Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Software Engineer job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. Go to Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume.
Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all keywords on your resume, identify those that are most relevant to the job you're applying to. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.
Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.
Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.
The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Software Engineer job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.
Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.
If you’re a recent college graduate or completed a Bootcamp, this is the resume template for you. The key here is for you to sell yourself with the skills you’ve learned, projects you’ve completed, and software tools you’ve used. Internship experience, if any, will be useful to highlight as well. This sample lists many activities, projects, and classes that are relevant to the position, and communicate effective use of the knowledge they have.
We understand that you may not have much experience right out of college. That’s why you should list relevant activities you’ve done while in school. This sample does so by listing important courses, projects completed and explaining the different software used.
This sample communicates strong relevant verbs to highlight their experience. Use of words like “developed”, “designed”, and “implemented” all help to show usage of the skills they have. Use action verbs like these in your resume to show you can apply the knowledge you have to real situations.
It takes more than being skilled in different software to excel as a senior software engineer. You also need to convey that you can effectively lead a team that delivers positive results. This sample demonstrates the success they’ve had bringing individual success and managing a team that also succeeds.
Recruiters love to see that your success led to achievement and promotion. If you’ve been promoted, describe that promotion, listing timelines and achievements leading up to it. An example found in this sample is “promoted within 18 months due to strong performance and organizational impact”.
While it is key to list the skills you’re proficient at, you should list which skills you excel at. Did you achieve high marks for something complex? Were you in charge of a project that led to large profits? Elaborate on the skills used to accomplish these feats in your resume.
A UX (user experience) engineer is responsible for building design systems and front-end engineering rather than finalizing the look and design of a product. UX engineers collaborate with designers, researchers, and programmers and need a solid understanding of design principles as well as technical skills including familiarity with creative software, programming languages, and experience testing and debugging.
UX engineers need a lot of technical skills, so make sure you explicitly list skills and keywords. This is just as important for getting past a resume screener as well as showcasing your fit to a hiring manager. You can include hard skills and certifications in your work experience bullet points or in an additional skills section.
Make sure you’re tailoring your resume to each specific job you’re applying to. Listing the job title at the top of your resume in particular is an easy way to get past automated resume screeners and onto the desk of a hiring manager. Keep your work experience and skills section focused on the most relevant information, including recent certifications and proficiency with UX design software.
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.
Traditionally, Quality Assurance Testers come in at the end of the development cycle of a new product. The title QA software tester is often used to emphasize that the QA team is a part of the development of the product from start to finish. This means that the team works in an iterative and integrative way, and that QA software testers will pay attention to all things that will affect the function of the program, from bugs, to slow load times, to poorly written customer copy.
Especially in any tech field, your skills section tells a story. It shows the tools you have used and those you can bring to bear on the problems at hand. This is also an easy way to customize your resume to better fit a company’s needs -- if you have the tech skills they’re asking for, change them to match what’s in the job description and you’ll read as a better fit to ATS filters.
Whenever you’re a person in a senior position with management responsibilities, one of the best things you can do is show when you were rewarded ahead of schedule or exceeded expectations. Any position, especially as a QA tester, is looking for strong soft skills and ability to lead — being promoted within 18 months of receiving a new position is a great example.
A Cisco network engineer is specially trained to use Cisco products in planning, implementing, and managing network systems. Cisco networks are used widely, and the demand for Cisco-certified networking professionals is high. If you want to become a Cisco network engineer, your resume should show recruiters that you have excelled as a network engineer and that you’ve attained the necessary education to work with Cisco products.
To become a Cisco network engineer, you need to get certified as a CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) and become knowledgeable about these specialized systems. The CCNA is also a respected credential that adds to your professional credibility and marketability -- so make sure to display it in a prominent location, such as the top of your resume.
The job candidate in this example has spent over a decade working as a network engineer, and has worked specifically with Cisco systems. Having the CCNA certification is a great start, but if you can show that you’ve had hands-on experience with Cisco networks and equipment, you’ll be an even better candidate for the job you’re after.
Some popular Software Engineer hard skills are Software Development, JavaScript, Java, Git, C#, AngularJS, SQL and React.js.
Depending on the job you apply to, skills like XML, Scrum, TypeScript, .NET Framework and Python (Programming Language) can also be good to include on your resume.
Popular skills we often see on resumes for Research Software Engineer positions include:
In comparison, skills we see on Software Engineering Specialist resumes include:
Depending on the specific role you apply to, you may need to emphasize different skill sets. Here are a few examples:
While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.
It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
