Whether you are new to the computer programming industry or a longtime professional programmer, you know that competition for open positions can be tough. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects computer programmer positions to decline slightly in the coming years, so you need your resume to be stronger than ever. One of the best ways to create an impressive resume is to study the sections, content, and formatting of existing programmer resume samples. To support you as you craft your document, we have collected some of the industry’s best examples and supplied some professional writing tips, too. Now you can create a resume that is crisp, clean, and results-oriented, just like the code you write!
Programmer Resume Samples
Looking for a temporary or permanent position as a professional programmer? These roles vary widely, so make sure you customize your resume to match your skills base and the position for which you are applying. Become the ideal candidate for the job by creating your document with the help of this resume sample and the accompanying professional writing tips.
- Entry-level and experienced computer programmers looking to secure positions in the computer-systems design and related services industry.
- Excellent analytical and deductive skills
- Keen active listening and problem-solving
- In-depth understanding of computers and computer systems
- Proven experience using compiler and decompiler software
- Proficiency in web platform development
For:
Programmer Skills To Include:
More Information: Browse our programmer resume sample for more ideas and information.
Popular Programmer Resume Questions
Technical skills are critical to any programmer position. On your resume they should be immediately accessible to hiring managers. These human resources professionals want to assess your experience and knowledge and see how up-to-date you are on technologies and languages. While you can and should touch on your major skill sets and personality traits in your summary statement, list your high-tech aptitudes in a separate technical skills/areas of expertise section. Format each skill as a bullet point in order of relevance to the advertised position. Check out our programmer resume samples for presentations of technical skills.
2. What is the best design for a programmer resume?Whether writing code or designing a resume, a simple and clean design is usually the most effective. Hiring managers want to get to the facts fast, so steer away from heavily designed or overly colorful presentations. Opt for a black and white resume in an easy-to-read font larger than 10pt. Make sure your section headings are clear and bold, and use bullet points where appropriate. Also, check that your line spacing and section breaks are consistent throughout the document. Uneven spacing and breaks are jarring to a hiring manager’s reading experience.
3. What’s the best length for a programmer resume?If you are an entry-level applicant, a one-page resume is standard. A two- or even three-page resume is typical for an experienced programmer. If your document does stretch to three pages, you may want to include separate sections for professional presentations or publications. Resumes of three pages or longer are acceptable only for executive-level candidates. Whichever resume length is appropriate for you, be sure to include the experiences and skills most relevant to the job for which you are applying. Refer to our programmer resume samples for documents of varying lengths.
4. What goes in the header of a programmer resume?Contact information goes in the header of a programmer resume. Include your name, city and state, email address, and telephone number. It is a resume best practice to use a professional-sounding personal email address rather than a workplace-related address. Also, format the phone number for readability using parentheses and/or hyphens. While complete home addresses are no longer required on standard domestic resumes, do include your city and state for geographical context. Visit our programmer resume samples to see examples of contact information in resume headers.
5. How do I list awards on my programmer resume?If you have numerous awards and room on your resume, you may choose to include an achievements/accomplishments section. If you are still building professional successes and have only one or two awards, a better tactic is to include these within your experience section. Your documented successes will nicely offset your documented responsibilities and duties. This style of presentation encourages the hiring manager to associate your actions with success, which helps you stand out from the other candidates. Check out our programmer resume samples for examples of presentations of awards and accomplishments.
How to write a Programmer Resume
Programming roles vary considerably and so you will need to tailor your programmer resume according to your skills and the job/s applied for. The best structure for programmer resumes is detailed below in this sample programmer resume. Other programmer resume samples can be found online and may have useful tips that you can also include. The structure below is recommended for your programmer resume:Contact Details
As with all resumes your contact details should appear at the top of the page. Include full name, telephone numbers (home and cell phone numbers) email and regular addresses. Students should consider listing both their home and university addresses.Key Skills
In a programmer resume, the section that should follow the contacts part is a list of key skills. This should relate directly to programming work that you have done. The key skills section is a summary of the types of design that you can do, and other abilities. Keywords should be included, to increase possibilities of your programmer resume being found during an online search by a recruiter. Our sample programmer resume suggests that you do it something like this:- Web Programmer
- C++ Programmer
- Client Management
- MySQL Programmer
- Team Management
- Perl Programmer
Main Achievements
A programmer resume sample for a more experienced individual will usually list the main achievements next. This is where you can really sell yourself. Include up to five of your greatest achievements. Programmer resumes that do this will catch they eye of recruiters because they demonstrate what the programmer can do. Make sure the achievements sell you at your utmost. Use action verbs (see below). Your main achievements should be listed as bullet points, something like this in our sample programmer resume:- Developed complex website for client from scratch including determining client needs, designing architecture and delivering on time and to budget.
Programmer Education
Your education section should always be listed in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. Many programmers will have qualifications specific to programming, such as a Computer Science degree. If you have specific programmer qualifications, be sure to make sure they stand out. Otherwise, include: subject/s studied, educational institutes attended and their location, dates of graduation, any professional qualifications achieved.Programmer Work Experience
Work experience in your programmer resume should also be detailed in reverse chronological order. Once again, recruiting managers for programmer positions will be especially interested in your abilities with different types of languages and coding, according to the job specification. You’ll want to think about including information about hardware that you have worked with and operating systems as well as any networking abilities and understanding of protocols. Include any information about web applications that you created or database applications. You will also need to demonstrate that you have other skills, not just programming. Ability to illustrate that you can also communicate effectively, work in a team, manage projects and document requirements. Any of these might also be useful skills, depending on the actual position. Do not just reel off lists of responsibilities. Recruiters want to see achievements instead. Our sample programmer resume recommends bullets that are structured as follows:- Increased website speed by 20% after initiating exercise to increase security of the firewall.
- Led team of five programmers to deliver redesigned website and mobile application of website with 1000 pages, on time and to budget.
Activities
Those who have recently graduated may want to include activities if they do not have that many “main achievements” at this stage. Showing an aptitude for being able to develop, using your initiative, team working and communication may all be helpful. Senior programmer professionals could detail any memberships of professional organizations or any major programming achievements outside of work, including programming or computer support work carried out for charity. Bullet points should again use action verbs.Keywords
Your programmer resume must include relevant keywords that web savvy employers will look for when trying to identify suitable candidates for their programming positions online. A good sample programmer resume will include a number of suitable keywords and phrases which will include programming languages and any other skills detailed in the job advertisement. The above provides a summary of how sample programmer resumes are structured and the kinds of detail to include. If you are still at school your university may also be able to provide you with sample programmer resumes to consider, which may have some other great ideas. From this page you can find sample resumes to get you started.Programmer Resume Samples
- Game Developer Resume
- Game Producer Resume
- Programmer 2