How long should a software engineer CV be?

One page for early-career engineers and up to two pages for experienced engineers.

Should I include a GitHub link?

Yes, if it shows relevant, readable work. Pin your best repositories.

How should I list technical skills?

Group them by type: languages, frameworks, cloud and infrastructure, databases, tools. List only what you can discuss confidently.

What makes a good tech CV bullet?

What you built, the technologies used, and the impact: performance, scale, reliability, cost or user outcomes.

Software Engineer CV Example: How to Structure a Tech CV

A software engineer CV should combine a grouped technical skills section with experience bullets that show impact: what you built, with which technologies, and what improved (performance, scale, reliability, cost, user outcomes). Add links to GitHub or a portfolio, include notable projects, and tailor the keywords to each role's stack.

What hiring managers look for

Relevant languages, frameworks and infrastructure.
Impact and ownership, not just tasks.
Scale and complexity of systems.
Collaboration and code quality practices.
Learning and growth.

Technical skills section

Example

Languages: Python, Go, TypeScript
Frameworks: Django, FastAPI, React
Cloud and infrastructure: AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform
Data: PostgreSQL, Redis, Kafka
Practices: CI/CD, testing, observability

Impact-focused bullets

Led migration of a monolith to services, reducing deployment time from hours to minutes.
Reduced infrastructure costs by 30% through autoscaling and right-sizing.
Built an internal tool that saved the support team 10 hours a week.
Improved API p95 latency by 40% through caching and query optimization.
Mentored 3 junior engineers and led code review standards.

Illustrative; use your own results.

Projects

For graduates or career changers, list 2 to 3 projects with the problem, stack and outcome, and link to the code or demo.

Tips

Tailor to the stack in the job ad.
Keep it scannable: one column, clear headings.
Avoid skill ratings and long tool lists you cannot discuss.
Match your LinkedIn and GitHub. See LinkedIn profile tips.

See ATS-friendly CVs and how to write a CV.

Browse all tech CV templates.

Tailoring by tech role

Role	Emphasize
Backend	APIs, data stores, scale, reliability, performance
Frontend	Frameworks, accessibility, performance, design collaboration
Full-stack	End-to-end ownership, shipped features, product impact
DevOps / platform	Infrastructure as code, CI/CD, cost, uptime, observability
Data	Pipelines, modelling, tools, business decisions supported
Mobile	Apps shipped, store ratings, performance, release cadence

Example experience entry

Example

Senior Backend Engineer, Cartwheel (e-commerce), 2021 to present
Led migration of checkout from a monolith to services handling peak traffic. Introduced load testing and observability that cut incident resolution time. Mentored 3 engineers and ran the team's design review process.

Common tech CV mistakes

Listing every technology you have touched once.
Bullets that describe tasks ("worked on APIs") rather than impact.
No links to code or projects for early-career candidates.
Long paragraphs that are hard to skim.

For general structure, see the best CV format, and for writing strong bullets, work experience bullets.