Software Engineer Resume Examples and Templates for 2026
2 Best Entry-Level Software Engineer Resume Examples and Templates for 2026
By Andrew Stoner
, Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner
Last Updated:
August 1, 2026
Tip !
Engineering managers decide whether to forward a junior resume by the projects section on page one; if a real tech stack and a working link aren't visible there, the resume drops out of the pile.
Why this resume works
- Shows real production work, not just class projects: Both internships describe live systems and real users, which tells a hiring manager the candidate has seen code outside a tutorial.
- One bullet is anchored to a clear number: The 11 minutes to 30 seconds latency improvement is specific enough to be believable and easy to ask about in an interview.
- Honest about being junior: Phrases like ‘learned the hard way’ and ‘paired with a senior engineer’ signal coachability without underselling the work.
Entry Level Example
This resume targets new graduates, bootcamp finishers, and self-taught engineers with one to two internships or strong capstone work. It needs to prove you can read a codebase, ship a feature, and push commits without supervision.
Why this resume works
- Turns a QA background into a strength: Most junior candidates can’t claim ‘I write tests because I used to fix the bugs nobody caught,’ and that line makes the career switch make sense.
- Shows what got shipped, not just what got learned: The capstone bullet names a real org, a real problem (the spreadsheet), and a real outcome, which is what hiring managers scan for.
- Freelance work shows initiative: Four paying clients and a small recurring revenue line prove the candidate can finish projects without a manager assigning them.
Text Version Entry Level Software Engineer
Elena Vasquez
Minneapolis, MN | (612) 555-0178 | [email protected] | linkedin.com/in/elenavasquez | github.com/elenavasquez
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Computer science graduate (Dec 2024) with internship experience in backend Python and one published mobile app on the Play Store. Comfortable reading unfamiliar codebases, asking questions in standup, and writing the kind of documentation I wish had existed when I started. Looking for a junior backend or platform engineering role with structured mentorship.
EXPERIENCE
Software Engineering Intern
Kestrel Analytics | Minneapolis, MN | Summer 2024
- Built an internal API in FastAPI that exposed five reporting endpoints used by the analytics team, replacing ad-hoc SQL queries that were copied around in Slack.
- Wrote the OpenAPI spec and Swagger docs first, then implemented to spec, which the team adopted as the default workflow for new services.
- Added structured logging and tracing through OpenTelemetry; helped the on-call engineer diagnose a memory leak in a sibling service during week six.
- Cut the nightly ETL job runtime from about 45 minutes to 18 by batching upserts and adding a partial index.
- Presented the project to the engineering org at the intern showcase.
Backend Developer Intern
Wrenfield Civic Tech | Remote | Summer 2023
- Joined a three-person team building a public records request portal for a mid-sized city government.
- Owned the email notification subsystem (SES + Celery); built it from a one-paragraph ticket to a working feature in three weeks.
- Added rate limiting after a load test showed the search endpoint fell over at ~80 concurrent users.
- Wrote runbooks for two on-call scenarios (queue backup, SES bounce spike) that the full-time team kept using after I left.
Teaching Assistant, Data Structures
University of Minnesota CS Dept. | Minneapolis, MN | 2023-2024
- Held office hours four hours per week for a section of ~110 students; graded assignments and the midterm.
- Rewrote the linked-list lab handout after student feedback; average completion rate on that lab rose from roughly 60% to 85% the following semester.
- Got pretty good at explaining recursion three different ways depending on what wasn’t clicking.
Independent Project: ‘TrailLog’ Android App
Side Project | 2022-Present
- Built and published an Android app for tracking hiking routes (Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Room, MapLibre).
- ~2,300 installs and a 4.4-star rating across 86 reviews.
- Maintain a small Discord with users; ship updates roughly every six weeks based on bug reports.
- Wrote a blog post on the offline-tiles caching approach that got picked up on r/androiddev.
IT Help Desk Student Worker
University of Minnesota IT Services | Minneapolis, MN | 2021-2023
- Took ~25 tickets per shift covering Wi-Fi, printing, VPN, and account access.
- Wrote a Python script that pulled common reset steps into a single CLI tool; other student workers adopted it.
- Learned how to explain technical problems to people who are already frustrated, which has been useful in every job since.
EDUCATION
- B.S. Computer Science, University of Minnesota, December 2024 (GPA 3.7)
- Relevant coursework: Distributed Systems, Databases, Operating Systems, Algorithms, Software Engineering
SKILLS
- Languages: Python, Kotlin, TypeScript, SQL, Java, Bash
- Backend: FastAPI, Django, Node/Express, Celery, REST, gRPC basics
- Data: PostgreSQL, Redis, basic Snowflake, Pandas
- Mobile: Android (Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Room)
- Cloud / Infra: AWS (Lambda, SES, S3, RDS), Docker, GitHub Actions
- Observability: OpenTelemetry, structured logging, basic Grafana
- Practices: code review, pair programming, writing design docs, on-call shadowing
- Comfortable with: reading unfamiliar codebases, asking questions in standup, writing docs
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How to Write an Entry Level Software Engineer Resume
01 Open with the metric an engineering manager would size you up by
The first line of your summary should name a concrete artifact, not a self-description. Lead with a shipped project, a language stack, and any production users or pull requests merged.
Engineering managers and senior engineers read this as your readiness to contribute on day one. A line like ‘CS new grad with a Go and Postgres side project serving 400 weekly users’ beats any version of ‘motivated software engineer seeking growth.’
02 Quantify projects with users, commits, and scale
Bullets without a number tend to read as coursework. Strong junior resumes name something measurable: weekly active users, request volume, pull requests merged, test coverage, or latency improvements.
Pick two or three real metrics per project. ‘Reduced API p95 from 800ms to 220ms,’ ’40 PRs merged across two semesters,’ or ’85 percent unit test coverage’ all give a senior engineer something concrete to react to.
03 Group your work into stack, projects, and contributions
Sort substantive work into three to four categories: production language and framework, data layer and infrastructure, projects with links, and open-source or team contributions.
Name the real tools: Python, Go, TypeScript, React, Postgres, Redis, Docker, GitHub Actions, AWS. Skip ‘familiar with’ language. If you used it in a project that runs, list it as a working skill with the project as proof.
04 Place credentials, GitHub, and degree where recruiters scan first
Put your GitHub URL, portfolio link, and degree in the header block, not buried at the bottom. Recruiters and ATS parsers both look there first for proof you write code outside class.
If you hold AWS Cloud Practitioner, Azure Fundamentals, or a relevant Coursera or freeCodeCamp specialization, list it in a short credentials line under education. Senior engineers want to see the link clickable, not the cert number.
05 Close with education, coursework, and one extracurricular signal
Education sits at the bottom for junior resumes with internship experience and near the top for new grads with no work history. Name your degree, school, graduation date, and relevant coursework: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, databases.
Add one extracurricular signal that maps to engineering: hackathon placement, ACM officer role, teaching assistant work, or a sustained open-source contribution. Skip unrelated clubs.
Most Popular Skills on Entry Level Software Engineer Resumes for 2026
Software hiring is tight in 2026. Engineering teams are running leaner and the bar to clear a screen is higher. The skills below come from our user-built entry level software engineer resumes.
Engineering managers weigh hard skills first on junior resumes. They want Python, Git, and a framework named in a real project before they read about your collaboration style. Match each hard skill against the target job posting.
Treat soft skills as evidence backing your bullets, not as a standalone list.
| Soft Skills | % of resumes with this skill |
|---|---|
| Problem solving | 71% |
| Communication | 61% |
| Team collaboration | 40% |
| Attention to detail | 38% |
| Adaptability | 29% |
And here are the top hard skills showing up most often.
| Hard Skills | % of resumes with this skill |
|---|---|
| Programming languages (Python, Java) | 66% |
| Data structures and algorithms | 60% |
| SQL and databases | 49% |
| Version control (Git) | 36% |
| HTML and CSS | 32% |
Based on data from thousands of entry-level software engineers’ resumes built on ResumeTemplates.com, May 2026.
Must Have on an Entry Level Software Engineer Resume
These are the must-haves hiring teams look for when scanning an entry level software engineer resume.
Niche Keywords for ATS Checkers
Engineering managers and senior engineers expect a niche keyword section to mirror the language of the posting. Group exact-match terms by sub-specialty so the parser scores them and the human reader recognizes them.
| Niche | Keywords ATS scans for |
|---|---|
| New grad and student profiles | new grad software engineer, software engineering student, computer engineering resume, cs new grad |
| No-experience and fresher angle | software engineer no experience, software engineer fresher, entry level software developer, junior software engineer |
| Backend and API work | rest api, python backend, node.js, postgres, sql, microservices |
| Front-end and full-stack | react, typescript, javascript, html css, responsive design, next.js |
| DevOps and cloud exposure | docker, aws, ci cd, github actions, linux, git workflow |
AI Skills to Add
AI use on an entry level software engineer resume can go three ways: lead with ‘AI-powered developer’ (which engineering managers screen out), leave it off entirely (which reads as evasive in 2026), or describe the workflow as it actually runs. The third is what senior engineers can validate in a code review.
What AI is actually changing for this role
Code generation
Copilot and Cursor are now baseline for boilerplate. Juniors are expected to review, test, and rewrite generated code, not paste it.
Debugging
ChatGPT and Claude shorten the time spent on stack-trace diagnosis. Hiring teams care that you still understand the root cause.
Code review prep
AI-assisted self-review catches lint and obvious bugs before you open a pull request. Senior engineers notice the cleaner diffs.
Documentation
READMEs and inline comments are faster to draft with AI. Reviewers want the docs to match what the code actually does.
AI tools to name
- GitHub Copilot: Pair-programming autocomplete inside VS Code. Name the languages you used it for in projects.
- Cursor or Claude Code: Agentic coding sessions for refactors and test generation. Mention specific tasks, not 'used AI to build app.'
How to phrase AI on your resume
Do
- Used GitHub Copilot to scaffold REST endpoints in a Go side project, then wrote integration tests covering 85 percent of routes
- Ran Cursor agent sessions to refactor a 2,000-line Python module into typed dataclasses, cutting runtime errors in production
Skip
- AI-powered software engineer fluent in prompt engineering
- Leveraged cutting-edge generative AI to revolutionize my development workflow
Portfolio Strategy
For a junior resume, the portfolio is the work sample. Recruiters click your GitHub before they read your bullets, and engineering managers click a deployed link before they schedule a screen. Pick two or three projects you can defend in a 30-minute conversation, and put them on platforms a senior engineer will recognize.
#1
GitHub
Non-negotiable. Pin three to six repos with READMEs, commit history, and tests.
#2
Vercel or Netlify
Deploy front-end projects with a live URL. Static demos beat screenshots every time.
#3
Personal site (Astro, Next.js)
One-page site linking projects, resume PDF, and a short about section.
#4
LeetCode or Codewars
Optional. Link only if you have a streak or contest ranking worth showing.
Pin three to six repos on GitHub and write a real README for each. The README should explain what the project does, the stack, how to run it locally, and what you would build next. A senior engineer reading your repo for 90 seconds should leave knowing the scope and the trade-offs you made.
If you have a deployed app, put the live URL in your resume header next to your GitHub. Make sure it loads on mobile and does not show a broken database connection. A dead link is worse than no link.
Tech Stack to Name on the Resume
Junior postings in 2026 ask for a specific stack rather than ‘a programming language.’ Name the languages, frameworks, and tools you actually used in projects, and skip the ones you only touched in a single homework assignment.
- Languages: Python, TypeScript, Go, Java
- Frameworks: React, Next.js, Node.js, FastAPI, Spring Boot
- Data and infra: Postgres, Redis, Docker, AWS (S3, Lambda, EC2)
- Tools: Git, GitHub Actions, Jest, Pytest, Linux CLI
Software Engineering Credentials That Get You the Job
A CS degree, bootcamp completion, or equivalent project portfolio keeps you eligible. The credentials below move an entry level software engineer resume from the qualified-but-typical stack into a shortlist that engineering managers and senior engineers actually call. List the issuing body, completion date, and a clickable verification link.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner: Signals you understand cloud primitives. Useful when the team runs on AWS and wants to skip the 'what is S3' conversation.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900): The Azure equivalent of AWS CCP. List it when the posting names Azure, .NET, or Microsoft stack components.
- Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer: A step above fundamentals. Strong signal for new grads applying to GCP-native shops or data-heavy backend roles.
- Meta Front-End or Back-End Developer Certificate (Coursera): Useful proof of a structured curriculum for self-taught and bootcamp candidates. Pair it with a deployed project, not just the badge.
Latest BLS Statistics for Entry-level Software Engineers
The 90th-percentile software engineer out-earns the median by a wide spread, which tells you the market rewards a specific tech stack and shipped scale far more than years on the bench. For junior roles, that spread shows up early: candidates with one strong production project clear screens that resumes full of coursework do not.
Lead the resume with the language stack and the project metrics, not the GPA or the course list.
Where you stand
Entry tier
$79,850 to $133,080 At the entry tier, your resume needs to show one shipped project with a public repo and lead with your language stack.Mid band
$133,080 to $211,450 At the mid band, lead with internship work, the systems you contributed to, and the merged pull requests with real users.Top decile
$211,450+ At the top decile for juniors, show FAANG or YC-backed internships, hackathon wins, and open-source commits to named projects.Top-paying states
| # | State | Avg. Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $170,910 |
| 2 | Washington | $166,910 |
| 3 | Virgin Islands | $162,820 |
| 4 | New York | $161,260 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $150,520 |
| 6 | Maryland | $137,890 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $136,040 |
| 8 | Oregon | $135,260 |
| 9 | Delaware | $135,160 |
| 10 | Colorado | $134,540 |
Highest-employment states
| # | State | Workers | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 292,630 | $170,910 |
| 2 | Texas | 151,460 | $130,500 |
| 3 | New York | 104,130 | $161,260 |
| 4 | Washington | 91,470 | $166,910 |
| 5 | Virginia | 83,290 | $134,470 |
Written by professional resume writers and loved by hiring managers
Resume Templates offers HR approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes. Choose from several template options and even pre-populate a resume from your profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I write a software engineer resume with no work experience?
Replace the work history section with a Projects section that reads like work history. Each project gets a name, a date range, a tech stack, and three bullets with metrics.
Treat your capstone, internship, and any open-source contribution the same way you would treat a job. List the repo URL on every project so a senior engineer can verify the code in one click.
Should I list my GPA on an entry level software engineer resume?
List your GPA if it is 3.5 or higher and you are within two years of graduation. Below 3.5, drop the number and lead with coursework, projects, and any teaching assistant work.
After two years of full-time experience, GPA stops mattering on any engineering resume.
Why am I not getting interviews when I apply to entry level roles?
The two most common reasons are a missing GitHub link and project bullets that describe coursework without metrics. Recruiters scan for a clickable repo and a measurable outcome within the first 10 seconds.
Rewrite your top three projects with user counts, request volume, or performance numbers. Add the GitHub URL to the header next to your email.
How long should an entry level software engineer resume be?
One page. Engineering managers and senior engineers expect junior resumes to fit on a single page through your first three to five years.
If you are spilling onto a second page as a new grad, you are listing too much coursework or padding with unrelated jobs. Cut high school content, generic 'proficient in MS Office' lines, and clubs that do not map to engineering.
What resume template should an entry-level software engineer use?
For an entry-level software engineer, a tech template is the safest pick, because it keeps your stack, tools, and impact easy to scan. An ATS-friendly template is a solid alternative. Whichever you choose, keep the formatting clean and easy to parse: clear section headings, a standard font, and no graphics a parser can choke on.
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Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.
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