When listing your work experience, always start with your most recent job and work backwards chronologically. This ensures that the first thing a hiring manager sees is your current or most recent role, which is likely to be the most relevant to the position you're applying for.

For each job, include your title, the company name, and the dates you worked there. Then, beneath each job, list your key achievements and responsibilities in bullet point format. Focus on the most relevant and impressive points that showcase your software engineering skills.

Software Engineer, ABC Tech Company, June 2018 - Present

• Developed and maintained cloud-based applications using AWS, resulting in a 30% increase in system performance and scalability
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify and resolve software issues, reducing bug reports by 25%
• Implemented Agile methodologies to streamline development processes, improving team productivity by 20%

When describing your achievements and responsibilities, use strong, industry-specific action verbs to make your experience stand out. Avoid generic phrases like "responsible for" or "worked on."

Instead, use powerful verbs that demonstrate your technical skills and expertise, such as:

• Developed
• Engineered
• Programmed
• Optimized
• Debugged
• Architected

Compare the following examples:

• Worked on software projects
• Responsible for fixing bugs

• Engineered scalable software solutions using Java and Python
• Debugged and resolved complex application issues, improving system stability

Whenever possible, use specific metrics and numbers to quantify your achievements and demonstrate your impact in previous roles. This helps hiring managers understand the scale and significance of your contributions.

For example, instead of simply stating that you "improved application performance," provide specific metrics:

• Optimized application performance by reducing load times by 40% and increasing throughput by 50%
• Developed automation scripts that reduced manual testing time by 30%, saving the company 100+ hours per month

If you don't have access to specific metrics, you can still provide context for your achievements:

• Developed a feature that significantly improved user engagement and received positive feedback from clients
• Implemented a new testing framework that caught 99% of bugs before production, reducing post-launch issues

As an experienced software engineer, it's crucial to showcase your technical skills and the tools you've worked with throughout your career. Hiring managers want to see that you have hands-on experience with the technologies and methodologies relevant to their organization.

When describing your experience, weave in mentions of the programming languages, frameworks, and tools you've used. For example:

• Developed and maintained RESTful APIs using Node.js, Express, and MongoDB
• Implemented CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and Ansible to automate build and deployment processes
• Utilized Git for version control and collaborated with team members using Jira and Confluence

By highlighting your technical skills and tools, you demonstrate to potential employers that you have the expertise they're looking for and can hit the ground running in their organization.

Hiring managers want to see that you've progressed and taken on more responsibility throughout your career. Demonstrating career growth in your work experience section can set you apart from other candidates and show that you have the potential to grow within their organization.

If you've been promoted or taken on leadership roles, make sure to highlight this in your job descriptions. For example:

Senior Software Engineer, XYZ Corp, Jan 2020 - Present

• Promoted to Senior Software Engineer after demonstrating strong technical leadership and mentoring junior team members
• Led the development of a new microservices architecture, resulting in improved scalability and a 50% reduction in deployment time

Software Engineer, XYZ Corp, June 2017 - Dec 2019

• Developed and maintained web applications using React and Node.js
• Collaborated with product managers to gather requirements and deliver features on time and within budget

By showcasing your career progression, you demonstrate your ability to take on more responsibility and adapt to new challenges, making you a more attractive candidate for senior-level positions.