How to Write a Developer CV That Gets Interviews

A developer CV has one job: get you to the first interview. It is not a biography and it is not a list of every technology you have touched. Recruiters often decide in under a minute whether to read further, so your CV has to make the important things obvious immediately.

This guide covers the structure that works, how to write experience bullet points that show impact, what to do if you have little experience, and a template you can copy.

What recruiters look for first#

Before anyone reads your bullet points, they scan for a few things:

1. Your current or most recent role and level. Are you a junior, mid-level or senior engineer?
2. Your main stack. Does it match the job? Put the technologies you actually work with near the top.
3. Years of experience. Make dates clear and consistent (for example, Jan 2023 – Present).
4. Evidence of impact. Numbers, outcomes and ownership stand out from lists of duties.

If those four things are easy to find, the reader keeps going. If they have to hunt, many won't.

The structure that works#

Keep it to one page if you have under five years of experience, and two pages at most if you have more. Use this order:

1. Header: name, city or "Remote", email, phone, LinkedIn, GitHub or portfolio.
2. Summary (optional, 2–3 lines): your level, stack and what you are looking for.
3. Skills: grouped and short.
4. Experience: most recent first.
5. Projects: especially important if you are early in your career.
6. Education and certifications.

Leave out your photo, date of birth, marital status, religion and full home address. They take space, add nothing for a developer role, and can introduce bias.

Writing experience bullet points that show impact#

Most developer CVs describe duties: "Responsible for developing APIs." That tells the reader what your job was supposed to be, not what you achieved. A better pattern is:

Action verb + what you built or changed + the result (with a number if possible)

Compare these:

Use real numbers only. If you don't know an exact figure, a careful estimate you could explain in an interview is fine ("roughly halved build time"). Never invent results: interviewers will ask about them.

Aim for 3–5 bullets per role, with the most impressive first. Older roles can have fewer.

Good action verbs#

Built, designed, led, migrated, automated, reduced, improved, shipped, introduced, mentored, debugged, scaled, refactored, integrated.

The skills section#

Group skills so they can be scanned in seconds:

Languages:   TypeScript, Python, SQL
Frontend:    React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS
Backend:     Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL, Redis
Cloud/DevOps: AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda), Docker, GitHub Actions

Only list what you could be interviewed on. Avoid skill bars and percentages ("JavaScript 80%"). They are meaningless to readers and invite awkward questions.

If you have little or no experience#

Your projects become your experience. Give each project the same treatment as a job:

• What it does and who it is for, in one line.
• The stack.
• The hardest problem you solved.
• A link to the live app and the code.

Two well-built projects beat ten tutorial clones. Our guide to portfolio projects that impress hiring managers covers what to build, and how to get your first developer job covers the rest of the job search.

Internships, freelance work, open-source contributions, university projects with real users and hackathon wins all count. Put them under Experience or Projects, whichever is honest.

Tailor it for each application#

You don't need a new CV for every job, but you should spend five minutes adjusting it:

• Move the most relevant skills to the front of the skills section.
• Reorder bullet points so the ones that match the job description come first.
• Use the same words the job post uses where they are true for you. Many companies use applicant tracking systems that search for keywords.

Formatting rules#

• Simple layout, one column. Fancy multi-column templates often confuse applicant tracking systems.
• Readable font at 10–12 pt, consistent spacing, clear headings.
• Export to PDF and name the file sensibly: firstname-lastname-cv.pdf.
• Check every link works, especially GitHub and your portfolio.
• Proofread. Spelling mistakes suggest carelessness, which matters in a job about details. Ask a friend to read it too.

A template you can copy#

FIRSTNAME LASTNAME
Software Engineer · Colombo, Sri Lanka (open to remote)
[email protected] · +94 7X XXX XXXX · linkedin.com/in/you · github.com/you

SUMMARY
Backend engineer with 3 years of experience building APIs in Node.js and
PostgreSQL. Looking for a product team where I can own services end to end.

SKILLS
Languages: TypeScript, Python, SQL
Backend: Node.js, NestJS, PostgreSQL, Redis
Cloud/DevOps: AWS, Docker, GitHub Actions

EXPERIENCE
Software Engineer — Company Name                     Jan 2023 – Present
- Built ... which ... (result)
- Reduced ... by ...% by ...
- Led ... for ...

Associate Software Engineer — Company Name           Jul 2021 – Dec 2022
- ...

PROJECTS
Project Name — one-line description (live link · code link)
- Stack: ...
- Hardest problem solved: ...

EDUCATION
BSc in Computer Science — University Name                         2021

Key takeaways#

• Make your level, stack and experience obvious within seconds.
• Write bullet points about results, not duties, and only use numbers you can defend.
• Keep it to one page early in your career and two pages at most later.
• Use a simple single-column layout and export to PDF.
• Spend five minutes tailoring it to each job.

Once your CV gets you through the door, read what to expect at each stage of the interview process.

#cv#job search