Full stack developers are effectively jacks of all trades -- they expertly combine both front-end and back-end development for websites and software applications. Front-end development focuses on the user facing side of the website or software and is everything that the user can interact with, while back-end is the part that allows the front-end to exist, consisting of a server, application, and a database. Full stack is the best of both worlds, utilizing both skills from front-end and back-end development.
Utilizing their knowledge of coding programs, full stack developers collaborate with graphic designers to create the front-end of the website or software to match the company’s tone and brand. They oversee projects as part of the business’s IT department, and dig into any bugs and technical issues in their code based on user reports and self-review.
Now, let’s dive in to see what successful full stack developer resumes look like in 2023. We’ll go over six different types of full stack roles, and how you can capitalize on your relevant work history, transferable skills, and education. Afterwards, we’ll go over a list of action verbs to make a strong impression in your experience section and a list of prominent hard skills that recruiters are looking for in full stack developers.
The development process consists of two stages: front end and backend development, and programmers usually specialize in one of these areas. Backend developers create the infrastructure of the website and manage what’s behind the scenes, such as servers and databases. Front end developers, on the other side, build the visual components and user interface. A full stack developer works on both aspects of the development process.
That’s why they are familiar with multiple programming languages and frameworks, including HTML, SQL, React.js, Angular JS, etc. That’s why it is important to specify the programming languages you are familiar with on your resume.
Web design is usually handled by other team members. However, it is still a handy skill to have as a full-stack developer. It consists of creating visual elements, such as layouts, icons, navigation elements, backgrounds, and videos that’ll go on the platform.
As a full stack developer with several years of experience, you’ll want to emphasize past projects and their success. Since full stack developers are responsible for working on all aspects of the stack, make sure to show your experience with both front and back end development. This is a general full stack developer resume to show the recruiter your impressive work history and transferable technical skills.
As a full stack developer, you should be able to own projects and deliver results. Talk about your success with specific numbers. Explicitly state by what percentage you made a process more efficient, how many websites and applications you developed, how much of the company budget you saved with your solutions, and more - these metrics are relevant to full stack development and emphasize your impact.
Action verbs will help complement your work experience by showing that you were proactive in using your programming skills to develop websites and mobile software. Some action verbs that are related to development and coding tasks that this resume template uses are “improved,” “developed,” and “reduced.” We’ll go into more detail about action verbs down below!
Put simply, a full-stack developer can develop both the front-end and back-end of a website. You must be especially skilled and agile to switch between the two. Recruiters need to see a strong educational background and an even stronger skills list that shows your capability to excel at both front-end and back-end development. Beyond your qualifications. Recruiters will want to see your range of experience and how successful you have been in previous positions. Here is an example of a strong full-stack web developer.
Web development is a highly technical job with very specific language used. Using web development keywords shows recruiters that you are knowledgeable and experienced in the area. It may also benefit you if recruiters are using any ATS filters.
While full stack developers are a true jack of all trades for software development, a full stack web developer primarily focuses on website development and design rather than mobile apps. You’ll want to show how you excel in developing websites that boost companies’ traffic, how you saved the company money by continuously reviewing your code, and how much revenue your new web designs brought in.
An online presence is necessary for companies to survive, and a professional website helps to capture customers’ attention. If your website development contributed to a boost in sales or revenue, make sure to detail specific numbers. If you saved the company money through your development (e.g. by driving efficiencies), mention it too.
As a junior full stack developer, you have some professional experience in the world of IT, but you may be making a transition in your career or working towards growing your skillset in full stack development. You’ll want to talk about your past experience throughout your career and how it translates into full stack development, as well as showing some relevant experience that shows you’re beyond entry-level.
You may have experience as a junior full stack developer or you may not yet when applying for this role. If not, you’ll want to tailor your resume to match the job description’s required and preferred qualifications. Detail any relevant projects that you’ve worked on, especially related to software development, website development, coding, and increases in efficiency.
Although junior full stack developers will have more “real world” work experience than an entry-level developer, listing a relevant degree will help you stand out from the crowd. A highly technical job such as full stack development requires learning programming languages. A relevant master’s and bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or other related major will show what you’ve learned.
A .NET full stack developer is a software engineer who works on every stage of the development process and specializes in the .NET framework. Essentially, this framework is used for the backend process, but it also supports front end programming languages like HMTL and JavaScript.
.NET supports multiple programming languages, including C#, F#, and Visual Basic. If you are familiar with multiple of these programming languages, you should include them in your resume and be as specific as you can.
.NET full stack developers specialize in, as the name implies, Microsoft’s .NET framework. This particular framework is compatible with a variety of programming languages and is an open-source tool used by many programmers. .NET full stack developers are responsible for creating software applications that work through the server.
Since .NET full stack developers need to have proven experience with .NET frameworks, talk about what .NET tools you used in your projects and their results. For example, experience with ASP.NET, VB.NET, Ajax, and more should be detailed in your work experience and in your skills section.
A .NET full stack developers also have some responsibilities as project managers and may oversee a team of developers. You’ll want to show the recruiter how you effectively managed projects from beginning to end, if you delegated tasks, the results of your projects, how many team members were involved, and if you completed them within the deadline.
As a recent graduate or someone looking to transition into full stack development, you’ll probably be looking at an entry level full stack developer position. This is an excellent starting point for those who want to launch a career in development. Make sure to supplement your internship or other work experience with a related degree, transferable technical skills, and relevant projects related to full stack development.
As a computer science undergraduate or graduate, you most likely completed internships that involved developing software or apps. Make sure to talk about any projects you contributed to and how you made a difference, whether it was finding an annoying bug in the code, designing and implementing new tests, or developing a program.
IT is a very technical field. While experience is important, so is your education and certifications. There are plenty of languages and other hard skills that must be learned, and can be done through professional experience or relevant training courses. If you’re lacking in work experience, list your certifications and training — this could include an online course in Java or Python.
A Java full stack developer uses this programming language in combination with relevant frameworks to develop software, applications, APIs...you name it. They work on all levels of the development process including databases, backend, and front end.
As a full stack developer, you're likely going to be interfacing with all product teams, whether that's designers, engineers, backend developers, DevOps teams and product managers. Keep that in mind as you write your resume — you might want to showcase your collaborative skills in your resume.
To become a full stack Java developer, you should know how to use Java frameworks, such as Hibernate, Spring, and Grails. Java is essentially a backend programming language. In order to manipulate front end components, you'll likely use a framework.
You've heard the stereotype, "engineers suck at design!" Full stack developers with strong design and UX experience are far and few between, so if you do have experience with design, mention it. The user interface consists of the experience users have when interacting with the software, whereas UX evaluates users’ perspective of the actual brand based on their interaction with the product.
Java full stack developers are highly prized because they have a deep and wide skill set. Full stack developers have the ability to work on the back and the front end of development. Simply put, that means they can maintain the UI (user interface) side of programming as well as the more complex, invisible side of programming, including databases, software architecture, and much more.
If you’re a full-stack Java developer, you can expect your work to be both internal to the company and program and external (customer-facing). This developer does a great job of showing successful projects that do both. You should always highlight when you successfully deliver a project to stakeholders with diverse needs. It shows high-level communication skills that are useful in understanding how to execute ongoing software needs.
In a rapidly and constantly changing field like computer programming, you are going to have to be a lifelong learner in order to not be obsolete. While you may be tempted to leave off continuing education in favor of job history, in fact it shows your ability to pivot and grow with this dynamic field.
Just like the title sounds, a Java full stack developer specializes in Java and Javascript. It’s important to tailor your resume to showcase your knowledge with anything Java and what projects you’ve completed in the past specifically using Java. Of course, other languages and other general full stack experience will be helpful to mention, but you want to make sure you show the recruiter why they should pick you.
As a Java full stack developer, you’ll be responsible for collaborating with other teams - whether that's designers or other engineers - to produce efficient code for website or software development. Make sure to discuss the Java projects you’ve worked on with a team, if you were responsible for leading the team, and overseeing development.
This is a position for an experienced full-stack developer who can create computer platforms. Your tasks will include designing, developing, and maintaining programs. As a senior full-stack developer you may also be tasked with training more junior developers and working with other software developers. You need to have a strong software developer background and years of experience. Here is a recruiter-approved resume sample.
Show the recruiter your dedication to the software development field by including any certifications you may have gained. These certifications also indicate your increased competence in the field. Both will impress recruiters.
When applying for a full stack developer position, technical skills are an absolute must. Necessary hard skills include HTML5/CSS3, JavaScript, XML, jQuery (common front-end languages), C#, Java, Python, Ruby on Rails (common back-end languages), Angular, React, Node.js (JavaScript frameworks), MySQL, MongoDB (databases), and proficiency in iOS and Android devices if programming an app for mobile devices.
Make sure to take your time and carefully read the job description for each position that you apply for. Different teams and companies will have different languages that they’re using, and may be looking at specifically full stack development for websites compared to mobile apps or vice versa. Take the time to tailor the skills section of the resume based on the full stack development job you’re applying for.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Full Stack Developer job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
Your full stack developer resume should start with each bullet point in your work experience section with strong action verbs. Action verbs will help your resume to be memorable, and paint a picture of your past accomplishments. Some punchy action verbs for full stack resumes are “developed,” “reduced,” “achieved,” “launched, “designed,” “implemented,” “delivered,” and “spearheaded.” This list of action verbs shows that you created and played a big role in past projects.
In comparison, basic verbs like “assisted,” “contributed,” and “worked on” imply that you participated in previous roles; however, it doesn’t describe what you specifically brought to the table. Why was the project successful? Was it because you developed the new website within the deadline or found a pesky bug in the code that was causing a headache for users? Action verbs help you to illustrate your point.
For more related action verbs, visit Software Engineering Action Verbs.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
If you're a senior-level employee, or you're changing careers to become a Full Stack Developer, it's useful to add a paragraph at the top of your resume highlighting your most impressive accomplishments. This is called a resume summary.
Here's an example of a summary that can be used on a Full Stack Developer resume.
A resume summary is a totally optional section, and in most cases, it's better to leave it out of your resume than include it. For example, if you're a student or mid-level hire, you should not include a summary, and instead use the space to add to your work experience.
To learn how to write an effective resume summary for your Full Stack Developer resume, or figure out if you need one, please read Resume Summary Examples for Job Seekers: When To Include One.
You should use bullet points to describe your achievements in your Full Stack Developer resume. Here are sample bullet points to help you get started:
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]
Designed and implemented 50+ E2E tests using Selenium & Protractor, simulating each user group's actions
Implemented crash reporter and used findings to fix three biggest causes of crashes; fixes reduced customer support calls by 30%
Reduced time to render the video by 75% by implementing prediction algorithm and delayed graphics
Overhauled the obsolete legacy source code of two production applications, resulting in increased usability and reduced run time performance by 50%
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.
