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Kathy knew how to test, troubleshoot, configure, and code to carve out a niche within her team. She’d been fortunate enough to snag a good internship right after her computer science degree, and had one programming job under her belt after that. Kathy couldn’t wait to launch her career even further—maybe one day she’d be working for a household-name software company!
Using research skills gained during troubleshooting and project research sessions, Kathy found us. She sighed with relief, seeing the exact guidance she needed in our resume templates and free cover letter generator. With her ambition, it didn’t take long to make a resume and ace the interviewing process to land her next dream job.
Don’t miss our programmer resume examples and tips to find success like Kathy!
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A programmer creates web applications or programs or makes improvements to existing software through coding and markup writing. While the terms “web developer” and “web programmer” are often used interchangeably, programmers also tend to focus on troubleshooting and maintaining applications’ code. Programmers use several programming languages to develop applications, such as Python or JavaScript.
Applying for a programmer role can be daunting, especially if you don’t have a programmer resume. A well-structured resume is essential to ensuring potential employers give you the time of day and shortlist you for an interview. But if you don’t perfect your programmer resume, so it best highlights your skills and experience, you might not stand out from the crowd.
In this article, we’ll take a look at four ways to perfect your programmer resume:
The skills section on your programmer resume helps recruiters and hiring managers determine whether you could be a good match for the job vacancy. However, not including the right ones could pull you out of the game before your application is even viewed by a human, especially for more competitive roles.
Most companies use automated applicant tracking systems (ATS) that rely on algorithms to scan resumes for certain keywords, such as required skills. Without the right type (or amount) of skills, the ATS will reject your resume.
To ensure that doesn’t happen, use bulleted keywords in your skills section to highlight your hard skills, so the ATS will move you on to the next round. Make sure only to include skills you’d be comfortable being interviewed about, and try to have no more than 10.
To beat the ATS consistently, you need to customize your resume for all the jobs for which you apply—based on the job description. By carefully reading the programmer vacancy, you can make sure to include the skills employers want to see while best highlighting your capabilities and knowledge.
Let’s look at a fictional example of a job vacancy excerpt, so we can look at some possible skills to include on your programmer resume.
The senior Python developer will develop back-end components and write scalable code. Must have experience in cloud technologies and implementing Agile methodologies. They will also improve existing systems’ functionality and regularly test and debug programs. Should have a deep knowledge of Python and relevant frameworks and at least one other back-end language and database management skills.
For a programmer job description like the above example, you could include the following skills:
Since this is a specialized programmer role, it’s important to include several Python-related skills, such as the language and relevant frameworks. The vacancy also emphasizes skills in another back-end language, so it makes sense to have JavaScript and React.js. You should also include at least one cloud technology (in this case, AWS) and then one or two relevant tools to provide a well-rounded overview of your expertise in other skills, like database or coding management.
Even though you should customize your programmer skills section to each job description, some skills will pop up in most vacancies, which means you should probably include at least some of them on your resume.
While not an exhaustive list, some of the top in-demand skills include:
Notice the specific job title listed beneath the applicant’s name in a simple, classic font.
One last point: what’s the difference between an objective and a summary? While they’re both about two or three sentences long and go at the top of your resume beneath your contact info, there are some important differences.
Objectives explain why your interests and experience are a good match for the vacancy you applied to, while summaries provide a high-level recap of your work history and accomplishments. You could use an objective if you’re transitioning into programming from another field or if you’re applying for an entry-level position. Meanwhile, a summary is great if you’ve got years of knowledge and niche expertise.
That said, you should only include either if it’s a strong, customized summary or objective that truly adds value. Recruiters spend just a few seconds reading your resume, and if it’s just fluff, it’s best to skip the statement.
Experienced programmer with knowledge of several programming languages, frameworks, and database management tools. Strong affinity for creating and troubleshooting applications.
This summary, while it uses nice vocab words like ‘affinity,’ is very generic and says nothing that a recruiter wouldn’t already expect from a programmer.
Seasoned programmer with 12+ years of experience, having developed and maintained 150+ applications and 110+ software artifacts in 4 different languages. Have managed 13 junior programmers and am passionate about mentoring early-stage programmers.
With this summary and the example below, you provide a quick overview of your biggest achievements and a snapshot of your work history—all with quantifiable facts to keep recruiters invested in your resume.
Returning to the objective, don’t write something like this: Seeking a Python programmer role to deepen my expertise in Python, Django, and other frameworks. Passionate about code maintenance and development.
Again, this objective adds no new information; this is all something a recruiter would quickly glean from the rest of your resume.
Experienced freelance programmer with 4+ years of experience in Python, Django, and other frameworks supplemented by 6+ years of data analysis skills. Looking to transition into a Python programmer to design scalable, user-friendly solutions at Deloitte.
This objective and the example below clearly show how your experience can transfer into the specific role you’re applying for while quickly stating your expectations, thus, adding value, not fluff.
The best way to concretely showcase your accomplishments on your CV is by leveraging metrics to quantify your impact. Including hard data and statistics will help you avoid a generic and vague resume while also helping your achievements stand out to your potential employer.
Not sure what metrics you should quantify? Consider:
Let’s look at one job description bullet point you could write for each of the above based on the resumes on this page.
If you take the time to quantify your programming accomplishments, you’ll be well on your way to getting shortlisted for that interview.
If there’s one point we’re trying to get across, it’s the importance of customizing your programming resume for each job vacancy. By submitting a unique, well-formatted resume, you’ll significantly increase your chances of getting the job.
Don’t worry; we’re not saying that you need to create a new resume from scratch every time. Instead, adjust, include, or add certain details to ensure it matches the vacancy to which you’re applying. Some of the sections you can customize to each programmer application include:
Now, let’s make this a bit more practical and look at how you could tailor various programmer resumes depending on the job vacancy.
It’s been a journey, but you’ve made it to the end of our guide on improving your programmer resume. While it can be challenging to create a resume for programming job apps, you’re well on your way by taking it seriously and putting your best foot forward.
You’re now well-equipped to:
Our resume tips will help you create a great programmer resume that’ll get you shortlisted for an interview sooner rather than later. If you need help starting your resume, leverage a free AI resume builder. Already have a resume, but need a sanity check? Use our free resume checker to get AI-powered tips, so your resume is at its very best.
That’s it: you’re good to go. Good luck (not that you need it because knowledge is empowerment) landing your next programming job!
