Entry Level Software Engineer CV—Sample and Tips

Technically, you can write code. However, you can’t shake the feeling the veteran engineers look at you as a coffee making function with opinions. These guys started coding before Y2K, and know some old, Elvish-like coding languages. Hell, one of them even knows actual Elvish.

The job market is not logical, the rules and criteria are often a blackbox, and little bugs can completely torpedo the chances of your entry level software engineer CV. Your entry level software engineer CV is your API—this is how you communicate with your potential employers. 

Make sure you don’t get 404’d. 

In this guide: 

• Entry level software engineer CV sample that gets routed straight to interview.
• Tips for listing your education, certifications, and skills for new grad software engineer jobs.
• Expert hints to write the best possible job description. 

Here’s a CV sample that works smoothly like Python, not clunky and confusing like Scala.

Save hours of work and get a CV like this. Pick a template, fill it in. Quick and easy. Choose from 21 CV templates and download your CV now.

Create your CV now

CREATE YOUR CV NOW

What users say about ResumeLab:

I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your CV.”
Patrick

I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!
Dylan 

My previous CV was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!
George

Create your CV now

Considering other paths? See our dedicated CV guides:

• Software Engineer CV Sample
• DevOps CV Sample
• Programmer CV Sample
• Full Stack Developer CV Sample
• Front-End Developer CV Sample
• Java Developer CV Sample
• Web Developer CV Example Sample
• Engineering CV Sample
• Technical CV Sample
• Network Engineer CV
• Best CV Samples for All Jobs

Entry Level Software Engineer CV Sample You Can Copy and Use

Let’s start troubleshooting your own entry level software engineer CV: 

1. Defrag Your CV Format

You can have the best, most informative and valuable app in the world. Nobody will touch it if it doesn’t have an attractive and intuitive UX. Things should be where the user expects them to be. 

You can write good code in Notepad. A CV for entry level software engineers requires a little more sophistication. 

Follow these simple rules to make sure everything presents properly on all devices:

Entry Level Software Engineer CV Format

• The chronological CV format will bring your most relevant experience to the top. 
• Choose from the classic CV fonts like Calibri or Arial in 10–12pt.
• Set 1-inch CV margins, and use white space to guide their eyes. 
• The one-page CV is sufficient. Two-page CVs work best for candidates with lots of experience.
• Order your CV sections like this: Header, Objective, Experience, Education, and “Additional.”
• Add your GitHub in the header.
• Use a simple CV template for enhanced readability. Best CV templates are also ATS-compliant.
• Send your CV as a PDF, unless it says otherwise. 

Write an address on your CV only when the job offer asks you to or the employer is looking for local candidates specifically.

2. Compile an Entry Level Software Engineer CV Objective

Imagine you had to work magic with five lines of code. Fortunately, the English language is more magical than any coding language in terms of persuading people to hire you. You only have 6 seconds of attention on your CV. That’s why you need to write a concise CV profile. 

Set out your ambition in a CV objective. If you don’t have internships or work experience, pick private projects and achievements from school and university to talk about. You can also give some space to your certifications, which you should definitely look into to beef up your CV.

Entry Level Software Engineer CV Objective—Example

Problem-solving junior software engineer with 1+ year of experience, and a track record of meaningful contributions in Java and C# to 6 large-scale commercial projects. Consistently and efficiently support a team of 12 senior engineers, mainly focusing on testing, bugs, vulnerabilities and updating. Looking to leverage gained experience in a more senior role with more demanding challenges at Freesoft.

A fresh grad software engineer with 2 completed internships, where I coded in Java and C# under the supervision of senior engineers. Also responsible for testing, finding bugs and vulnerabilities. I feel I have enough experience to transition to a more senior role.

Starting your CV with a career objective comes much easier once you have finished the rest of your CV and you know what you want to compile into your 6 second kernel.

Expert Hint: A good LinkedIn profile can go a very long way. If someone goes to that extent to find out more about you, make sure you reward them with something interesting, so they reward you with that job. Check out our LinkedIn career advice.

3. Write a Winning Entry Level Software Engineer Job Description and Skills Section

BLS reports that the demand for software engineers will not slow down any time soon, and will keep growing at 21% for the next decade. How can you get ahead of the competition?

First of all, you must tailor your CV for each application. Prioritise those technologies and aspects of the job that the job ad places an emphasis on. Use CV power words such as modified, streamlined, updated to show your impact. Chances are, they’ll be using ATS software on your CV that will scan it for these keywords, too.

Second of all, you must quantify your impact whenever possible. Record a range of 5-10 different bullet points that show you understand the extent of the job. Check out this job description from one of our modern CV templates:

Entry Level Software Engineer Job Description

Junior Software Engineer

Space Net, Fullerton

January 2020—Present

• Collaborated with the team of 12 software and hardware engineers to optimise the design and ensure functionality.
• Supporting software testing at the operating system level and submitting 120+ reports on updates and bug fixes.
• Contributed to development of 6 commercial software projects, using Java and C#.
• Found 4 security vulnerabilities within the first five months of work.
• Participated in project usability testing every 2 weeks.

• Collaborated with a team of software and hardware engineers to optimise the design and ensure functionality.
• Supported software testing at the operating system level and submitted reports on updates and bug fixes.
• Contributed to development of commercial software projects.

Remember: internships on a CV count as work experience. The same applies to volunteering. But if you have zero professional experience whatsoever, you can simply skip this section and move straight to listing your skills. 

If you are writing a CV with no experience, avoid general phrases such as computer skills—instead list the software that you know in detail.

Entry Level Software Engineer Skills for CV

Soft Skills

• Collaboration
• Critical Thinking
• Interpersonal Skills
• Decision Making
• Detail Oriented
• Dependability
• Communication
• Problem Solving
• Perceptiveness
• Self Motivated

Hard Skills

• ANGULAR
• ASP.NET
• ASP.NET Core
• AWS
• Agile methodologies
• Bootstrap
• Browser Stack
• C#
• C++
• CSS
• Cyber Security
• Docker Cloud
• Entity
• F#
• Firebase
• HTML
• Indexing
• JIRA
• JQuery
• JavaScript
• LINQ
• MVC
• Oracle
• Redash
• SQL
• Visual Basic
• Web API

Expert Hint: Listing all your skills and stacks is cool, but can you really make it work? Especially fresh out of school? Add your best projects to a GitHub profile and include it in your CV.

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your CV in our CV builder now.

CREATE YOUR CV NOW

Nail it all with a splash of colour, choose a clean font, highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You’re the perfect candidate and we’ll prove it. Use the ResumeLab builder now.

4. Debug Your Education Section

The more education you collect on your entry level software engineer CV, the less relevant your formal education will be, and the shorter this section. After all, processing power doubled during the time you were at school. 

For now, list your school, degree name, graduation date, and the GPA, if it’s good.

If this is your very first job or you’re writing a university graduate CV, compensate for your lack of experience with relevant coursework or achievements / awards sections. List the courses and grades that most fit what’s going to be required of you in the new position.

Here’s how to list education on your CV:

Entry Level Software Engineer CV Sample—Education

Education

BS in Computer Science (2019)

4.0 GPA

University of California, Los Angeles, United States

Relevant Coursework: ASP.NET Core 3.1, ASP.NET MVC 3-5, C#, Visual Basic, F#, C++.

Achievements:

• Dean’s List Student
• 2nd place in the Illinois Colleges Coding Olympics

Expert Hint: The Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) certification has retired in January 2021.

5. Ship Your CV With Added Sections

Any bandwidth remaining? Feel free to import some bonus CV sections. Just remember to keep it relevant to the position you’re applying to. Your certifications can play a huge role here, and that’s an avenue of development to consider if you lack personal projects.

You can also choose from these sections:

• Awards
• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Hobbies and Interests
• Volunteering
• Professional References
• Skills—if you haven’t included them as part of your other sections

Just see how different these two entry level software engineer CV examples are:

Entry Level Software Engineer CV Example—Extra Sections

Skills

• Bug & Vulnerability Testing
• Java, C#
• Trello, JIRA
• ASP.NET MVC 3-5
• Data Log Analysis

Languages

• Hindi (fluent)
• Russian (intermediate)
• Polish (beginner)

Other Info

• Experienced in Java, C#, Trello, JIRA, ASP.NET MVC 5, Data Log Analysis
• Hindi, Russian, Polish
• Keen photographer, taking part in local competitions.

One final step—

You need a software engineer cover letter. About half of managers won’t read your CV without a cover letter attached.

Expert Hint: Certifications are a foolproof way to get your CV pinged back to interview. Database certifications crop up more often as requirements in job offers, according to Business News Daily. Oracle and IBM certifications are still very significant. Make sure you check out our guide to putting certifications on a CV once you have them. 

Double your impact with a matching CV and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.

CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOW

Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

To patch your entry level software engineer CV to the newest version:

• Format your CV properly—margins, fonts, 1 page, reverse chronological.
• Use our open-source entry level software engineer CV sample. 
• Inject your job description with achievements and numbers regarding your performance. 
• Add your certifications, skills and other bonus sections—if relevant.
• Write a cover letter. 

Got questions on how to write a great CV for entry level software engineer jobs? Did our entry level software engineer CV sample help? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply.

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Approach

At ResumeLab, excellence lies at the heart of our values, underpinning our promise to provide outstanding career resources. Our team of career experts meticulously assesses each article in line with our editorial guidelines, guaranteeing our content's high quality and dependability. We consistently engage in original research, illuminating the nuances of the job market and earning acclaim from various influential news outlets. Our commitment to delivering professional career advice draws millions of readers to our blog annually.