The summary
Three sentences: how long you have been doing this and with what, the one result you are proudest of, and the kind of team you want next. Hiring managers read the summary to decide whether to read the rest.
- Lead with years and the two or three technologies that define your work.
- Put one measured result in the summary — the number pulls the reader down the page.
- Say what you want next in one clause; it tells the reader which roles fit.
- No adjectives about yourself ("passionate", "hardworking"); results say it for you.
Works
Software engineer with 3 years building web products in TypeScript and Python. Shipped a checkout rewrite that cut payment failures by 31% and led the move of a 40-service backend to Kubernetes.
Does not
Passionate software developer with good knowledge of multiple languages and frameworks, looking for a challenging role to grow my skills.
Experience bullets
Each bullet is a verb, what you built, and what changed because of it. Three or four per role; the most impressive first.
Works
Rewrote the checkout flow in React and Node.js, cutting payment failures by 31%
Works
Led the migration of 40 services to Kubernetes with zero customer-facing downtime
Works
Added integration tests to a legacy monolith, raising coverage from 22% to 71%
Does not
Worked on various features of the application using React and Node.js as part of the team.
Skills worth listing
Group skills so a recruiter can scan them: languages, frameworks, infrastructure. Eight to twenty total, every one you could be interviewed on.
- Languages
- TypeScriptJavaScriptPythonJavaGoSQL
- Frameworks
- ReactNext.jsNode.jsFastAPISpring BootDjango
- Infrastructure
- KubernetesDockerAWSPostgreSQLRedisCI/CD
Format
- One page until about eight years of experience; two at most after.
- Single column, standard headings — hiring software reads it in order.
- A GitHub link only if the repositories are ones you would show in an interview.
- Technologies per role in a short line under the bullets, not inside them.