Software Engineer Skills

Use a simple, clean format that highlights your skills and experiences. Focus on readability by using bullet points and short phrases to present your skills. Properly organize your resume into education, experience, and skills sections.

“Adding a skills section to your resume is a great way to draw the recruiter’s attention to your most relevant strengths and competencies.”

– Ashley Watkins, NCRW, NCOPE, Job Search Coach

For example, a software engineer’s bullet points might look like this:

• Proficient in programming languages such as Java, Python, and C++.
• Expertise in SQL and NoSQL databases such as MySQL and MongoDB.
• Experience with Git, JIRA, React, and Spring Boot.

Hitting all the top job requirements with your skills list will help you rank highly for a keyword search within an applicant tracking system. But don’t stop there. Add context for every skill elsewhere in your work experience.

If a recruiter is excited by your Python skills, for example, the first thing they’ll do is skim your work experience to figure out when, how, and how much you used that skill.

As you list your responsibilities, it’s also important to highlight your specific achievements wherever you can.

“For soft skills, it’s often more effective to demonstrate them in the context of your past work experience. Instead of merely stating “excellent team player”, you are better off saying “collaborated with a cross-functional team of 6 on a new product launch that boosted sales by 30% in one year”. Examples of specific accomplishments or business outcomes speak louder than buzzwords.”

– Ana Lokotkova, Career Coach and Advisor

For example, if you reduced bug reports, be sure to mention this accomplishment.

Instead of saying,

“Developed a robust testing framework.”

You could say,

“Developed a robust testing framework that reduced bug reports by 75%.”

This demonstrates your level of expertise with the skills you listed. It gives the recruiter more reason to be interested in you as a result.

If you’re applying for a role requiring a broad skillset, categorize your skills.

“If you opt to include a designated skills section on your resume, include up to 10 of your core competencies. Excessive skills lists are overwhelming and sometimes confusing to the reader.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

For example, someone applying for a role as a software engineer might benefit from segmenting their skill lists as follows:

Programming languages

• Java
• Python
• C++

Software development

• Git
• JIRA
• React
• Spring Boot

Use numbers to quantify your achievements wherever possible. This helps potential employers understand your abilities and the impact you can have on their organization.

“Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for relevancy of how and when you applied those skills, so provide examples of this in your experience section. Bonus tip: Don’t just insert the skill like a task–include results.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

Instead of saying,

“Optimized Python code for a financial services firm that reduced annual costs.”

You could say,

“Optimized Python code for a financial services firm that saved over $100,000 in annual costs.”

By using numbers, you give hiring managers a better sense of your value.

Read the description carefully and emphasize the relevant skills and experiences. Highlight the skills that the employer seeks and provide examples of how you’ve used those skills in your previous roles. Doing so can demonstrate that you’re a strong fit for the position and increase your chances of being invited to an interview.

“The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach doesn’t work when it comes to your resume. For every job application, tailor your skill set to match the job description. Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that filter candidates based on keywords and skills listed in the job description. So, research the role you’re applying for and distill the skills required.”

– Ana Lokotkova, Career Coach and Advisor

In order to do this, “you must first understand what skills are most important for the target role,” says Ashley Watkins.

Here’s an example of how to tailor a software engineer’s resume to a job description:

Job Title: Software Engineer

Requirements:

• Strong programming skills in one or more languages such as Java, Python, or C++.
• Experience with software development methodologies such as Agile or Scrum.
• Familiarity with software engineering tools and technologies such as Git, Jira, and AWS.

Tailored Resume Description:

• Developed and maintained software applications using Java, Python, and C++.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to design and implement software solutions using Agile methodologies.
• Used Jira and other project management tools to track progress and prioritize tasks.
• Managed source code using Git, including branching, merging, and pull requests.
• Deployed applications to AWS, utilizing cloud-based technologies such as EC2, S3, and Lambda.

“Focus on the sought-after and in demand skills. A great way to figure out what is currently in demand is by researching current job openings from your preferred companies and reading through the posting. Pay close attention to the preferred requirements section and build your skills section based on this list.”

– Chelsea Jay, Career & Leadership Development Coach – Seasoned and Growing

Start each bullet point with an action verb. An action verb expresses an action, such as “create,” “build,” “manage,” “lead,” or “implement.”

Action verbs grab the reader’s attention and paint a vivid picture of what you accomplished at work.

Action verbs make your resume more interesting to read. They also show the kind of can-do attitude that employers are looking for.