Software Engineer Resume Example & Writing Guide

Creating a software engineer resume is much like writing code. You want to ensure that everything is clean, readable, professional, and, above all, that it works.

And while you’ve probably written thousands of lines of code, chances are you don’t have much experience building resumes. That’s exactly why we’ve compiled this thorough yet beginner-friendly guide.

We’ll take you step-by-step through the process of crafting a job-winning application document. You’ll learn everything, from adding your name to your software engineer resume to fine-tuning the details.

Without further ado, let’s jump in!

What is the Right Format to Use for a Software Engineer Resume?

There are three proven resume formats that can help you organize the information in your document based on your expertise and other circumstances. These are:

A chronological resume format puts the most weight on your most recent professional accomplishments and goes backwards from there. It’s made for people who possess some work experience, as it mostly focuses on emphasizing work history. However, because of this, it’s not the best option for people who have little to no professional experience.

If you have gaps in your employment or want to emphasize your skills rather than your work history, you should use a functional resume format. It conceals a lack of experience by highlighting your abilities instead.

Lastly, seasoned professionals could take advantage of a combination resume format. As a hybrid of chronological and functional formats, this one puts your skills in focus and substantiates each of them with extensive work-related accomplishments.

Resume Layout

A visual aspect of your resume is just as important as its contents. You want a document that is clean and easy to read and that provides a lot of information without looking messy and cluttered. Since recruiters often merely skim through resumes until one grabs their attention, you don’t want yours to be too long—one page should be enough.

To create a perfect layout, you should:

By playing with those values, you can increase the amount of content that fits your one-page software engineer resume or boost its readability.

Here’s just one of our many software engineer resume templates that you can use and customize to get the document that suits you best.

Software Engineer Resume Contact Information

Contact information is a regular section that every resume starts with. Adding it to your resume is fairly simple—you only need to include the following information in your resume header:

Here’s an example:

Your title needs to be professional and aligned with the job description. Steer clear of witty titles—it’s much better to introduce yourself as a “Software Engineer” than a “Computer Guru.” Also, you should maintain the same level of professionalism when you’re inserting your email address into the section.

Note that you should only include your full address in a resume if the job posting asks for it or if you’re applying for a position at a company that is located in another country.

Software Engineer Resume Objective or Summary

The best resume in the world won’t achieve much if nobody looks at it. That’s why you need a catchy introductory paragraph at the top of your document to grab recruiters’ attention. Depending on your situation, this will either be a resume objective or a resume summary.

A resume objective is written by candidates with modest professional experience. Its goal is to portray you as a good candidate by emphasizing your key skills and career goals. However, if you have a long professional history with impressive achievements, you should opt for a software engineer resume summary. 

Junior Software Engineer Resume Objective

Even if you don't have any work experience, a good junior software engineer resume objective will make you look like a competent professional. In addition to mentioning your key skills and career goals, you can leverage accomplishments obtained during internships, volunteer work, college projects, freelancing, and more. Here’s a good example of such an objective:

Let’s compare that to a bad example:

There’s nothing wrong with being eager to learn and progress. However, you need to show your potential employers that you already have some skills and knowledge worth building upon.

Software Engineer Resume Summary

Let’s take a look at a resume summary that has everything from the candidate’s crucial skills to their impressive achievements. Here’s a good example of what it looks like when a seasoned professional puts their best foot forward:

This resume summary has it all. It paints a picture of an experienced, driven, and competent candidate who knows exactly what they want and brings a lot to the table. 

For contrast, let’s see a bad example:

Software Engineer Resume Work Experience

The main goal of your software engineer resume is to show recruiters your ability to do the job. One of the best ways to do that is to describe your most prominent professional endeavors in a compelling work experience section.

Software Engineer With No Experience

By following the general tips we previously outlined, you can create a professional work experience section even if you’re making a software engineer resume as a fresher. There are always some activities you can leverage as a substitute.

For example, you can mention challenging college projects where you obtained impressive results, along with volunteer experience, freelance work, and much more. Let’s see an example where the candidate leveraged their internship:

Senior Software Engineer

Senior software engineers often have a long professional history under their belts. If that’s the case, you want to show as much impactful and relevant work and as many impressive results as possible.

However, it’s important to note that you shouldn’t mention everything you’ve ever done. A summer gig from a decade or two ago doesn’t add value to the resume of a senior software engineer, as it doesn’t really highlight the abilities that can help in this field.

Here’s an example of a solid work experience section for senior software engineers:

Software Engineer Resume Education Section

The education section is there to complement your work history and further substantiate your skills. It should generally come after your professional experience and be adjusted in relation to it. That also means that you should keep it brief if you have a rich work history and vice versa. 

Here’s what information you should include when writing this part:

Check out an example:

Your list of accomplishments can include anything from a good grade point average (3.5 or higher) to volunteer work, student exchange programs, extracurricular activities, and more.

If you include more than one degree, list the highest one first. Also, omit your high school diploma unless it’s your only one.

On the flip side, add an unfinished degree by setting an expected graduation date and marking it as such. You can also entirely omit the graduation date and write “current” instead if you’re in the middle of your studies.

Software Engineer Resume Skills

Adding skills to your software engineer resume is about more than just creating a list of your abilities after your education section.

You should start by researching the job posting. That will help you find out which skills employers are looking for. Including those will help you get their attention and pass the ATS scan easier, too. 

Your skills should be inserted into a section of their own, but you should separate hard skills from soft skills since they are quite different in nature.

Software Engineer Resume Optional Sections

Optional sections allow you to add valuable information to your software engineer resume that doesn’t belong to any mandatory section. You can use these to personalize your document and further stand out from the crowd.

Certifications & Awards

Certifications represent a credible way to highlight specialized knowledge in the field, while awards show that you’ve obtained outstanding results in a specific industry. Both portray you as a competent individual who strives to do more than the bare minimum.

It goes without saying that you should only list relevant certifications and awards. Add this section after all the mandatory ones, and be brief. Here’s an example:

Languages

This section can even be mandatory if your future job requires communication with clients and coworkers from other countries. Even if that isn’t the case, knowledge of foreign languages is always impressive. 

List all the languages you speak based on your knowledge level, which can be:

Conferences & Publications

Conferences show that you’re an active member of the professional community, and they are especially valuable if you’re new to the industry and lack a work history. On the other hand, publications—especially academic, peer-reviewed ones—portray you as a person of authority. They mean that you have outstanding knowledge, recognized by others in the field.

You can include these in your resume to display drive and motivation and show that you’re serious about your career and networking. Also, make sure to mention specific speeches or workshops you participated in.

Hobbies & Interests

This section lets you connect with potential employers on a more personal level. 

Since you want to join their team and feel welcome, don’t be afraid to show that there’s an exciting, passionate person behind your resume. Keep this section brief, but feel free to “geek out” and mention something you’re interested in that’s completely unrelated to the position you’re applying for.

Should You Submit a Cover Letter With Your Software Engineer Resume?

For the highest chances of success, you should submit a cover letter that is tailored to the job posting along with your resume. Personally address the recruiter and use 3–5 brief paragraphs to explain what you can bring to their company.

The cover letter should also describe your skills and achievements in more detail, which should encourage recruiters to reach out to you to discuss potential cooperation.

Job-Winning Software Engineer Resume Example

Use this example

Closing Thoughts

Well, now you’re adept at writing both code and resumes!

If you believe in the power of automation, you can have our resume builder do the heavy lifting for you and help you craft a job-winning document in minutes. On the other hand, you’re more than competent to write a software engineer resume from scratch, if you’re up for a challenge. In any case, you’ll have an interview or two lined up before you know it!