Software Developer CV Example, Template & Writing Guide

‘Oh, so you make iPhone apps?’ on the one hand and ‘Are you full stack?’ on the other. One is an ice cube on the tip of the iceberg and the other generally doesn’t make much sense. It’s fun to imagine that your CV goes straight to a senior software developer or the CTO, but the truth is often a little different.

What you need is a way to make your skills, knowledge, and experience easy to parse for front-line filterers of job applications (whether human or automated). Read further to learn how.

In this guide, you'll be presented with an expert software developer CV example that works well for a software engineer CV, too. You'll also learn how to write a software developer CV that conveys the most significant data. On top of that, we'll equip you with dedicated software developer and software engineer CV examples to best prove your achievements and skills.

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Need a different CV example? Check these guides:

• Computer Science CV
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• Data Entry CV
• Data Scientist CV
• Digital Marketing CV
• DevOps Engineer CV
• Engineering CV
• Front-End Developer CV
• Information Technology (IT) CV
• Mechanical Engineering CV
• Project Manager CV
• Site Manager CV
• Web Developer CV

Your job is not on the list? See our full list of CV examples.

Software developer CV example

Now you know what a CV should look like. The good news is, the above template should work for a software egineer CV, too. You'll often hear people using these two terms interchangeably.

There's a difference between a software developer and a software engineer, though:

• Software Developers' work focuses mostly on creating application software, so they're experts in coding and programming.
• Software Engineers work on a larger scale. They handle entire computer systems and application software, including design, testing, implementation, and maintenance.

Now, here’s a step-by-step formula to make either a good software developer CV or a software engineer CV:

1. Launch your software developer CV with a personal statement

The best way to start a CV is to write a personal statement. It's also known as CV summary as it summarises your proudest software development wins, professional experiences and skills. Its aim is to:

• Introduce you as a software developer
• Give a taste of what you have to offer
• Describe your goals and how they match the company’s.

You’ll be writing a new CV personal statement for each job application. To stop you having to reinvent the grep command every time, here’s a paint-by-numbers—take a total of 3–4 sentences, 50–150 words, to answer all of these questions:

• What kind of software developer are you, and what’s your experience?
• In what industries/niches/environments are you experienced working?
• What’s your most impressive/relevant achievement?
• (Optional) What’s your most unique CV accomplishment?
• What are you hoping to be able to achieve in this job? (For your employer, not yourself).

Your application might be parsed and sorted by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), so it’s a good idea to mirror keywords from the job advert. Be sure to mention the name of the position you’re applying for as well as the company. All this holds true even if you know a given company doesn’t use an ATS.

The personal statement is obviously the first substantial part of any CV, but it’s best to write it towards the end. It’ll be much easier to do a good job of it once you have your job descriptions and skills prepared. So keep it in the back of your mind and come back to it later.

Software developer CV – personal statement example

Use the exact same formula when writing a personal statement for a software engineer CV. Here's how it may look:

Software engineer CV – personal statement example

This will be the first substantial part of your software engineer CV, but it’s best that you write it last. It’ll be much easier to do a great job once you have your job description achievements prepared (that's why it is also called a CV summary).

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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2. Add a software developer CV work experience section

It’s often best to go with a UI or layout which people are already familiar with. This is probably why so many Linux DEs look like macOS or Windows. It’s also why you should stick to a chronological format for your CV work experience section, listing your job descriptions from newest to oldest.

Use this template to create a subheading for each job description:

[Job Title]

[Company Name, Location]

[Dates of Employment]

Regardless of whether you are writing a software developer or software engineer CV, populate each job description with up to six bullet points. Do not list your duties. Instead, focus on measurable outcomes and quantifiable achievements. Quantify every bullet point. Use accomplishment statements. Try structuring them around something like accomplishment statements if you’re stuck.

Writing a graduate software developer CV with little or no experience? Focus on any internships, placement work, and volunteer work you’ve done and use the same kinds of accomplishment statements to show your transferable skills. If you have no experience at all, then consider writing a student CV instead.

Software developer job description example

In case of a software engineer CV, focus on the above guidelines, but think about how you can emhpasize accomplishments specific to your profession:

Software engineer job description example

Order your work experience section chronologically, starting from your most recent job description and working your way back from there. This is what hiring managers and HR people expect to see. It’s also going to be more readily parsed by an ATS.

3. Include an education section in your software developer CV

It’s not easy to get on a software development career path without at least a BSc. And though a CV stands for “Curriculum vitae”, which is Latin for “course of life”, you don't need to describe your whole life story. When it comes to the education section, simply stick to listing university degrees, include the type, name and class of your degree, the years you attended (with an expected graduation date if you’re still studying), and the name of the institution and its location.

Here’s another template to make the process that much faster: 

[Degree Type] [Degree Name] (Degree Class), [Years Studied]

[University Name], [Location]

If you're a junior software dev with no experience in the field, you can list extracurricular activites on your CV, too.

Software developer CV education section example

Since a formal education is going to be a requirement for the vast majority of software engineering jobs, too, make sure your education section puts your qualifications in the spotlight. List all of your A-levels by subject, the years during which you studied them, the name of the school and its location. Do the same for GCSEs but simply state how many you completed and mention Maths and English.

4. Showcase your software developer skills in your CV

While your experience will first and foremost answer questions of what you’ve done in the past, your skills point more obviously to what you’re capable of in the future. You’ll want to at least address every skill listed in the job advert. You’ll need to prepare some resources before you do that, though.

In a separate file, make a list of all your software developer skills. Be sure to include soft, hard and IT skills. You probably won’t have an even mix, but you should have some of each kind, especially soft. List anything and everything that comes to mind, not just what the current advert requires (don't forget communication skills).

Now add a sentence to each skill through which you show how you’ve demonstrated that skill in the past. If you can’t do this for a particular skill, then it drops off your list (for now, at least). You now have a master list of skills for this job application and any future ones.

Finally, simply copy 5–10 skills from your master list into your CV. Pay attention to keywords used in the advert and substitute synonyms where necessary to match the advert. Don't feel tempted to lie on your CV. An experienced recruiter will quickly see through it.

Software developer CV skills

Since there are differences between the software developer and the software engineer competencies, see how to present your technical skill set the best way possible when crafting your software engineer CV:

Software engineer CV skills

Set your job advert and CV aside for the moment. Make a list of as many of your software engineering skills as you can. It’s normal if you have more technical and IT skills than soft, but make an effort to include soft skills as well—they're in demand.

“When hiring a software developer, I focus on the specific role—whether it's React, Python, frontend, or backend—and look for expertise in the relevant technologies. I also value candidates who can provide concrete examples of how they've applied these skills in past projects, demonstrating problem-solving abilities and the impact of their work”.

5. Plug in extra sections to augment your software developer CV

Stand out from all the other software developers and paint a fuller portrait of yourself as a worker by adding extra sections to your CV. This is where you get to choose the playing field, so there’s no excuse not to have all the winning entries.

Include any additional qualifications you have, languages you speak, programming languages that maybe aren’t directly relevant to the position at hand, awards you’ve won, your hobbies and interests—the sky’s the limit, just keep it basically relevant to the job. Don't include references on your CV, though. It's an outdated practice.

Software developer CV extra sections example

Additional sections can make for powerful add-ons to your software engineer CV, too. The only trick is to keep them relevant to the job at hand. Get inspired by the above software CV developer example, and create similar for your software engineering CV.

6. Package your CV with a software developer cover letter

Think of your CV as software that’s designed to be launched through a client. That client is your cover letter. It’s old-fashioned and some employers will never read it, this is true. This doesn’t change the fact that a job application is made up of two documents: a cover letter and a CV, in that order.

The one and only exception to this is if you’ve been explicitly told not to include a cover letter, then you’re absolved. Otherwise, you may as well write the best cover letter you can so as not to drag your CV down, if nothing else. Your cover letter should follow the standard cover letter structure, with:

• A properly laid-out header
• An appropriate salutation (address your cover letter to the hiring manager)
• A strong, impressive cover letter opening
• A showcase of achievements
• An efficient cover letter ending and CTA
• The right sign-off

Your cover letter should be short—over half an A4 page but no longer than one A4 page, about 200–350 words in total. You’re basically halfway there to having it written once you’ve finished your personal statement, job descriptions, and soft and technical skills list.

7. Software developer CV UX and other considerations to keep in mind

There’s no lack of great software solutions out there that are hamstrung by abysmal UX. People don’t generally use them unless they’re forced to. No one’s going to be forced to read your CV, so keep the following basic CV formatting rules in mind:

• Leave your personal details near the top of your CV. Don't list your addess or date of birth on your CV (it's old fashioned).
• For a neat CV layout, use subheadings and white space aplenty to clearly break your CV down into sections.
• Choose an appropriate CV font like Noto, Garamond, Arial, or the default Liberation.
• Use a simple CV template if you're applying to a traditional company. You can try LaTex CV templates, too, if you're familiar with the tool. Makre sure your CV design matches the design of your cover letter.
• Attach your CV as a PDF file unless explicitly asked for something else.
• Should a CV be one page? Keep to a one-page per decade of experience maximum, never going over two pages

For a perfect CV, proofread and spellcheck your document. Get another set of eyeballs on both documents. Use any of the apps, web apps, or programmes out there that can help you with spelling and grammar. Do you take an app seriously after spotting a spelling mistake in its UI?

One last piece of CV advice: when sending your software developer or software engineer CV as an e-mail attachment, try not to use "Please find atteached my CV" in the body of your message. "I’ve included my CV below." sounds more natural.

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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Did you find what you were looking for? Do let me know in the comments below if there’s anything you need more information about writing a software developer CV. Drop us a line also if you have any advice to share with your fellow readers.

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Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.