If you are on the hunt for a new job as a Programmer, it is imperative that you look through a few well-written Programmer resume examples. This is a very competitive field, and you need to show more than simple programming and coding skills to land yourself an interview. That is what we are here for. Allow us to show you how to create an interview landing resume!
What you can read in this article
The beauty of programming is that it can be done anywhere globally, and many companies outsource their programmers from countries where there are lower wages. It is predicted that employment for programmers is likely to shrink by 7% over the next ten years. Do not stress, in any case. There are still major corporations that require on-site programmers. This, however, means that there will be an increase in the amount of competition. The best way to fight the competition is by writing a resume a stands out from everyone else, and that is exactly what this guide will show you:
Firstly, you need to show that you can be an effective team player. It is highly likely that you will be placed in a team and asked to either complete tasks together in smaller groups or individually in a large group.
Secondly, whether you are an entry-level, mid-level, or experience Programmer, there are specific tasks that you have been required to do in previous positions. When listing your experience, ensure that you are specific about the particular responsibilities and duties you were given, allowing the reader to ascertain your competency level.
This is very important information and needs to be easy for the reader to find. Ensure that you highlight this information in your experience section.
Lastly, you need to describe your experience within this industry. Whether it is in a small start-up company, or a huge multinational firm, Programmers will always be needed to test, develop, and monitor applications and software. Use the SIC codes on the U.S. Bureau of Labor website to identify the right categories you need to list.
Due to the ranging roles and duties of Programmers, we have listed several usual tasks you may be required to do:
The role of your career summary is that of an introduction. It is a short paragraph between 5-6 lines in length that provides a quick snapshot of who you are and what you have to offer.
This is the first section that a hiring manager will read, which means it needs to be well written and should only reflect the most important information. Use the job description to identify the most important skills, qualities, and achievements the employer is looking for, and tailor your career summary/objective to reflect them.
We recommend that you use the specific keywords from the job description to create a sentence that highlights any of your exceptional qualities.
Lastly, finish off your career summary with a short sentence highlighting your most impressive educational qualifications or certifications.
If you are unsure whether to choose a career summary or objective, here is how to decide:
“Dedicated Programmer competent in following conventional practices and working independently. Offering technical expertise in programming and application analysis and design. Brilliant team player with in-depth knowledge of development tools and languages. Excellent JavaScript knowledge base with 6+ years of industry experience as part of a computer program development team. Competent at explaining complex computer development ideas to any audience.”
“Proficient Programmer with 3+ years of experience in full SDLC creating dynamic web applications. Updates functionality founded on customer desires to guarantee an outstanding user experience. Other tenures include developing websites, applications, and intricate programs while at University. Competent in Oracle, Tomcat Apache, MySQL, PL/SQL, Ajax V.B., JavaScript, ASP, CSS, and HTML.”
“Experienced and well-organized computer science graduate with a B.S. from UCLA (GPA 3.8). Enthusiastic about joining Two Oceans as a junior Programmer to design game-changing e-commerce solutions. Established a custom-made e-commerce cart module on RESTful. Completed a 6-month Java development internship experience at Oracle.”
“Hard-working listing Programmer, eager to create elegant solutions in the least amount of time. As a freelance programmer, created SAS datasets of clinical data and developed macro programs to improve the quality and efficiency of data management for Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Looking to use my programming skills to help boost Piper Companies’ data management efficiency.”
In most cases, employers expect their Programmers to do more than simple computer programming. You will likely be asked to partake in whole software development or to implement different technologies to achieve business goals. This is intricate work, but your resume needs to be the opposite.
The best resumes are clear and concise, which can be achieved by using specific formats to list your experience.
Remember, recruiters and hiring managers do not spend hours of their time reading meticulously through every resume they receive. In actuality, they simply scan your resume looking for information that will catch their eye and interest them enough to want to read more. Y
ou, therefore, need to ensure that your most impressive information is an easy read and captures the reader’s attention.
One of the best ways to do this in your experience section is by listing your employment history in reverse chronological order. This allows for your most recent and most impressive work experience to be read first.
Now that you know how to list your information effectively, it is time to add some extra information.
Every job title you mention needs to be accompanied by 5-6 bullet points highlighting the duties and responsibilities you were given.
Back these statements up with hard numbers and percentages that show you were an invaluable asset to the company.
Do not forget to read through the job description to outline the skills and qualities the employer is looking for. Once you have done this, you can integrate these keywords into your statements.
Examples
(Jan 2011 – Current)
Responsible for providing valuable designs for developing projects involving application development, migrations, and additions to existing applications for all corporate and regional office in the group with an employee count of 2500 individuals
(Jan 2008 – Feb 2011)
Responsible for developing and maintaining automated processes for data loading, report generation, data transfers, and quality control for the mobile application platforms used within the marketing and advertising department of the group.
Below we have provided a list of crucial duties that Programmers will likely have to do:
Some really good news is that programming projects are never hard to find and will often only take you a couple of days to complete. These will add much-needed relevant job experience to your resume. Below are a few coding project ideas:
Your accomplishments section is where you can take your resume to the next level. Here you can include all of your most admirable achievements that showoff your ability to be a successful programmer worthy of being employed.
There are, however, a few things to keep in mind when listing your accomplishments.
Firstly, keep in mind that the person reading your resume may not be as tech-savvy as you are and will not be able to understand code. It would help if you wrote your achievements to easily make sense of any Tom, Dick, and Harry.
Secondly, you need to prove every statement you make. Quantification is key.
Proving your achievement statements is crucial; otherwise, the employer has nothing to measure you against. Adding quantifiable information such as percentages, rankings, scores, dollar values, scopes, and metrics will significantly improve your resume's quality.
This may come as a relief, but your education is not always an employer’s main focus, and we recommend that you situate your experience section above your education section.
Be this as it may, your education section is still important and should not be neglected. Typically, you are required to have achieved a bachelor’s degree at a minimum, but if you have obtained higher qualifications, ensure that they are listed first. You want the reader to focus on the most impressive information.
When listing your educational information, simply begin with your graduation date, the name of the qualification, the name of the institution where you obtained the qualification, and lastly, the name of the city and abbreviated state name.
Follow the same format for your certifications and industry licenses.
Remember to include any qualification you are in the process of completing.
In some cases, programmers are self-taught and may have a degree in an unrelated field. This is perfectly fine, simply include both the unrelated degree and the online courses you completed.
*Pro Tip: If you have relevant work experience, do not include your GPA unless the job description specifically asks for it.
2020 – Master’s in Electronic computer science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO.
Relevant Courses: Compilers and operating systems, systems and architecture, fundamentals of computer science, data structures, information theory, and web applications and databases.
2016 – Bachelor of Science in Computer Programming, Harvard University, Boston, MA.
2013 – Certified JavaScript, HTML5, and Microsoft; Computer Learning Center, Boston, MA
2012 – Project Management Professional Certification – PMP Global, Online
In this field, your technical skills arevery important; however, you need to highlight that you have effective soft skills as well.
These two sets of skills allow employers to gauge if you will be a meaningful addition to their company.
Before you start listing your skills, you need to read through the job description one more time to identify the specific skills and qualities the employer is looking for.
You may have a countless number of technical skills to offer, but if you list skills that are not relevant to the job you are applying for, the reader will become uninterested.
Furthermore, hiring managers expect to see that you have interpersonal skills that allow you to communicate effectively and work well with fellow employees.
The best way to list your hard and soft skills is by using a skills matrix.
Create one for your technical skills and one for your soft skills. Remember to include a competency table for your technical skills.
| Competency | Expert Level 1-Novice, 2-Intermediate, 3-Expert |
|---|---|
| JSP | Level 2 |
| Relational databases | Level 1 |
| Software design and architecture | Level 3 |
| J2EE framework | Level 3 |
| Object-oriented analysis and design | Level 1 |
| Java-based web services | Level 2 |
| Enterprise java beans | Level 2 |
| XML | Level 1 |
| X query, XSL | Level 3 |
| Test-driven development | Level 3 |
| SQL and ORM | Level 3 |
| Microservices | Level 2 |
| DevOps tools (Jenkins, Docker) | Level 1 |
| Spring framework | Level 3 |
| Junit and Mockito | Level 2 |
| Angular | Level 3 |
| JVM Internals | Level 3 |
| Design patterns | Level 2 |
| Kotlin | Level 1 |
| React | Level 2 |
| Learn APIs and Libraries | Level 3 |
| Concurrency | Level 3 |
| Organization | Facilitation | Flexible |
| Team Player | Attention to detail | Cooperative |
| Written Communication | Time Management | Analytical Thinking |
| Verbal Communication | Punctual | Initiative |
| Reliable | Meticulous | Dependable |
| Prioritization | Sound Judgement | Stress Tolerance |
| Trustworthy | Creative Problem Solving | Persistent |
| Cooperative | Adaptable | Unconventional |
| Task Orientated | Analytical | Independent |
| BSc Computer programming | J Certified Scrum Master | Sun Certified Java programmer |
| Oracle certified java programmer | Salesforce.com certified administrator | Oracle certified professional |
| SCJP | Ava SE 6 programmer | Sun certified web component developer |
| PMP | Certified Scrum Master (CSM) | Apache spark developer certification- HDPCD |
| Spring professional certifications | Microsoft azure solutions certification | Project management professional certification |
One of the unfortunate problems with most Programmer resumes is that they all look almost identical.
A great way to work around this, and stand out from other applicants, is by creating an optional extras section. You can include further information about any professional certifications you have obtained, or volunteer work you have provided.
Other ideas include:
Sectors: Various
Career Type: Development, Coding, Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Programming, Architecture, Networks
Person type: Writer, Debugger, Coder, Creator, Implementer, Designer, Developer, Facilitator, Fixer
Education levels: From Bachelor’s Degree upwards
Salary indication: From $48 373 (Indeed)
Labor market: Between 10% and 21% from 2018 to 2028 (BLS)
Organizations: All
