13 Programmer Resume Examples for 2026

How to Write a Programmer Resume

To write a programmer’s resume that gets noticed; keep it clean, focused, and tailored to the job you’re applying for.

Include your best projects, the programming languages you use confidently, certifications (if any), and real results that show what you’ve built or improved.

In this article, we’ll take a look at four ways to perfect your programmer resume: 

Open with the job title and contact information

Before recruiters review your code or resume, they’ll start with the header. Therefore, your contact info section isn’t filler but a much-needed digital handshake.

In this section, include:

• First and last name at the top and in bold
• The same title from the job description, such as “Full-Stack Developer,” “Software Engineer,” or “Mobile App Developer”.
• Professional email without nicknames or aliases
• Personal phone
• City & state
• LinkedIn, if it aligns with your resume.
• GitHub is where you share your code as your best asset.
• Portfolio site (if available)

Choose your programmer skills wisely

The skills section on your programmer resume helps recruiters and hiring managers determine whether you could be a good match for the job vacancy. However, not including the right ones could pull you out of the game before your application is even viewed by a human, especially for more competitive roles.

Most companies use automated applicant tracking systems (ATS) that rely on algorithms to scan resumes for certain keywords, such as required skills. Without the right type (or amount) of skills, the ATS will reject your resume. However, use those keywords wisely to pass these bots and have your resume land on the desk of real-life recruiter.

To ensure that doesn’t happen, use bulleted keywords in your skills section to highlight your hard skills, so the ATS will move you on to the next round. Make sure only to include skills you’d be comfortable being interviewed about, and try to have no more than 10.

To beat the ATS consistently, you need to customize your resume for all the jobs for which you apply—based on the job description. By carefully reading the programmer vacancy, you can make sure to include the skills employers want to see while best highlighting your capabilities and knowledge.

Let’s look at a fictional example of a job vacancy excerpt, so we can look at some possible skills to include on your programmer resume.

The senior Python developer will develop back-end components and write scalable code. Must have experience in cloud technologies and implementing Agile methodologies. They will also improve existing systems’ functionality and regularly test and debug programs. Should have a deep knowledge of Python and relevant frameworks and at least one other back-end language and database management skills.

For a programmer job description like the above example, you could include the following skills:

Since this is a specialized programmer role, it’s important to include several Python-related skills, such as the language and relevant frameworks. The vacancy also emphasizes skills in another back-end language, so it makes sense to have JavaScript and React.js. You should also include at least one cloud technology (in this case, AWS) and then one or two relevant tools to provide a well-rounded overview of your expertise in other skills, like database or coding management. 

Even though you should customize your programmer skills section to each job description, some skills will pop up in most vacancies, which means you should probably include at least some of them on your resume.

While not an exhaustive list, some of the top in-demand skills include:

Notice the specific job title listed beneath the applicant’s name in a simple, classic font.

Deciding whether you need a resume objective or summary

One last point: what’s the difference between an objective and a summary? While they’re both about two or three sentences long and go at the top of your resume beneath your contact info, there are some important differences. 

Objectives explain why your interests and experience are a good match for the vacancy you applied to, while summaries provide a high-level recap of your work history and accomplishments. You could use an objective if you’re transitioning into programming from another field or if you’re applying for an entry-level position. Meanwhile, a summary is great if you’ve got years of knowledge and niche expertise. 

That said, you should only include either if it’s a strong, customized summary or objective that truly adds value. Recruiters spend just a few seconds reading your resume, and if it’s just fluff, it’s best to skip the statement. 

This summary, while it uses nice vocab words like ‘affinity,’ is very generic and says nothing that a recruiter wouldn’t already expect from a programmer. 

With this summary and the example below, you provide a quick overview of your biggest achievements and a snapshot of your work history—all with quantifiable facts to keep recruiters invested in your resume. 

Returning to the objective, don’t write something like this: Seeking a Python programmer role to deepen my expertise in Python, Django, and other frameworks. Passionate about code maintenance and development. 

Again, this objective adds no new information; this is all something a recruiter would quickly glean from the rest of your resume. 

This objective and the example below clearly show how your experience can transfer into the specific role you’re applying for while quickly stating your expectations, thus, adding value, not fluff.

Leverage metrics in your programmer resume

The best way to concretely showcase your accomplishments on your CV is by leveraging metrics to quantify your impact. Including hard data and statistics will help you avoid a generic and vague resume while also helping your achievements stand out to your potential employer.

Not sure what metrics you should quantify? Consider:

Let’s look at one job description bullet point you could write for each of the above based on the resumes on this page.

If you take the time to quantify your programming accomplishments, you’ll be well on your way to getting shortlisted for that interview. 

Action verbs for a programmer’s resume

When recruiters review your resume, they’re on autopilot. You must stir them to pay particular attention. How? Use action words that complement a programmer’s job. Examples included

• Debugged
• Build
• Launched
• Streamlined
• Debugged
• Integrated
• Launched

List education and certifications

A degree isn’t a must to go past the door as a programmer, but it may be what you need to stand out. Give the title, institution’s name, graduation year, location, and relevant course (for a recent graduate).

Example of education section:

When it is tough competition for the open position; a relevant certification can get you to the top of the pile. Did you learn the programming ropes by yourself? Or are you coming from a different professional background? If you have any or more of these certifications, list them:

• Google Associate Cloud Engineer
• Oracle Java Certification
• Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)

Optional sections

Everything you’ve done to become a programmer will not fit under the experience section. Still, you may want to include it extra sections to highlight your unique abilities:

• Projects in open-source communities, contributions to apps, and automating scripts show your initiative and outstanding skills, especially without direct work experience.
• Awards and recognitions from a bootcamp or hackathon add to your credibility and should be on your resume.
• Won a hackathon? Got featured on Product Hunt? Accepted into a selective bootcamp? These validate your credibility.

Key takeaways

• Pick the right format
• Craft a strong summary
• Show your programming skills in languages, frameworks, and tools, and back them up with results.
• Include relevant experience with a focus on impact
• Use action verbs to emphasize results and clarity
• Tailor to each job