Entry Level Software Engineer Resume—Sample and Tips

Technically, you can write code. However, you can’t shake the feeling the veteran engineers look at you as a coffee making function with opinions. These guys started coding before Y2K, and know some old, Elvish-like coding languages. Hell, one of them even knows actual Elvish.

The job market is not logical, the rules and criteria are often a blackbox, and little bugs can completely torpedo the chances of your entry level software engineer resume. Your entry level software engineer resume is your API—this is how you communicate with your potential employers. 

Make sure you don’t get 404’d. 

In this guide: 

• Entry level software engineer resume sample that gets routed straight to interview.
• Tips for listing your education, certifications, and skills for new grad software engineer jobs.
• Expert hints to write the best possible job description. 

Here’s an entry-level software engineer resume sample that works smoothly like Python, not clunky and confusing like Scala.

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Considering other paths? See our dedicated resume guides:

• Software Engineer Resume Sample
• DevOps Resume Sample
• Programmer Resume Sample
• Full Stack Developer Resume Sample
• Front-End Developer Resume Sample
• Java Developer Resume Sample
• iOS Developer Resume Sample
• Web Developer Resume Sample
• Engineering Resume Sample
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• Entry-Level Engineering Resume Sample
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• New Graduate Resume Sample
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Entry Level Software Engineer Resume Sample You Can Copy and Use

Let’s start troubleshooting your own entry level software engineer resume: 

1. Defrag Your Resume Format

You can have the best, most informative and valuable app in the world. Nobody will touch it if it doesn’t have an attractive and intuitive UX. Things should be where the user expects them to be. 

You can write good code in Notepad. A resume for entry level software engineers requires a little more sophistication. 

Follow these simple rules to make sure everything presents properly on all devices:

Entry Level Software Engineer Resume Format

• The chronological resume format will bring your most relevant experience to the top. 
• Choose from the classic resume fonts like Calibri or Arial in 10–12pt.
• Set 1-inch resume margins, and use white space to guide their eyes. 
• The one-page resume is sufficient. Two-page resumes work best for candidates with lots of experience.
• Order your resume sections like this: Header, Objective, Experience, Education, and “Additional.”
• Add your GitHub in the header.
• Use a simple resume template for enhanced readability. Best resume templates are also ATS-compliant.
• Send your resume as a PDF, unless it says otherwise. 

Write an address on your resume only when the job offer asks you to or the employer is looking for local candidates specifically.

2. Compile an Entry Level Software Engineer Resume Objective

Imagine you had to work magic with five lines of code. Fortunately, the English language is more magical than any coding language in terms of persuading people to hire you. You only have 6 seconds of attention on your resume. That’s why you need to write a concise resume profile. 

Set out your ambition in a resume objective. If you don’t have internships or work experience, pick private projects and achievements from school and college to talk about. You can also give some space to your certifications, which you should definitely look into to beef up your resume.

Entry Level Software Engineer Resume Objective—Example

Starting your resume with a career objective comes much easier once you have finished the rest of your resume and you know what you want to compile into your 6 second kernel.

Expert Hint: A good LinkedIn profile can go a very long way. If someone goes to that extent to find out more about you, make sure you reward them with something interesting, so they reward you with that job. Check out our LinkedIn career advice.

3. Write a Winning Entry Level Software Engineer Job Description and Skills Section

BLS reports that the demand for software engineers will not slow down any time soon, and will keep growing at 21% for the next decade. How can you get ahead of the competition?

First of all, you must tailor your resume for each application. Prioritize those technologies and aspects of the job that the job ad places an emphasis on. Use resume power words such as modified, streamlined, updated to show your impact. Chances are, they’ll be using ATS software on your resume that will scan it for these keywords, too. So make sure you offer them an ATS-friendly resume.

Second of all, you must quantify your impact whenever possible. Record a range of 5-10 different bullet points that show you understand the extent of the job. Check out this job description from one of our modern resume templates:

Entry Level Software Engineer Job Description

Remember: internships on a resume count as work experience. The same applies to volunteering. But if you have zero professional experience whatsoever, you can simply skip this section and move straight to your list of skills for a resume. 

If you are writing a resume with no experience, avoid general phrases such as computer skills—instead list the software that you know in detail.

Entry Level Software Engineer Skills for Resume

Soft Skills

• Collaboration
• Critical Thinking
• Interpersonal Skills
• Decision Making
• Detail Oriented
• Dependability
• Communication
• Problem Solving
• Perceptiveness
• Self Motivated

Hard Skills

• ANGULAR
• ASP.NET
• ASP.NET Core
• AWS
• Agile methodologies
• Bootstrap
• Browser Stack
• C#
• C++
• CSS
• Cyber Security
• Docker Cloud
• Entity
• F#
• Firebase
• HTML
• Indexing
• JIRA
• JQuery
• JavaScript
• LINQ
• MVC
• Oracle
• Redash
• SQL
• Visual Basic
• Web API

Expert Hint: Listing all your skills and stacks is cool, but can you really make it work? Especially fresh out of school? Add your best projects to a GitHub profile and include it in your resume.

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4. Debug Your Education Section

The more education you collect on your entry level software engineer resume, the less relevant your formal education will be, and the shorter this section. After all, processing power doubled during the time you were at school. 

For now, list your school, degree name, graduation date, and the GPA, if it’s good.

If this is your very first job or you’re writing a college graduate resume, compensate for your lack of experience with relevant coursework or achievements / awards sections. List the courses and grades that most fit what’s going to be required of you in the new position.

Here’s how to list education on your resume:

Entry Level Software Engineer Resume Sample—Education

5. Ship Your Resume With Added Sections

Any bandwidth remaining? Feel free to import some bonus resume sections. Just remember to keep it relevant to the position you’re applying to. Your certifications can play a huge role here, and that’s an avenue of development to consider if you lack personal projects.

You can also choose from these sections:

• Awards
• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Hobbies and Interests
• Volunteering
• Professional References
• Skills—if you haven’t included them as part of your other sections

Just see how different these two entry level software engineer resume examples are:

Entry Level Software Engineer Resume Example—Extra Sections

One final step—

You need a software engineer cover letter. About half of managers won’t read your resume without a cover letter attached.

Expert Hint: Certifications are a foolproof way to get your resume pinged back to interview. Database certifications crop up more often as requirements in job offers, according to Business News Daily. Oracle and IBM certifications are still very significant. Make sure you check out our guide to putting certifications on a resume once you have them. 

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

To patch your entry level software engineer resume to the newest version:

• Format your resume properly—margins, fonts, 1 page, reverse chronological.
• Use our open-source entry level software engineer resume sample. 
• Inject your job description with achievements and numbers regarding your performance. 
• Add your certifications, skills and other bonus sections—if relevant.
• Write a cover letter. 

Got questions on how to write a great resume for entry level software engineer jobs? Did our entry level software engineer resume sample help? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply.