Compared with most programming languages, Java is a relative dinosaur. Created in 1995, it has become industry standard for many types of programming functionality for its cross-platform functionality and ease of scalability as your company’s service grows. This is especially true if you’re going to create any kind of Android applications or technology that interacts with what the industry calls “the Internet of Things.” Since this includes all smart home and wearable devices, there’s certainly only going to be upward growth as a Java developer.
The best part of job hunting a Java developer is that there is no shortage of open jobs. Coding bootcamps and other non-traditional educational resources have become common as the industry struggles to fill the gap between supply and demand in the labor market. While most Java developers do have four-year degrees, it’s also possible to prove your skill level with practical application of skill. For example, GitHub is an industry-accepted open-source portfolio platform that is often used as a way to secure a job as a Java developer. For those looking for a career change in a growth industry, Java developer jobs are a great option.
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Java developers are the nuts-and-bolts of most organizations. They are not expected to be software architects -- i.e. creating the foundation of the company’s software and web applications -- but they are responsible for maintaining and improving existing architecture. This involves employing strategies like TDD (test driven development) and CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous development) in order to keep code up to standard.
Skills boxes are always important to help get your resume through ATS (applicant tracking system) filters. However, on Java developer resumes they’re even more important because the specific types of languages and tools you cite show the company what type of developer you are, what kind of databases you can work with, and what kind of growth you are aiming for in the next phases of your career.
Any time you are promoted, that shows your ability to take feedback and incorporate it into your growth as an employee. Your resume should focus on what events or achievements were the most instrumental in that promotion.
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.
J2EE (Java to the Enterprise Edition) is a platform consisting of APIs, applets, and more that make creating enterprise-level web applications easy and scalable. In a world iincreasingly focused on SaaS (software as a service) as a business model, J2EE developers have in-demand, specialized knowledge.
When you’re targeting a specialized job, it often helps to include the job title at the top of your resume. Just as the skill box helps to increase your likelihood of not being discarded in ATS filters, so does including the job title.
It’s one of the most common tricks of the trade to tailor your resume to the job listing you’re seeking. You can certainly get away with just listing desired skills in your skill box, but it’s even more effective to take those skills listed in your skill box and link them to job performance. As the old adage says: show; don’t tell.
A senior Java developer has successfully worked in diverse roles as a developer, but has also transitioned to a more managerial role. Importantly, this includes communication skills across teams with different job roles and enterprise-level thinking. It’s one thing to be able to do the work, but to be able to translate that to those unfamiliar with how a Java developer works is what makes a good senior Java developer.
You should be wary of including soft skills directly on a resume. While you may be tempted to say you’re a good communicator or a team player, those things are not easily demonstrable and often dependent on context. Instead, you should follow the example of this resume: the senior Java developer is responsible for translating technical data to non-technical team members (specifically the COO), and they provided supporting impact data to demonstrate how effective they were in that context.
Active verbs will always do twice the work of adjectives, as will the active voice. You can maximize your space on a resume while still impacting your audience by using strong verbs. Use verbs related to Java development or engineering; whether that's 'developed', 'tested' or 'implemented'.
There’s a lot of debate in the industry about the difference between a Java software engineer and a Java developer. Some say that the largest difference is the title and pay schedule -- which does, of course, matter. Skills wise, it’s fair to say that a Java software engineer will probably be expected to be more of a computer science generalist with a strong speciality in Java who can also work in large teams. This means that you will be expected to code in other foundational languages (like C++ for example) as competently as you do in Java.
When you're applying to a specific Java software engineering role like this, you want to show recruiters that you have had practical experience in Java. Do this through your achievements like in the examples here, which call out Java frameworks through the work experience section.
Java development is a wide field. You can use a resume summary to tell recruiters what kinds of roles you're looking for within the Java or engineering space: whether that's a focus on developing front-end apps, back-end apps, mobile apps or testing.
Skill lists are a great way to tailor your resume to a specific job posting. They’re also helpful in getting your resume past ATS (applicant tracking system) filters, especially in combination with other strategies above.
By comparison with other industries, programmers in general and Java developers in specific get a lot of leverage out of the skill section on their resume. The skills you’ve learned are concrete, measurable, and define the type of programming you’re capable of at a glance. Remember what we noted above as well: you can reinforce your ownership of these skills by highlighting them in your work experience achievements as well.
Skills vary depending on what Java application you're working on. If it's a mobile application, you should likely include skills like Android or Kotlin on your resume. If it's a web application you're going to be working on, you likely need to include JavaScript, React or Vue JS (JavaScript frameworks) or Node.js. Finally, if you're applying to enterprises, you might want to include skills relating to continuous integration or tools that help with deployment, e.g. Spring, AWS or Azure.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Java Developer job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
Java developers are a vital part of ensuring that companies function, especially when you’re talking about industries like e-commerce or SaaS (sales as a service) companies. You’re responsible for building the software and web-based applications, continually improving said offerings based on customer data, keeping these applications healthy through testing, and more. As such, proving your success in these skills vividly is extremely important, and the best way to do that is to combine action verbs with concrete data.
Consider also that part of working at the enterprise level on software and web-based applications involves a lot of communication. You’re incorporating data from customers as well as from co-workers who may not be as tech savvy as you are. Using clear and precise action verbs on your resume will show employers that you’re no stranger to the parts of the job that aren’t just about Java.
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 Java 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 Java 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 Java 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 Java Developer resume. Here are sample bullet points to help you get started:
Undertook major system upgrades for existing clients; provided 24x7 consulting support for 15+ clients
Developed and implemented heavily parallelized algorithms to resize and watermark 5MM+ images of different sizes using Amazon EC2
Led full redesign of website with findings from customer segmentation and competitive research, increasing website leads by 200%
Cut projected time for data analysis by one week by developing reusable ETL components using Pentaho Kettle
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%
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.
