DevOps resume is a concise document created to sum up your career and demonstrate your competence to hiring managers and potential employers. It should optimally highlight your most valuable skills and professional accomplishments to help you get a job interview.
Since a DevOps resume is typically your first point of contact with a hiring manager or potential employer, it’s imperative to make it flawless. In this article, we’re going to teach you how to format your resume, what information to include, and how to write each of the sections.
Key Takeaways
The best resume format for the majority of DevOps engineers looking for a job is the chronological one.
For a visually appealing layout, your resume should be one page long, with a professional font, single-line spacing, and one-inch margins.
Five must-have sections for your resume are: contact information, an objective or summary, work experience, education, and skills.
Optional sections can add value to your application as long as they are related to the job you’re applying for.
Submitting a cover letter in addition to your DevOps resume shows your willingness to go the extra mile and helps you stand out.
How to Format Your DevOps Resume: 3 Main Approaches
There are three established formats to use for your DevOps resume that bring the best results. These formats are:
Resume Common Formats
Chronological. This is the most common format that arranges your past jobs in reverse chronological order for a legible and professional look. Plus, it’s ATS-compatible.
Functional. This format puts your skills front and center, making it perfect for entry-level job seekers with no work history.
Combination. Also known as the hybrid format, this one combines the previous two formats. It is perfect for those with employment gaps, as it emphasizes your abilities while backing up each one with relevant accomplishments.
DevOps Resume Layout
A layout represents the visual aspect of your DevOps resume. You want a clean and elegant document that is easy to scan and read.
Here are some guidelines to help you achieve that:
Resume Layout Guidelines
You should keep your resume one page long.
Choose a professional font for your resume, like Arial or Calibri.
Font size for regular text should be 10–12 pt, while section headings should be 2–4 pt larger.
Margins should be uniform on all sides and at least 1 inch.
Line spacing should be 1.0 or 1.15.
DevOps Resume Mandatory Sections
Every DevOps resume should have these five mandatory sections:
Mandatory Sections
Contact information
Resume objective or summary
Work experience
Education
Skills
In addition to mandatory sections, there are many optional ones to consider, like:
Optional Sections
Certifications
Projects
Languages
Hobbies and interests
If you want to automate the resume-writing process and let the software do the heavy lifting for you, you’re welcome to use our resume builder. We created a tailor-made solution that features countless professional templates to choose from.
Select the one you like, customize it to fit your needs, input your details in predesignated spots, and download a finished DevOps resume in minutes!
DevOps Resume Template
Speaking of professional DevOps resume templates you can find in our galleries, here’s an example of what they look like:
DevOps Resume Template
Name and Surname
Phone number: 000-000-0000 | Email: namesurname@gmail.com | Location: City, State
[Adjective] [your job title] with [years of experience, if applicable] in [your area of expertise, if applicable] looking for a [position] job at [company name]. Eager to apply [relevant skills] gained through [work/volunteer/other experience] to help [company name] [mention what you can do for the company].
Work Experience
Most Recent/Current Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Previous Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Oldest Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For older jobs, use 2-3 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Education
[Degree] in [Major] [University/college name] [Start date] - [Graduation date]
Skills
Soft Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Hard Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Additional Sections
Add any relevant additional sections (languages, licenses, publications, hobbies, etc.)
Resume templates
Resume templates that are designed to help you win a jobDevOps Resume Contact Information
Contact information is a standard section that goes in the resume header.
It should be a simple and concise list that consists of the following details:
Contact Information Mandatory Details
Your name
Job title
Phone number
Email address
On top of that, you should also consider adding your:
Optional Details
LinkedIn profile
GitHub profile
Personal website
Address
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Contact Information Example
Fred Pinegar DevOps Engineer + 310 657 2142 fredpinegar@example.com linkedin.com/in/fred.pinegar github.com/fred.pinegar Los Angeles, CA
The most important thing here is to keep the information relevant and accurate. That’s why you shouldn’t include details like unrelated social media profiles or an unprofessional email address. You should also avoid including sensitive information, such as gender, political or religious affiliations, and even your photo.
How to Write a DevOps Resume Objective/Summary
DevOps resume objective, or summary, is an introductory section written to grab the reader’s attention. The goal is to highlight your biggest strengths in 2–4 sentences, persuading the hiring manager to concentrate on the rest of your resume.
DevOps Resume Objective
You should write a DevOps resume objective if you’re an entry-level candidate with no work experience. In this case, your key strengths are your skills and drive, as well as potentially some accomplishments obtained during internships, personal projects, and similar activities.
Here’s a good example:
Resume Objective Example
“Recent graduate with a BSc in Computer Science looking for an entry-level position at SkySphere. Proficient in AWS CloudWatch, Python, and Bash. During the internship, contributed to deploying and monitoring cloud-based applications with AWS and Azure services.”
If you don’t demonstrate your competence, you’ll end up with a poor resume objective, like in this example of a bad objective:
Bad Example
“Junior DevOps engineer looking for a first job. No hands-on experience, but I’m a quick learner.”
DevOps Resume Summary
As an experienced DevOps engineer creating a resume, you should write a summary. Use this brief paragraph to highlight your most impressive achievements, giving hiring managers a taste of what you’re capable of.
Let’s see that in a good example:
Resume Summary Example
“Senior DevOps engineer with more than 9 years of experience looking for a role in Techno Innovation. Notable accomplishments include using Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK stack to optimize system monitoring and reduce downtime by 31%.”
However, if you remove all specific information from your summary, you’ll end up with a poorly-written one, like in this bad example:
Bad Example
“Experienced DevOps engineer looking for a new job. Proficient in Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK.”
How to Add Professional Experience as a DevOps Engineer
When adding professional experience to your DevOps resume, you want to utilize the reverse chronological order in most cases. This means you should list your previous jobs, starting with the latest one.
For every past role, you should include the following details:
Professional Experience Mandatory Details
Job title
Company name
Employment dates
Accomplishments and results
The key to getting the most out of this section is optimally listing your work-related accomplishments to demonstrate your competence. Here are some tips to help you achieve that:
Professional Experience Tips
Focus on notable results and efforts over everyday tasks and mundane assignments.
Leverage bullet points over paragraphs to create a concise and orderly reading experience.
Add numbers, statistics, and percentages to quantify your work, making it more believable.
Incorporate action verbs and power words to make this section pop.
Here’s an example of a professional history section from a DevOps resume with 3 years of experience:
Professional Experience Example
Work Experience
DevOps Engineer NovaCode San Francisco, CA
April 2021–Present
Used Bash and Python to write scripts that automate routine processes, boosting overall team efficiency by reducing manual work required by up to 49%.
Spearheaded the implementation of Nagios and CloudWatch to conduct continuous monitoring and improve system reliability, achieving 99.9% uptime.
Collaborated with a cross-functional team to develop disaster-response recovery mechanisms that helped boost uptime for critical applications to 99.95%.
Add Education Section to Your DevOps Engineer Resume
The education section of your DevOps engineer resume adds credibility to your competence, supplementing your work history. In general, this section should be brief, and it’s usually enough to simply list the following information:
Education Mandatory Details
Your highest degree
The institution that issued it
Years of attendance
Let’s see that in practice on this DevOps resume sample:
Education Example
Education
Master of Science in Computer Science University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 2018–2020
If you’re writing a DevOps resume for freshers and you lack a work history, you can put more emphasis on this section. You can do that by adding a bullet list of achievements, like high GPA, extracurricular activities, relevant coursework, etc.
Moreover, if you’re still studying while applying for a job, you can still list your degree and put an expected graduation year or mark it as “current.”
DevOps Resume Skills
Adding a skills section to your DevOps resume is a two-part process.
First, you want to pinpoint the exact abilities needed for the role that you’re applying for. You can do that by researching the company and reading the job ad. The information obtained will help you determine which skills hiring managers want to see, helping you come up with a tailored list.
When you get to listing your DevOps skills on your resume, it’s important to keep hard and soft skills separate. List job-specific hard skills first and then include a select few highly sought-after soft skills.
Second, you want to corroborate your abilities by linking them to relevant achievements. When you highlight a concrete result you achieved and add a related skill next to it, you prove that you have it. This is best done in your work history and resume summary sections.
DevOps Hard Skills
Some hard skills to consider adding to your DevOps resume are:
DevOps Hard Skills Examples
AWS
AWS CodePipeline
AWS CloudWatch
Azure
Azure DevOps
Azure Monitor
GCP
Python
Bash
Terraform
CloudFormation
Docker
Kubernetes
DevOps Soft Skills
Most employers look for these soft skills in DevOps engineers:
DevOps Soft Skills Examples
Time management
Critical thinking
Adaptability
Leadership
Teamwork
Decision-making
Attention to detail
Other Sections to Include in DevOps Engineer Resume
Optional sections can add immense value to your DevOps engineer resume as long as they are relevant to the role that you’re applying for and don’t needlessly increase the size of the document.
Some of the best optional sections to consider include:
Optional Sections
Certifications. Relevant certifications, like AWS Certified DevOps Engineer or Docker Certified Associate, validate your skills. They show in-depth knowledge in a particular area while simultaneously demonstrating your diligence and commitment to continuous learning.
Projects. Showcasing personal projects in your DevOps resume is a great way to offset a lack of professional experience. It’s the perfect section for entry-level candidates to show hands-on experience, problem-solving skills, and their passion for the profession.
Languages. Language skills help communicate with international coworkers, clients, and stakeholders. They are essential in today’s globalized professional landscape and can significantly improve your chances of getting the job.
Hobbies and interests. This section gives hiring managers insight into your personality outside of work. Moreover, some hobbies and interests relevant to the job can help you demonstrate a genuine passion for the craft.
Do I Need a Cover Letter as a DevOps Engineer?
Cover letter templates
Create a cover letter by filling in a free template and sharing it for freeYou need a cover letter as a DevOps engineer if you want to maximize your chances of impressing hiring managers. Submitting it with your DevOps resume shows that you went the extra mile to include an often optional document, further demonstrating your commitment and motivation to get the job.
On top of all that, you get another document in which you can talk about your skills and accomplishments. This way, you can paint a complete picture of who you are as a professional, which can help you get ahead of the competition.
4 DevOps Resume Examples
Here’s a junior DevOps resume example for someone with little to no professional experience:
Here’s an example of a senior DevOps resume with 7 years of experience in the field:
Let’s check out a DevOps architect resume example:
Now let’s see an example of a DevOps resume with 5 years of experience for a cloud-focused engineer:
Before we bring this comprehensive DevOps resume-writing guide to a close, here are a few final expert tips that will help you take the creation process to the next level:
3 Expert Tips for Writing a DevOps Engineer Resume
Prioritize the most recent and relevant experiences. Like many tech spheres, the DevOps field is evolving rapidly. Highlighting your recent accomplishments and proficiency in modern tools will help you get ahead of the competition.
Avoid adding personal pronouns to your objective or summary. The purpose of these sections is to show what you have to offer and how employers can benefit from hiring you.
Proofread and polish your resume to perfection. A resume with an optimal format, an eye-catching layout, and no mistakes demonstrates professionalism and attention to detail.
Closing Thoughts
Writing a strong DevOps resume is all about giving the most impactful and relevant details about your qualifications in the most concise way possible. Your goal is to hook the reader with a strong opening paragraph and then demonstrate that you’re the right person for the job through your work history and skills.
Remember to tailor your resume to the role that you’re applying for and show hiring managers exactly what they are looking for. That will help you stand out in the sea of generic applications, secure you an interview, and help you get the job of your dreams.
