
How To Write A Professional Senior Software Engineer Resume
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
When applying for a senior software developer role, writing an impressive resume is an essential part of your application process. This document shows the educational qualifications, skills, and experience that you possess for this role. Understanding how to write a detailed resume for a senior software engineer role can improve your chances of advancing in the hiring process. In this article, we explain what a senior software engineer resume is, outline the steps for writing one, provide a template, and share an example to guide you.
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Resume Summary Example: Code Your Career Success
Also known as a profile orpersonal statement, the resume summary is your elevator pitch for the job you want. Play up your achievements without boasting or exaggerating. The key to a good resume summary is compelling language and vivid detail. You want to give recruiters a sense of your professional personality and what you have accomplished in your career as a software developer.
Dont be afraid to blow your own horn a bit. In fact, that is exactly what you should be doing here. Employers want to know what you will bring to the job. Keep that in mind as you write. Think about examples of successes you are most proud of and feature them. You have two to four sentences to sell yourself to recruiters, so dont be shy, but beware of adopting a tone that sounds arrogant or entitled. In addition to your successes, think about the qualities that make you an excellent software developer and add those to your profile.
The median annual salary for U.S. software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers was $110,140 in May 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Surveys show that recruiters will spend less than 10 seconds looking at your software developer resume, so make sure your summary/profile hits all the highlights.
Here Is An Example For You:
B.Sc. in Software Engineering
The University of North Texas
May 2017 Jun 2021
Relevant Modules Studied: Software Engineering Project, Distributed Systems Development, Information Systems Modelling, Specification of Software Systems, Software Evolution, Software Quality, Agile Methods
GPA: 3.5
Even if you still havent completed your studies, it is important to mention all your educational qualifications to date. Usually, the highest form of education is included in your resume. However, it is acceptable to include your high school education in cases where you do not have an engineering degree.
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Key Takeaways For A Software Developer Resume
This software developer resume guide was created with your career in mind we hope it helps you reach your goals!
Cover Letter For Software Engineering
In case the job description says you need to provide a cover letter, do include yours. Otherwise, you can always leave it out.
Nowadays, job application forms include questions like why do you want to work here, or explain why youre the best fit for us, which makes you wonder are cover letters really necessary?
Still, they help you tell your story in a way that, if written right, its captivating and engaging.
In any case, you should pay close attention to the following tips when a cover letter is a must:
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Displaying Contact Information The Right Way
You dont need to be creative in this section, you just need to be 100% correct. One small mistake with a number or a letter could mean that your recruiter wont be able to contact you, no matter how hard they try! The contact information section of your resume must include the following details:
Choosing The Best Resume Format For A Software Engineer
Resume formats for software engineers are chosen from the same options as most other professions. The choice is defined by how you outline your past job experience and how much emphasis you place on your skills:
- chronological format – favors the job experience section
- functional – favors the skills section
- combination – a middle of the road option.
From an engineers analytical and strategic perspective, consider which of these three resume formatsis the best fit for your job experience.
The most widely used chronological resume format is failsafe if youve worked mostly as an employee for one organization at a time. Your progressive job experience, skills and accomplishments are traced in reverse chronological order, from most recent to earliest.
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. Its yet another custom-tailoring strategy.
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Write The Ideal Resume Hook For A Software Engineer Resume
You should always ensure that your opening resume hook is concise and informative. This is an excellent opportunity to reel a hiring manager in and provide some green flags to get them enthusiastic upon reading your resume. Its a great opportunity to leave a lasting and positive first impression lets take a look at a software engineer resume hook example:
Write A Software Engineer Cover Letter
Writing a great cover letter is a great way to provide additional information about yourself and your passion for software engineering. Some jobs will require you to submit a cover letter, whilst some will, it will not be essential . Cover letter content may not be relevant to the headings suggested within this article, so its good to separate it in the form of a one page document.
The document should entail why you are interested in this job, information regarding your passion and work ethic, and anything else that you may consider relevant to the job. Cover letters generally do not go through ATS systems, so you can be a little bit more liberal with keyword usage in this document.
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Key Takeaways For A Software Engineer Resume
How To Write A Software Engineer Cv
The foundation of your software engineer CV are the resume sections that you should not only include but also custom-tailor to each job application. Your CV should have the following sections :
- The resume summary
- The employment history section
- The resume skills section
- The education section.
Since well go into more detail on each resume part below, first a key piece of advice that is reflected in all resume example guides: customize the tone and content of your resume to the specific employer youre targeting. There are few things that turn off recruitersmore than an obviously copy-pasted and mass-emailed resume. And trust us, you can always spot one of those documents after having seen several dozen. This is why its important to take the resume examples we provide as an inspiration . They are recruiter-approved, but no document benefits from a copypasta approach.
Research the employer
The same analytical mindset you adopt as an engineering problem-solver will work in your favor as a job-seeker. Your targeted resume should be a functionally adaptable document, at the ready to change up in a flash.
Use your research skillsto investigate everything you can about the job you are applying for. Wherever your firsthand knowledge stops, fill in the blanks about the workplace and people. Especially try to put a name and a face to the hiring manager, and whoever would be your boss and colleagues. Then write your resume as if you are speaking to them in an interview.
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Resume Sample For Software Engineer Experienced
Resume Sample For Software Engineer Experienced. Use active verbs and focus on your professional achievements. Use our software engineer resume examples to code a perfect iteration of your own.
Keep a clean design with your contact information featured prominently. Performance tuning, improvement, balancing, usability, automation. Jobs for software engineers are projected to grow by 24% from 2016.
Skilled in project life cycle methodologies like agile and waterfall Either way, list your education in the right way, forgoing mention of where you went to high schoolits simply unnecessary.
Interests In A Software Engineering Resume
When writing a resume for a job, it is often not the best idea to include a section dedicated to your personal interests. The reason for this is that it can distract a hiring manager from the relevant skills and experiences that are required for the job. Listing interests such as playing football at the weekends and practising the guitar should absolutely be avoided.
However, due to the variety of software engineer positions out there, a resume in this field may be a perfect example of where an interest section should be included. For example, if you are writing a software engineer resume in the field of video games, it would be a good idea to list your interests in video games. Video game development, and any other interests specifically related such as the genre of games the job concerns.
Another example would be if you are applying for a job in web design. You could list your interests in designing and using specific types of websites, interests in innovating standard features, and any other relevant information.
However, do not get carried away here! Whilst it is often appropriate to include these interests, you absolutely should not include anything that is not relevant to the job. Irrelevant interests could flag up the ATS system, and this could result in your resume from being filtered out. Always review your thought process when it comes to this section when in doubt, leave it out!
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Software Engineer Resume Projects
The size of your projects section on your software engineer resume should be directly tied to how junior you are when applying for a developer job. The more junior you are, the more space you should allocate to your projects.
If you have two-plus years of experience, you should only list one project with which youre 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 its great to say you know Ruby, its 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 if you show how you used it, it demonstrates even stronger mastery of that skill.
If you worked on substantial coding projects during school, you should include them here. When possible, always try to include the projects you have listed on your resume in your Github profile or on your personal website.
Heres the format of how you should talk about your projects on your resume: