CV Example for a Programmer

Engineering teams read your actual repositories and the languages you shipped to production, not your course list.

Skills employers screen for

• Writing clean, maintainable code
• Database design and query optimisation
• Version control with Git
• Debugging and performance tuning
• Writing automated tests
• Working in Agile / Scrum teams
• Documenting systems and APIs

Keywords an ATS would look for

• software development
• databases
• REST APIs
• automated testing
• performance optimisation
• version control

CV section order

1. Summary with primary languages
2. Technical projects and code repositories
3. Experience and roles held
4. Categorised technical skills
5. Degree and technical certifications

Programmer resume example

Application Developer — 6 years building web apps and APIs

Application developer with six years building web applications and APIs from analysis to production. I work in Agile teams, write automated tests over the critical paths, and follow service performance after release.

Senior Developer — Northwind Product Labs — Austin, TX | 2022 – Present

• Built 14 REST APIs serving 40,000 monthly users at an average response time of 180 ms.
• Cut dashboard load time from 4.8s to 1.9s by optimising queries and adding a caching layer.
• Raised automated test coverage from 31% to 78%, reducing production defects by 46%.

Web Developer — Bright Systems Studio — Denver, CO | 2019 – 2022

• Shipped 9 websites and storefronts in React and Node.js, integrated with regional payment providers.
• Automated a weekly release that took 6 hours of manual work down to a 20-minute pipeline run.
• Reviewed 300+ pull requests and introduced shared code review standards for the team.

Education: BSc Computer Science — University of Texas, 2019

Core skills: JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, REST APIs, Git, Docker, automated testing, Agile/Scrum

Ready templates that suit this profession

• ATS Tech Pro — Tech employers screen with software first — this layout preserves exact technology names. Use this template
• Modern — It leads with projects and percentages, which is what a tech lead reads in twenty seconds. Use this template
• Minimal — Ideal for a tidy one-pager that reads well on screen and during a technical interview. Use this template

Tools that help in this profession

• ATS Resume Scanner — Check that technology names and versions parse correctly before you apply.
• Resume Keyword Optimizer — Match the advert's requirements, such as TypeScript or Docker, against what your CV actually says.
• Job Application Tracker — Track applications, follow-ups and interviews in one place instead of a spreadsheet.

Frequently asked questions

Should I put a GitHub link on my CV?

Yes, at the top beside your email and phone — but do not assume everyone opens it. What matters is describing in your projects what you built and what your role was; the repository serves the technical interview more than the first screen.

How should a developer present projects?

Two lines per project: what it is and what it is built with, then one measurable outcome — users, response time, performance gain. Avoid listing libraries with no result attached.

Which keywords does automated screening look for?

Language, framework, database and deployment tool names exactly as the advert spells them. Parsers do not understand synonyms, so write React rather than UI library.