What should a software engineer put on their CV?

Focus on three areas: (1) Technical skills with exact names (React, not 'frontend frameworks'), (2) Quantified achievements ('reduced latency by 40%', not 'improved performance'), and (3) System-level impact ('architected microservices for 50K users', not 'wrote code'). In 2026, ATS systems scan for specific keywords like Microservices, CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes, REST APIs, and cloud platforms. Missing even 2-3 of these can drop your score below the threshold. Not sure which keywords you are missing? Scan your CV with our free tool to find out.

How do I write a software engineer CV with no experience?

Use this formula for class projects and side projects: [Action Verb] + [What You Built] + [Technologies Used] + [Quantifiable Result]. Example: 'Developed a full-stack e-commerce platform using React, Node.js, and MongoDB, implementing user authentication with JWT and payment integration with Stripe.' Even without work experience, showcasing personal projects, open source contributions, and hackathon projects with specific technologies proves you can build production-quality software.

What are the best ATS keywords for a software engineer CV in 2026?

The most impactful keywords fall into five categories: Programming Languages (JavaScript, Python, Java, TypeScript, Go), Frameworks (React, Node.js, Next.js, Spring Boot, Django), Cloud & DevOps (AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, GitHub Actions, Terraform), System Design (Microservices, Distributed Systems, REST APIs, GraphQL, Event-Driven Architecture), and Testing (Jest, Cypress, Playwright, TDD). Over 97% of tech companies use ATS to filter resumes. Upload your CV to see exactly which keywords you are missing.

How long should a software engineer CV be?

One page if you have under 10 years of experience. Two pages maximum for senior engineers, tech leads, or engineering managers with 10+ years. ATS systems parse the entire document regardless of length, but recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds on initial screening. Front-load your strongest keywords, metrics, and achievements on page one. Every line must earn its space.

Should I include a GitHub link on my software engineer CV?

Yes, but curate it first. Recruiters will check. Pin 3-6 repositories that demonstrate your best work: clean code, documentation, meaningful commit history, and technologies relevant to your target role. Remove half-finished projects and tutorial clones. A well-maintained GitHub with starred projects and consistent commit activity signals engineering discipline that ATS cannot measure but hiring managers value.

What is the difference between a software engineer resume and CV?

In the US, a 'resume' is a 1-2 page summary of relevant experience tailored per job application. In the UK, Europe, and Australia, a 'CV' (Curriculum Vitae) serves the same purpose but may include more detail. Both are parsed by ATS the same way. The keywords, formatting rules, and optimization strategies are identical. The main difference is regional terminology. Regardless of which you use, the same ATS keywords (React, AWS, CI/CD, Microservices) determine whether your application passes the automated filter.

97% of tech companies use ATS

Software Engineer CV
Example (2026)

Name: ResumeAdapter
Rating: 4.8 (1250 reviews)
Author: ResumeAdapter

Most software engineer CVs score below 50% on ATS systems. See exactly why yours might be failing. 75% never reach a recruiter.

Free foreverFull analysisWorks with your existing CV

What ATS systems actually see

Toggle between a typical software engineer CV and an optimized version. Notice what changes.

Generic descriptions and soft skills make this resume hard to scan and easy to ignore.

✗ Generic soft skills that every applicant claims. ATS cannot match 'Hard Worker' to any job requirement.

✗ 'Helped the team' shows no ownership. Recruiters need to see YOU led something, not that you assisted.

✗ 'Some backend stuff' is unprofessional and unmatchable. Always name your exact tech stack.

✗ 'Wrote tests' could mean 2 tests or 200. No tools, no outcome shown.

✗ 'Make reports faster' has no baseline, no result. How much faster?

✗ Hobbies waste space on a software engineer resume. Use it for certifications, publications, or open source contributions instead.

Alex Chen

Software Developer

Seattle, WA · alex.chen@email.com · linkedin.com/in/alexchen · github.com/alexchen

Professional Summary

Passionate software developer with experience in coding and web development. Strong problem solver and team player who is always eager to learn new technologies. Looking for a challenging role where I can use my programming skills to build great software and grow as a developer.

Core Skills

CodingTeam PlayerHard WorkerMicrosoft OfficeProblem SolvingGood Communicator

Professional Experience

CloudScale Technologies

Mar 2022 - Present

Software Developer

Responsible for writing code and maintaining the backend systems.
Helped the team develop new features and fix bugs in the application.
Worked on improving the CI/CD pipeline and deployment process.

NexGen Startup

Jun 2020 - Feb 2022

Junior Developer

Worked on the front-end using React and some backend stuff.
Made API integrations for payment processing.
Wrote tests and helped with code reviews.

TechBridge Solutions

May 2019 - Aug 2019

Intern

Helped fix bugs and wrote some Python scripts.
Worked on database queries to make reports faster.
Attended meetings and learned about agile development.

Education

University of Washington

Computer Science degree

2016 - 2020

Certifications & Awards

AWS certification
Scrum cert
Employee of the Month (2022)

Languages

English (Native) • Mandarin (Conversational)

Interests & Hobbies

Gaming
Watching tech YouTube
Building side projects
Hiking

✗ Zero matchable keywords. 'Passionate' and 'team player' appear on 90% of rejected resumes. ATS finds nothing to score.

✗ 'Responsible for writing code' is the #1 antipattern on software engineer resumes. Zero metrics, no tech stack named.

✗ 'Worked on improving' is vague. What did you actually do? What improved?

✗ 'Made' is a weak verb. No scale, no tool named, no reliability proof.

✗ 'Some Python scripts' gives no sense of volume or impact. Quantify everything.

✗ 'Attended meetings' is not a resume bullet. Show what you contributed, not what you observed.

✗ Vague duties like "Responsible for", soft skills like "Hard Worker", and buzzwords like "synergistic" — no keywords for recruiters to find. This resume gets buried.

Wondering if YOUR CV has these same problems?

Keywords ATS Systems Scan For

These are the exact terms recruiters and ATS systems filter by for software engineer roles. Missing even 2-3 can drop your score below the threshold.

Microservices

CI/CD

Distributed Systems

RESTful API

Latency

Scalability

System Architecture

Refactoring

Agile/Scrum

Cloud-Native

Containerization (Docker/Kubernetes)

Unit Testing

Load Balancing

How many of these are on your CV?

Examples by Experience Level

Select your level. See the exact verbs, bullets, and metrics that ATS systems reward at each stage.

Action Verbs

DevelopedDesignedCollaboratedOptimizedIntegratedReducedDebuggedAutomatedImplementedTested

Metrics to Include

Efficiency Gains (%)
Load Time (s/ms)
Database Query Speed
User Engagement (%)
API Response Time
Feature Launch Success Rate
Manual Effort Reduction

Example CV Bullets

Ship independently

Developed a customer-facing dashboard using React/Node.js, improving page load times by 42% and increasing daily active users (DAU) by 20%.

Integrated a third-party payment gateway API, enabling the processing of $1.5M in monthly transactions with zero reported downtime incidents.

Automated unit and integration testing into the CI/CD pipeline, raising code coverage from 55% to 82% and cutting post-release defects by 28%.

Are your bullets this specific?

Phrases That Get Software Engineers Rejected

Listing languages isn't enough. Context matters. "JavaScript" is good; "Built REST APIs with Node.js" is hired.

Responsible for writing code and debugging issues.

Describes a job, not an achievement. Every developer writes code. ATS sees zero differentiating keywords.

Architected a real-time notification service using Node.js and WebSockets, reducing user response latency by 65% across 30K+ concurrent sessions.

Helped the team develop new features.

'Helped' shows no ownership. Recruiters need to see YOU led, designed, or built something.

Led feature development for the payments module, shipping 3 major releases in Q2 that increased checkout conversion by 18%.

Proficient in Java, Python, and other languages.

'Other languages' is unmatchable. ATS needs exact terms. List every language, framework, and tool explicitly.

Proficient in Java, Python, TypeScript, Go. Frameworks: Spring Boot, Django, React, Next.js. Tools: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform.

Worked on a project to improve performance.

No specifics: which project, what tech, how much improvement? This tells a recruiter nothing.

Optimized PostgreSQL query performance for the analytics dashboard, reducing p95 response time from 1.2s to 180ms (85% improvement).

Assisted in development and testing.

'Assisted' is passive. Even junior engineers should show concrete contributions with measurable outcomes.

Developed and maintained 150+ unit tests using Jest, increasing test coverage from 45% to 88% and catching 12 critical regressions pre-release.

Wore many hats.

Meaningless phrase that ATS cannot parse. Describe the actual roles and technologies you used.

Served as both frontend engineer (React/TypeScript) and DevOps lead (AWS, Terraform), managing the full deployment pipeline for a 3-person startup.

Recognize any of these on your CV?

Certifications That Boost Your ATS Score

Include the full name AND the acronym. ATS systems may scan for either.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect

Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate

Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE Developer

Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP)

Frequently Asked Questions

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