Full Stack Developer CV Examples & UK Templates

In a world where technology is king, landing a job as a full stack developer is a savvy move. From database development to UX management, this job covers every base. So, how do you show the hiring manager that you have what it takes? Crafting a well-written full stack developer CV is the answer. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place to get the insights you need.

CV guide for a full stack developer CV

Crack the code with Resume.io. Our guides and CV examples cover over 150 professions. Use our CV builder to create a compelling CV for full stack developer jobs or any other roles.

This CV guide and corresponding full stack developer CV example will cover the following:

• How to write a full stack developer CV
• Choosing the right CV format for a full stack developer
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your full stack developer experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right CV design/layout
• What the full stack developer job market looks like, and what salary you can expect

How to write a full stack developer CV

Before you start working on your full stack developer CV, you need to understand what to include. Modern CVs include the following sections as standard: 

• The CV header
• The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The CV skills section
• The education section

The software sector can be extremely competitive. For that reason, you need to make sure that you put your best foot forward. When writing your full stack developer CV, you should consider what your most valuable attributes are and how you can best showcase them. Here are some of the ways that you can highlight your innate value to the hiring manager: 

• Focus on your achievements. Rather than simply outlining the projects that you’ve worked on, talk about the results that you gained along the way. That way, the hiring manager will ultimately understand what they can expect from you. Remember, the reader is always thinking about the bottom line. Be clear about what you can offer.
• Adapt your CV to meet the needs of the employer. Don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach when applying for full stack developer jobs. Take the time to research the business and then tailor your application to align with its needs and values.
• Keep the style professional and simple. Take all of the hassle out of designing your document by using one of our field-tested CV templates.
• Always optimise your CV with keywords and phrases from the job description. This approach helps you to beat the CV scanning software and make sure your application is read by human eyes.

Choosing the right CV format for a full stack developer

As a developer, you already know the value of proper formatting. You need to make things easy for the user — in this case, the reader — or they will lose interest. Most of the time, the best format option is reverse chronological order as this showcases your work experience in a straightforward way. It’s also the approach that recruiters expect to see. 

However, it’s not the only option. If you are a career-changer or just starting out, you can use a different CV format. For example, the skills-based CV format is what it says on the tin. This structure emphasises your talents over your work history. So, if you happen to lack the industry experience that people may expect, you can use this format. 

Whichever format you choose, use one of our many CV templates in our CV builder to get started. We also have a selection of CV examples using each of the different formats, too. 

When it comes to the overall look of your CV, don’t overcomplicate it. Using a simple layout shows that you understand the fundamentals of creating a seamless user experience. 

Include your contact information

Next up, you need to include your contact information. You can share these details in your CV header — which is basically your business card.

Make sure you include the right information in this section. Here’s a breakdown of everything that you need to list in the header:

• Full name & title. Start with your first and last name, plus ‘Full Stack Developer’.
• Professional email address. Make sure you use a clean and simple email address. For example, you might choose one that has your first and last name in it.
• Phone number. Next, include your phone number. Check your answer phone message to make sure that it’s suitable for the hiring manager to hear.
• Location. You don’t need to include your full address as this can be unsafe. Instead, just put your general location, such as your city and county.
• LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn profile should be active and up to date. You can add a hyperlink to your profile in your header here.
• Portfolio. It’s important to showcase your previous work. Either share a link to your main portfolio, your Github, or both within the header of your CV.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: The hiring manager should not know how old you are as this can lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: Don’t include extra details, such as your NI number, marital status, whether you have kids, or your religious beliefs etc.

Make use of a summary

Now that you’ve dealt with the basics, it’s time to turn your attention to the summary. This is a 3-4 sentence section that sums up your value to a potential employer. You don’t have much space to work with. However, there are ways that you can make yourself stand out from the crowd. The aim of the game is to grab the hiring manager’s attention quickly. 

One of the ways to do that is to use action verbs throughout your summary. You can use these in the simple past or present tense, but make sure that your tense is consistent throughout. Examples include delivered, oversaw, excelled, produced, and developed. 

You don’t want to simply repeat yourself on this part of your CV. Avoid reiterating information that can be found elsewhere. Instead, try to demonstrate your unique value. For example, you might include “Committed to writing clean, maintainable, and efficient code. Proven track record of delivering high-quality solutions on time and collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.” These sentences let the hiring manager know what they can expect from you. 

You can find adaptable full stack developer example summaries below:

Outline your developer work experience

You’ve already hinted at your experience. Now is the time to show the hiring manager exactly what you mean. Continuing with the reverse chronological order, list your work experience. You should start with your most recent experience and work your way back in time. 

Start with the basics — i.e. your job role, the name of the business, its location, and your dates of employment. You should include both the month and the year here. Below that, you can add some bullet points that show the hiring manager what your job was all about. You don’t have loads of space to spare so avoid using the first person or pronouns, such as “I”. Get straight to the point with each of your bullet points so that you save yourself some words along the way.

Don’t make the mistake of simply listing your daily tasks. For example, the below points don't add much to your application: 

• “Led the development of an e-commerce platform”
• “Implemented DevOps practices”
• “Delivered software releases on time”

The above statements illustrate what you did, but they don’t add much value to your overall application. Instead, you should include the results that you achieved. Let’s take a look at how you might improve each of these statements with some figures: 

• “Led development of a large-scale e-commerce platform, increasing sales by 30%”
• “Implemented DevOps practices such as CI/CD pipelines, improving deployment efficiency by 40%”
• “Delivered software releases according to an Agile environment, achieving a 98% on-time delivery rate”

Take a look at the full stack developer employment history CV sample below:

How to write a full stack developer CV with no experience 

If you have recently graduated or you’ve moved industries, you might lack direct experience of working in an agency. Don’t panic — there are plenty of ways you can prove your worth to the hiring manager. Let’s take a look at some of the options you have here: 

• Use a functional layout. If you haven’t worked in an agency yet, you should use a functional layout. This shows off your skills over your work experience.
• Share your portfolio. Have you been working on projects on the side? If you’ve collaborated with developers or done freelance work, share a link to your portfolio.
• Highlight transferable skills. Your transferable skills are any talents you’ve picked up in other roles that may apply in this instance. For example, you might accentuate your communication, time management, and organisation skills on your CV.
• Add in training or bootcamps. Where did you learn to be a developer? If you don’t have industry experience, you might have completed training or a bootcamp. Include details of this to show the hiring manager that you’re serious about this position.
• Weave a narrative. Why is it that you’ve decided to become a full stack developer? What made this decision for you? Take the time to weave a solid narrative for the reader.

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great full stack developer

Every full stack developer needs a selection of both hard and soft skills to excel. For that reason, it’s important to display both of these talent sets on your full stack developer CV. 

Hard skills are those that apply directly to the job and are often technical. These may include testing using Jest or Mocha, and front-end development. Whenever you’re listing your developer hard skills, be specific about the languages, platforms, and structures that you use. 

Soft skills, on the other hand, allow you to work well as part of a team. These may include your communication style, collaboration, time management, and how you prioritise your work. While you can list these in your skills section, you should also weave them throughout your CV. 

Our CV builder provides a wide selection of pre-selected skills to choose from. You can also include your own skills based on your experience level. 

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our CV template for full stack developers.

Many of the skills you outline will be hard skills. However, you shouldn’t overlook the power of your soft skills, too. Here’s how you can highlight them on your CV:

• Demonstrate your communication skills by writing a stellar application that clearly conveys your value to the employer
• Show how you used Agile working to complete tasks and deliver on deadline
• Talk about your collaboration skills when outlining the projects you’ve worked on

Looking for some more inspiration? The job advert is a great place to start if you need help regarding which skills to include on your CV.

Detail your education & relevant developer certifications

Education is fundamental to becoming a full stack developer. Your education section is one of the most important sections of your CV so don’t overlook it. Make sure you include the right training and education. Most developers will have a degree in a related field. You should start with that at the top of the page. Here’s what to include in your education section: 

• Degrees. First up, you should list the degrees that you have under your belt, especially if they relate directly to the sector. You may have a bachelor’s degree in computing or computer science, and/or a master’s in a similar field.
• Front-end developer certificates. List any specific certificates you have that align with front-end development. Examples include the Google Professional Mobile Web Developer certificate, the React Developer Certification, or the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certificate.
• Back-end developer certificates. Similarly, you should list any certificates associated with back-end development. These may include the Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certificate, the MongoDB Certified Developer Associate certificate, and the AWS Certified Developer – Associate certificate.
• Full stack certifications. Every full stack developer should have the certification to prove it. List education such as the IBM Full Stack Cloud Developer Professional Certificate and the MERN Stack certification.
• Professional certificates. It doesn’t end there — you may also have a selection of professional certificates that backup your experience. Examples of these may include the GitHub Learning Lab Certificates or the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator certificates. Don’t forget to add them too!

Pick the right CV layout and design for a full stack developer

You already know what content to include on your full stack developer CV — but what about the design? First impressions matter more than you might expect. With that in mind, you need to make sure that you get the layout and overall look of your CV right from the start. 

Luckily, we can help you along the way. Here are some tips you can use: 

• Choose the right font for your CV. Make sure that it’s legible and professional. You want to convey the right message to the hiring manager here.
• Make use of white space. Ensure that there’s an appropriate amount of space around the CV sections and within the margins. This makes it easier to read overall.
• Select one or two CV colours to use. You don’t want to overwhelm the reader by confronting them with too many different colours overall.
• Choose a professional and formal look. While you might work in a creative field, the number one priority here is sharing the content of your CV with the reader.

We recommend keeping things simple and straightforward. The best way to do that is by using one of our many CV templates in our CV builder. Get started now and create a stunning CV in minutes. 

Full stack developer text-only CV example

Full stack developer job market and outlook

Software development is growing globally. However, there has been a recent downturn in industry jobs over the last couple of years. For instance, in the first half of 2023, there were 49.7% fewer vacancies compared to the previous six months. 

Despite this trend, it’s worth keeping in mind that these roles will always be in demand. As the tech sector booms, you can expect more vacancies across the UK and beyond.

What type of salary you can expect as a full stack developer

According to We Are Developers, the average salary for a Full Stack Developer in 2023 was £52,250. That works out at around £4350 per month before tax, or £3280 per month after tax. However, the amount that you make will depend on your experience level, what field you work in, and the type of projects that you work on. 

Key takeaways for building a full stack developer CV

If you’re hoping to land a job as a full stack developer, your CV has to do a lot of the heavy lifting. Make sure that you read our guide and follow our advice before getting started. Stick to a plain and simple design that shows off your professionalism. Use our CV builder to make a stellar application in a matter of minutes.