Developer CVs: A Different Market
Tech recruiting has its own rules. Recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on a CV — in tech, that window can be even shorter when a posting attracts 200 applications in 48 hours. And unlike other sectors, your CV will often be reviewed by a senior developer or CTO before it ever reaches HR.
That means two things: substance matters enormously (your stack, your projects, your results), and presentation must be impeccable — readable, clutter-free, perfectly structured to pass automated screening systems.
What Your Developer CV Must Contain
1. A Targeted Title and Profile Summary
Your profile summary is the first thing read. It needs to answer three questions in 2-3 lines:
- Who are you? (level, specialisation)
- What is your primary stack?
- What kind of role are you targeting?
Junior example:
"Full-stack web developer, recently graduated (CS degree, 2025). Primary stack: React / Node.js / PostgreSQL. Looking for a first role at a startup or scale-up in London or remotely."
Senior example:
"Lead backend developer with 8 years' experience in Python/Django, microservices architecture and AWS. Scaled systems to 2M+ users. Targeting Staff Engineer or Technical Lead positions."
Skip "passionate about development since childhood." Tech recruiters have seen that phrase 500 times.
2. Technical Stack: Precision and Honesty
The skills section is critical in a developer CV. Two traps to avoid:
The laundry list trap: listing 40 technologies with no distinction, from Python to Photoshop via XML. This convinces no one and damages your credibility.
The over-claiming trap: calling yourself "expert" in React after 3 months of tutorials.
Recommended structure:
- Languages: Python (expert), JavaScript/TypeScript (advanced), Go (basics)
- Frameworks: Django, FastAPI, React, Next.js
- Databases: PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB
- Tools / DevOps: Docker, Git, CI/CD (GitHub Actions), AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda)
- Methods: Agile/Scrum, TDD, code review
For level conventions, read our guide on how to present IT skills on a CV.
3. Experience: Projects and Results, Not a Job Description
A tech recruiter doesn't want to read "Developed web applications following best practices." They want to know:
- What type of project you worked on (B2B SaaS, marketplace, mobile app, public API...)
- With which stack and architecture
- At what scale (thousands of users? millions of requests/day?)
- What was your measurable impact
Bad format:
Developed features on the web application. Participated in code reviews. Worked in an Agile team.
Good format:
Rebuilt the payment module (Stripe + webhooks) for 40,000 active users — reduced transaction errors by 60%. Stack: React, Node.js, PostgreSQL. Event-driven architecture, 85% test coverage.
Use action verbs suited to tech: architected, refactored, migrated, deployed, automated, optimised, implemented, scaled...
4. Personal Projects and Open Source
If you're junior or career-changing, your GitHub projects matter as much as internships. Add a dedicated section:
- Project name + one-line description
- Stack used
- GitHub link or live URL
- Metrics if available (GitHub stars, users...)
For seniors, notable open source contributions or maintained libraries significantly boost credibility.
5. Education
For developer CVs, certifications increasingly carry weight alongside degrees. AWS, Google Cloud, Kubernetes CKA, and recognised specialisations have their place if relevant. Read our guide on how to present education on a CV.
Recommended Structure for a Developer CV
- Header: name, title, email, phone, LinkedIn, GitHub, portfolio
- Profile summary (3-4 lines max)
- Technical stack (structured by category)
- Professional experience (reverse chronological, measurable results)
- Projects (personal or open source, if relevant)
- Education
- Languages (technical English is often expected)
Most Common Mistakes on Developer CVs
Listing Obsolete Technologies Without Context
Flash, jQuery, SOAP, CodeIgniter... Highlighting these can hurt you. Mention them only if the historical context of a project is relevant.
Ignoring ATS
Many developers underestimate automated screening. Even major tech companies pass CVs through an ATS first. Read our guide on ATS optimisation — "React.js" and "React" can be two different tokens depending on the system.
Sacrificing Readability
A CV with unreadable typography, misaligned columns or an exotic font doesn't land well — even in tech. The CV types recruiters prefer always list readability as criterion #1.
Including Everything
No need to list your beginner-level Perl from 2008. Be selective about what goes on your CV based on what it adds for your target.
Junior vs Senior Developer CV: Key Differences
| | Junior | Senior | |---|---|---| | Profile summary | Stack + school + target company type | Stack + specialisation + past impact | | Experience | Internships, projects, work-study | High-impact projects, leadership, scale | | Personal projects | Very important | Optional but valuable | | Education | At the top | At the bottom | | Length | 1 page | 1-2 pages |
Create Your Developer CV in Minutes
CV Creator offers ATS-compatible templates designed to showcase a technical stack and measurable achievements — no sign-up required, one-time €2, unlimited CVs for 2 hours.
Further reading:
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