Software Engineer CV —
Beat ATS & Impress Tech Recruiters
ATS-optimized, skills-first format that works for FAANG, startups, and everything in between
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Build my CV in 2 minutes →What makes a software engineer CV work
Four principles that separate the CV that gets interviews from the one that gets filtered out
Skills section first
List your tech stack in the top 1/3 of the CV: languages, frameworks, databases, tools, cloud. Recruiters ATS-scan for these keywords before reading anything else.
Projects beat job titles
A GitHub link + 2–3 impactful side projects outweigh 5 years at an unknown company. Show what you built, the stack you used, and the measurable impact.
Quantify your impact
"Reduced API latency by 40%" beats "improved performance". Use real numbers from every role — response times, user counts, cost savings, deployment frequency.
No photo, no hobbies
Tech CVs (especially for US/UK/NL) omit photos. Keep 1 page (junior–3 years) or 2 pages max (senior+). Skip the hobbies section — it wastes recruiter attention.
5 tips to write an ATS-beating tech CV
- Put your tech stack in the Skills section, not buried in job descriptionsATS scans for keywords at the top of your document first. A dedicated Skills section with your languages and frameworks scores highest.
- Add your GitHub, LinkedIn, and portfolio URL in the headerRecruiters click these before reading your work history. A strong GitHub profile with pinned repos can replace 2 bullet points of description.
- Quantify with real numbers"Deployed microservices handling 2M requests/day" stands out. If you don't have exact numbers, use reasonable estimates — but make sure they're defensible in an interview.
- Match keywords from the job description exactlyATS counts keyword frequency. If the job says "TypeScript" and your CV says "TS", you may score lower than a weaker candidate who used the full term.
- 1 page for fewer than 5 years of experience, 2 pages max for senior rolesNo exceptions. A 3-page junior CV signals you can't prioritize — which is a red flag for an engineering role.
CV format by experience level
What to emphasize at each career stage
| Aspect | Junior Dev (0–3 yrs) | Senior Dev (5+ yrs) | Staff / Principal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 1 page | 1–2 pages | 2 pages |
| Focus | Projects + education | Impact + leadership | Architecture + strategy |
| Skills section | Prominent at top | Top with depth | Selective (key only) |
| GitHub | Essential | Important | Optional |
| Photo | Never (tech norms) | Never | Never |
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about software engineer CVs
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