Software Engineer CV Examples & UK Templates

Coding is all around us. As a software engineer, you know how to write these lines that govern so much of our day-to-day life and how to plan their implementation in the first place. You may be the ultimate problem-solver. 

However, it’s normal to fall short when you’re decoding how to translate your experience to a top software engineer CV example.

While software engineers may be seeing a healthy demand in the job market, you need a strong job application to beat the competition. In this guide, we explore how to create one. 

CV guide for a software engineer CV

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This CV guide and corresponding software engineer CV example will cover the following:

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

How to write a software engineer CV

Before you can get started on your software engineer CV, you need to know what elements to include. Here’s the core structure that you need to follow to get started: 

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

Take a moment to consider the company where you are applying to be a software engineer. Everything from the tone of language to examples linked to previous employment and even CV design should match the employer you are trying to appeal to. Here are some tips: 

• Research your prospective employer and the team you’re applying to. This will help you to identify the problems you will need to help them solve, as well as the general work culture. In fact, this is an essential part of working out whether the job is for you in the first place. 
• Tailor your CV accordingly. Keep the hiring manager you’re trying to appeal to in mind and make sure you tweak each iteration of your CV to suit each application.
• Focus on your accomplishments. One of the biggest mistakes that candidates make is simply listing their responsibilities. Explain how your actions impacted projects. 
• Keep it simple. Make sure the design of your software engineer CV is easy to read. Use one of our CV templates to make sure that your application hits the mark. 
• Optimise your CV. Use relevant keywords to help you get past the CV-scanning software. Incorporating the right phrases can make all of the difference here. 

Choosing the right CV format for a software engineer

There are a number of CV formats you can choose for your software engineer CV. Most employers prefer software engineers to use the reverse chronological format, which draws the focus to your employment history. However, there are other CV format options if you are new to the job market as a software engineer or in general.

If you don’t have much previous experience to list in the employment section, then you may want to spend some more time considering the best CV format. For instance, the functional CV format allows you to draw focus to the skills section of your CV. However, even if you’re lacking in formal or professional experience, you might still have more to add to your CV than you think. 

Check out the broad selection of CV templates we have in our CV builder covering a range of formats. You can also take inspiration from one of our many CV examples. 

Include your contact information

If your software engineer wows the hiring manager, they will want to get in touch with you. You can include your contact information in your CV header.

This section of your application is relatively straightforward. However, you need to make sure that you include the right details. Here’s what you should list:

• Full name & title. Start with your first and surname plus the job title.
• Professional email address. Include a suitable-for-work email address. 
• Phone number. List a phone number where you can be reached. Make sure that the answer phone message is appropriate.
• Location. You don’t need to list your whole address. Include your city and county or country. 
• LinkedIn. If you have a strong LinkedIn profile, you can include it in your header. Hyperlink to your page so that the hiring manager can take a look.
• Portfolio. If you have a personal portfolio website or GitHub, you should include it on your software engineer CV. Place this hyperlink in the header too.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Spelling out your exact age can lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: You don’t need to include your passport number, NI number, marital status or whether you have kids.

Make use of a summary

Your CV summary—also known as CV profile—is the first thing that will appear underneath your name and details. Think of this as your professional tagline. You have several sentences to summarise your professional profile as a software engineer and to introduce it to the hiring manager. So, don’t waste that precious space!

This is a great spot in your CV to mention a couple of the things that will really make you stand out. Is it a rare convergence of skills or a notable past achievement? Whatever makes you different, mention it here. However, your summary should be more than just keyword stuffing. 

This is the only area of your CV where you can write in freeform, so it’s also an opportunity to introduce your personality. You can add some action verbs in simple past or present tense, for example. You might include delivered, pioneered, excelled, and orchestrated. 

Depending on where you’re applying to work, a more sombre tone of voice might be encouraged. However, serious doesn’t need to mean boring. Think of active verbs that will best accomplish the impression you want to make. For instance, instead of “Improved coding,” try “Increased coding efficiency by 60%.” See how much clearer and more engaging the phrase became? 

Looking for some inspiration? Check out our related technical CVs: 

• Software developer CV example
• IT CV example
• Google CV sample
• Front-end developer CV example

You can find adaptable software engineer example summaries below: 

Outline your software engineering work experience

As a software engineer, a lot of your perceived value is based on your last project. If you have chosen the reverse chronological CV format, the employment history will be the most extensive section of your CV. However, you can control the narrative of your software engineering career by considering how you frame that experience.

Each previous role that you include should have a subheading consisting of the role title, company name, location, and dates of employment. Underneath this, you can list several bullet points about your most important contributions, responsibilities, and achievements. 

While some of these inclusions may be strategic based on the skills required from the job listing, you can also afford to show off a bit. Your CV is not the time to be humble! 

Think about the projects that you enjoyed and are proud of. It will be a lot easier to write with flair if you’re actually passionate about it. Remember to include plenty of active verbs to keep the language engaging and hook that hiring manager.

Be clear about how your actions had an impact on projects. For example, here are some statements that you should avoid including: 

• “Optimised software systems”
• “Successfully migrated systems”
• “Developed new application features”

While the above may cover some of your duties, they don’t show any results. You can add some pizazz to these statements by including more details: 

• “Optimised software systems and increased efficiency by 30% overall”
• “Migrated systems to a cloud infrastructure and lowered storage costs by 15%”
• “Lead a development team to design and implement five new application features”

Take a look at the software engineer employment history CV sample below:

How to write a software engineer CV with no experience 

If you are new to the sector, you can still write a captivating software engineer CV. You should focus on the competencies you picked up in your degree—or other qualifications—and also detail any transferable skills you may have. 

Chances are, you will have completed development projects while learning your craft. So, while you may lack direct industry experience, you may have other experiences to bring to the table. If that is the case, go into detail about the projects you have worked on in the past. 

You should also focus on why you have chosen to apply for this specific job. Tailoring your software engineer CV to meet the demands of the role is always a smart idea. Refer back to the original job advert and look out for the core criteria that the hiring manager has listed there.

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great software engineer 

As a software engineer, you have a lot of hard skills. These are technical skills, as opposed to soft skills, which are how you carry out your work. You want to give both a time to shine in this section. 

Of course, if the job you’re applying for requires certain skills and knowledge of particular languages or programs, these should be given priority. However, the hiring manager also wants to know how you will fit into the team. So, spare a mention for the way you will communicate with the team and contribute to problem-solving, too.

Our CV builder provides a wide selection of skills to choose from, as well as the choice to list your own. Here’s what the skills box looks like in our CV template for software engineers.

Showcase what your engineering specialism is. This approach will help the hiring manager know what category to put you in. For example, if you specialise in iOS development, now is the time to highlight that. The more specific you are about your skills, the better. 

You only need to list your skills in your skills section. However, when you are detailing certain key skills elsewhere on your CV, you should put them into context. For example: 

• Detail how you used your continuous deployment skills to optimise software and ensure that it was fault-free. 
• Talk about how you use collaboration skills to work alongside a cross-functional team toward a common aim. 
• Provide information about how and when you used either JavaScript or Python when developing and maintaining certain software systems. 

Whenever possible, refer back to the original job advert. The hiring manager will have detailed everything that they expect from prime candidates there. 

Detail your education & relevant software engineer certifications

Software engineers are smart and perseverant. Usually, this means you’ve committed to several years of formal education to learn your skills. 

You should clearly list your education from high school onwards. If you have a postgraduate qualification, then you may choose to leave off your secondary school education.

Of course, depending on your niche, there’s no end of software engineering certificates or bootcamps you might have attended. Here are some choice qualifications you may include: 

• Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP). Offered by the IEEE Computer Society, this is a foundational qualification that shows you have a basic knowledge and competency in software development and engineering.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert. This qualification, which is delivered by Microsoft, means that you can design both hybrid and cloud-based solutions. 
• Programming Certifications. For instance, you could become an Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE or a Google Associate Android Developer. 
• DevOps Certifications. You may have undertaken DevOps certificates, such as becoming a Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), a Docker Certified Associate (DCA), or a AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional.
• Machine Learning Certifications. Additionally, you may have web development certifications such as the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate or the TensorFlow Developer Certificate.
• Web Development Certifications. These could include becoming a Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) or a Certified Web Developer.

While this is not an extensive list of the certificates you may hold, it covers the main bases. The exact qualifications you have will depend on the type of software engineer you happen to be.

Pick the right CV layout and design for a software engineer CV

Just as you consider the content of your CV for each individual job listing, you should think carefully about its presentation. The appearance of your CV example is part of the story you’re telling, and you want it to be a coherent one. 

Take some time to research the company you’re applying to. A traditional workplace may prefer a no-frills approach and a simple CV layout. On the other hand, a creative workplace that thrives on an innovative approach may prefer something more modern and sleek. 

If you prefer to leave the design to the experts, our professionally designed CV templates could help you out.

Software engineer text-only CV example

Software engineer job market and outlook

The technology sector is booming. It should come as no surprise that the software engineer job market is set to grow in the years to come. 

According to information from IBIS World, the UK software sector has increased at an annual growth rate of 3.1% over the last five years. That is due to the increased demand for mobile applications, software, AI/ML applications, cybersecurity, and web development. 

What type of salary you can expect as a software engineer

How much money will you make? Glassdoor reports that software engineers can expect to make between £37,000 and £63,000 per year. However, that only accounts for the average base salary. You may find that there are additional ‘perks’ and bonuses in this sector. 

Key takeaways for building a software engineer CV

Make sure you’re speaking the same language as the hiring manager and that pesky ATS algorithm! You should also illustrate your logical and creative skills through carefully considered employment history bullet points. Where you can include figures and statistics to contextualise your professional contributions.

Keep your professional story cohesive with a smart CV design. Check out our online CV builder to make the whole process a breeze.