[Click here to directly go to the complete computer science resume sample]
Do you have a good CS resume?
We know the feeling of wanting to have one.
We will help you uncover the tips and tricks to writing a good CS resume. All you need to do is follow the guidelines and you're good as gold!
Here’s a quick overview of what's in it for you:
- Computer Science Resume Certifications: Consider adding certifications like CET Stackable and Cisco Certified Network Associate
- Computer Science Resume Projects: Mention if you've worked on any C++, Java, and Python projects
- Computer Science Resume Professional Experience: Use present continuous tense for present profile and past tense for past profiles
- Computer Science Resume Format: Write your resume in reverse chronology format
That's not all.
By the end of this guide, you will learn:
- How to approach resume-writing for your cs resume
- How to perfect each section of your computer science resume
- How to make the most of your computer science resume skills in your resume
- What information is required to be highlighted in your computer science resume
What Is a Computer Science Resume & Why Do You Need It?
Let us explain:
A good computer science resume is a compact one-page document illustrating all important information about you that helps you get the job that you're after.
It is the first opportunity you get at impressing the recruiter. This is why your professional computer science resume is important.
However, the recruitment space has revolutionized and has started using software to meet their recruitment needs. One such software is the ATS.
ATS or the Application Tracking System is a tool that most companies are using today to simplify their shortlisting process. This tool assigns a rank to each amd every applicant based on their resume.
This is why you don't just need any other resume, but an ATS-compliant one.
How Much is the Salary of a Computer Science Professional?
Reputed websites have quoted the following figures for a Software Developer:
The salary of a Software Engineer is cited below:
- Glassdoor: $71k - 145k per year
- Payscale: $60.1k - 124k per year
- Ziprecruiter: $65.5k - 136k per year
How to Write a Computer Science Resume?
Writing a good computer science resume involves 3 stages. We have mentioned them below:
- Stage 1: Master Computer Science Resume
- Stage 2: First Draft of Computer Science Resume
- Stage 3: Final Draft of Computer Science Resume
Master Computer Science Resume
The first stage of resume-writing involves making the master computer science resume.
In this stage, all you have to do is to assemble all your career-relevant information in one storage unit. It is this storage unit that we call a master computer science resume.
Compiling your data has two main uses:
-
Resume writing in the present: Because you have all your relevant data in one place, you don't need to explicitly look for information. This ensures information accessibility. All you have to do now is pick the relevant information and use it to compile your resume!
-
Resume update in the future: The second most important use of compiling information is resume-update. Since you don't have to look for information, resume update also becomes an effortless endeavor!
First Draft of Computer Science Resume
The second stage of cse resume writing includes composing the sections that we have mentioned below:
- Header
- Personal Information
- Profile Title
- Work Experience
- Education
- Certifications (if any)
- Awards & Recognition (if any)
- Additional Information (if any)
These are to be composed first by order of priority.
Now that you know what to do in the second stage, we will now move on to the final stage of resume-writing.
Final Draft of Computer Science Resume
As part of the third and final stage of writing your cse resume, you need to compose two sections. We have listed them below:
- Compose the key skills section: All you have to do is identify your core computer science resume skills from the rest of your professional computer science resume and endorse them in this section of your cse resume.
- Compose the computer science resume summary or objective section: Whether you write a resume summary or an objective, it has to be composed at the end. This helps you pick your career highlights with absolute clarity.
In the meanwhile, say goodbye to the tireless hours you spend on making the best computer science resumes that just fall short of the perfection that is needed to get shortlisted.
Which Sections to Include in a Computer Science Resume?
Knowing what to put in your computer engineering resume is the basic foundation of making a professional computer science resume.
Given below is a list of the sections that you should include in your cse resume:
- Header
- Personal Information
- Profile Title
- Summary/Objective
- Key Skills
- Professional Experience
- Education
- Certifications (if any)
- Additional Information (if any)
Computer Science Resume: Professional Experience
The professional experience section of your computer engineering resume is the start of your cse resume. Since it consists of your career-centric details, it is the most relevant section of your professional computer science resume.
Your goal here is to perfect this section. Given below are the top 3 things that you can do to accomplish this:
- Use the STAR format
- Frame points
- Use grouping & highlighting
STAR Format
The STAR Format is universally considered the best format for organizing your roles & responsibilities.
It stands for the following:
- S stands for situation: The situation/backdrop/context of your contributions
- T stands for task: The actual task that was assigned to you
- A stands for action: The strategy you used to execute the assigned task
- R stands for result: The result/outcome of your action in the form of an achievement figure
The biggest advantage of using the STAR format is its employment of the cause-effect relationship in each one-liner point.
Using numbers, you have to explain why you undertook an action and what your contributions amounted to. This will make it easy for you to demonstrate the quantifiable aspects of your professional contributions to the organizations that you were part of.
This information revolutionizes your resume as it becomes more meaningful and relevant, thereby enhancing your chances of impressing the recruiter!
Framing Points
Most professionals tend to compose their cse resume using paragraphs.
If you fall into this category, it's high time to turn on a new leaf and stop this practice right away!
Instead, use one-liner points. This makes your resume more readable.
Don't believe us? Here are 2 examples to demonstrate our argument:
Computer Science Resume Example 1:
As part of my professional engagements with Company X as an Associate Software Engineer, I was responsible for a wide range of roles & responsibilities which included the setting up of port and vulnerability scans to configure tools and identify aberrations. Aside from this, I handle the decryption of abnormalities in the log files which led to easy resolution of the problem, and analyzed the impact of the security incident to come up with feasible solutions to the underlying problem. I was also part of the core team that was tasked with the responsibility of identifying phishing scams and potential malware: something we were able to accomplish with 100% accuracy. I also single-handedly deployed tools like Nexpose and identified remedial plans with help from the security incident response team
Computer Science Resume Example 2:
- Identified phishing scams and potential malware with 100% accuracy
- Set up port and vulnerability scans to configure tools and identify aberrations
- Decrypted abnormalities in the log files to analyze the impact of the security incident
- Deployed Nexpose and identified remediation plans with help from the security incident response team
Framing Points: Analysis
Both the computer science resume examples that we have cited above presents us with the following observations:
- Both computer science resume examples are communicating the same information.
- While example 1 presents this information in a 12- line paragraph, example 2 takes just 4 one-liner points to communicate this information.
- This clearly shows that using points is a better alternative to using paragraphs. It looks more articulate and is also easy to read & comprehend. On the contrary, example 1 is unnecessarily stretched and bulky.
- Good readability is one hallmark of a cse resume. This need is satisfied by example 2 which uses one-liner points.
- To conclude, you should use one-liner points instead of paragraphs to compose a good cs resume.
Grouping & Highlighting
When it comes to writing a professional computer science resume, good readability is not enough. Alongside this, you also need to effectively present your information and focus on your career highlights to catch the recruiter's attention.
Grouping & Highlighting is a great way to do this.
Here are two IT resume examples to prove our point:
Computer Science Resume Example 1:
- Improved existing technologies leading to a 25% increase in productivity
- Facilitated code to improve the software, databases, and operating systems
- Administered debugging & troubleshooting to ensure the efficiency of tasks
- Programmed in various languages (C, C++, Perl, Python, COBOL, HTML) and CNO tools
- Installed JMeter to test the performance of web applications and conducted functionality test
- Received a grant of $100,000 for revolutionizing the computing system
Computer Science Resume Example 2:
Debugging and Programming
- Improved existing technologies leading to a 25% increase in productivity
- Administered debugging & troubleshooting to ensure task efficiency
- Programmed in various languages (C, C++, Perl, Python, COBOL, cHTML) and CNO tools
Performance Testing & Enhancement
- Facilitated code to improve the software, databases and operating systems
- Installed JMeter to test the performance of web applications and conducted functionality test
Key Achievements
- Received a grant of $100,000 for revolutionizing the computing system
Grouping & Highlighting: Analysis
The following conclusions can be drawn based on the assessment of the computer science resume examples that are illustrated above:
- While example 1 can be easily read, it fails to endorse a candidate's career highlights. On the contrary, computer science resume example 2 succeeds in attaining this objective.
- Grouping is the practice of grouping similar points under unique subheadings and highlighting is the practice of marking relevant words in highlight. Both grouping & highlighting are used in example 2 which satisfactorily draws the recruiter's attention to the candidate's career highlights in just one glance.
- Moreover, a recruiter's scope of missing out on a relevant piece of data also gets eliminated when you use grouping & highlighting alongside one-liner points. Thus, the recruiter can easily identify your core areas of strength.
- To conclude, you should use one-liner points and organize them using grouping & highlighting to maximize the effectiveness of your cs resume.
Key Projects
If you've worked on any technical projects in your previous organization, then create a sub-head named 'KEY PROJECTS' at the end of that work experience section and then list out all the projects in reverse chronological order.
Write the most recent project in terms of dates first and then date back to the oldest one. By making a separate sub-heading for your professional projects, you'll make it easier for the recruiters to locate technical projects' related information in your resume.
Computer Science Resume Sample for Professional Experience
Here's a computer science resume sample showcasing the ideal professional experience section.
Also read: How to Build a Computer Tech Resume?
Computer Science Resume: Key Skills
The key skills section is the star of a good cs resume.
It is one of the most relevant sections of your cse resume alongside the professional experience section.
As you may already know, recruiters spend 6 seconds on a professional computer science resume before they decide if your resume is worth the read or not.
This is why this section can make or break your job application.
One glance at this section can easily dictate your chances of getting shortlisted. This is why you need to thoughtfully compose this section and get it closest to perfection.
Here's a list of what you can do to perfect this section:
- Compose this section after concluding your work experience details: This will help you write a good cs resume that is enriched with all the relevant computer science resume skills of your career.
Moreover, composing this section after wrapping up the professional experience section also sees to it that you haven't missed out on an important skill.
- Make this section ATS-targeted by incorporating computer science resume keywords: Keywords are those computer skills for resume that are explicitly mentioned in a job posting. These are the computer science resume skills that a recruiter looks for in a job applicant too.
By incorporating these computer science resume keywords, you can easily demonstrate that you have all the requisite computer skills for resume needed.
Seeing these keywords in a cse resume will also make your professional computer science resume worth the read as it will show that you have the relevant computer science resume skills needed in a new hiree.
However, while incorporating computer science resume keywords, make sure that you don't blindly replicate the keywords in your cse resume but incorporate only those computer skills for resume that you have actual work experience in.
- Make separate sections for key and technical skills: If you're planning to list your managerial and technical skills in the same section, then drop that plan RIGHT AWAY! To make sure that your resume leaves the maximum impact in that 6-second scan, make 2 separate sections for your skills.
Name the first section as 'KEY SKILLS' and list out all your managerial skills under it. After this, make another section named 'TECHNICAL SKILLS' and write the names of all the software and programming languages that you know in this section.
To have more clarity about these 2 sections, take a look at the below-given table on skills.
| KEY SKILLS | TECHNICAL SKILLS |
|---|---|
| Technical Support | C++ |
| Performance Testing | Python |
| Vulnerability Scanning | JavaScript |
| Distributed Computing | PHP |
| Data Structure Development | SQL |
| Animation | Linux |
| Programming | Eclipse |
Computer Science Resume Summary
What is a computer science resume summary but a vibrant endorsement of your professional life?
Your summary is a brief overview of your career and showcases all the important facts and professional accomplishments that make you a distinguished candidate.
Thus, your goal here is to perfect your computer science resume summary. If you do that, you'll be able to leave a lasting impression on the recruiter which will help you enhance your chances of a shortlist.
Here's a guideline that will help you write a stellar computer science resume summary:
- Write your computer science resume summary at the end. This makes it easy to identify what to put in your computer science resume summary.
- Pick the highlights of your career from your work experience section and replicate the ones that stand out. This will help you make an impact as it helps you endorse your achievements!
- Try to include the computer science resume keywords that the recruiter has used in the job listing. This will help pass the ATS compliance test and make your resume more relevant in the eyes of the ATS and the recruiter.
- Keep your cse resume strictly limited to 3-5 lines. Anything that exceeds the 5-line limit is too long as your computer science resume summary should be short and crisp and powerful in articulating information. This is something you can't do if your resume summary is too long. Moreover, you might just end up boring the recruiter - something you do not want to do!
- Do not write a computer science resume summary if you have zero to less than 3 years of work experience.
Assess the computer science resume sample we have mentioned below. It is an illustration of the ideal computer science resume summary.
Computer Science Resume Objective
You should write a computer science resume objective only if:
- You have no relevant work experience.
- You are an entry-level professional with less than 3 years of professional experience.
A computer science resume objective is inherently similar to a computer science resume summary. The only difference is the approach that you take.
The trick here is to talk about the value that you can deliver in the organization that you are targeting. Since you have zero to very limited work experience, your focus should be on your computer skills for resume instead of your work experience.
Communicating that you have the right computer science resume skills and the right attitude can help you beat the best of professionals, irrespective of work experience.
To help you frame an impactful summary/objective, we've created a table below that will tell you the phrases you should use to start each sentence of your summary and objective along with the ones to avoid.
| START YOUR SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE WITH | DON'T START YOUR SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE WITH |
|---|---|
| Highly skilled in | To work in |
| Adept at | More than x years of |
| Proficient in | Extensive experience in |
| Possesses diverse experience in | Excellent x and y skills |
| Armed with the skills of | An innovative thinker with |
| Demonstrated capability in | Ability to |
Also read:
- What all Should a Software Developer Resume Include?
- How to Build a High-Octance Software Engineering Resume?
- What are the Things to Keep in Mind While Drafting a Programmer Resume?
Computer Science Resume: Header
Mentioned below is a quick guideline to composing an impeccable computer science resume header:
- Your real full name is the defacto resume header of your professional computer science resume.
- As a general rule, it is always positioned at the topmost part of your resume.
- The header should be in the largest font size, 16-20 points.
- If you have a middle name, write your first name, followed by the first initial of your middle name in capital letters, followed by your last name.
- Example: If your name is Mathilde Mary Trump, write your resume header as 'Mathilde M. Trump'.
Attached below is a computer science resume sample showcasing the ideal header for your resume.
Computer Science Resume: Personal Information
The personal information section of your cse resume should ideally consist of the following information:
- Updated mobile number
- Professional email ID
- Current Location
Based on the country of the job that you're targeting, evaluate the resume guidelines, and update the details of this section accordingly.
We will now discuss these 3 components in detail.
Updated Mobile Number
To correctly list your mobile number in your professional computer science resume, follow the guidelines below:
- A recruiter uses your mobile number to get in touch with you. An error in numbering can cost you a potential offer. Thus, make sure that you accurately fill in your mobile number information in your cse resume.
- As a general rule, you should use your country’s ISD code as a prefix before your phone number and put a plus sign (+) before the ISD code.
- Eg: +1 39121 90281
If you have 2 or more mobile numbers, make sure that you provide details of only that number on which you are available 24X7.
Professional E-mail Address
Your Email ID is the official communication channel between you and the recruiter. This is why it is your responsibility to present your email ID as professionally as possible.
To write an email ID that reflects your professionalism, make sure that your email ID does not have childish nicknames.
For example, if your name is Nicky Jackman, you should avoid email IDs that look like this:
Basically what we are trying to tell you here is to avoid fancy nicknames. This looks highly unprofessional.
Instead, use your full name as your email ID. Given below are a few examples of how you can compose your email ID:
Location
Given below are a few tips and tricks to help you write a professional email ID:
- Mention your city name and state code in your location.
- Avoid unnecessary details such as your house address, street name, or locality name in this section.
- For eg: If you live in Newark, New Jersey; write your location as Newark, NJ in your professional computer science resume.
- If you are looking for a job opportunity in your home country, follow the city/state format. But, if you are looking for opportunities abroad, follow the city/country format for your location.
LinkedIn URL
Adding a LinkedIn URL to your computer science resume will help recruiters in checking the legitimacy of your application. In addition to this, if you're able to get yourself endorsed by peers on LinkedIn for various skills, then you'll automatically increase your chances of getting shortlisted for that coveted interview.
Kaggle URL
If you've made any projects that are there on Kaggle, then don't hesitate in adding your Kaggle URL in the personal information section of your computer science resume.
Adding the URL to your Kaggle profile is a great way to let recruiters gauge your technical proficiency in various projects.
Computer Science Resume Sample for Personal Information
Given below is a computer science resume sample that you can use to craft job winning computer science resume in 2023. It illustrates what an ideal personal information section should look like:
Computer Science Resume: Profile Title
Just like every other section of your cs resume, this section needs to be perfect too.
Your profile title carries career-centric information about you like:
- Your current official designation
- Your functional industry
- Your level of seniority
Based on this information, a recruiter can quickly assess if you have sufficient qualifications to be the right fit for the job.
Here's a list of what you can do to perfect this section:
- Write your profile title in the font size of 14-16 points.
- Do not exaggerate your profile title as this will be seen as a deliberate attempt on your part to be considered for a job that you are not qualified for.
The computer science resume sample we have mentioned below showcases the ideal profile title for your cs resume.
Keep an eye out on the bottom left corner of this page to avail our resume review service.
Also Check Out:
Computer Science Resume: Education
Your good cs resume is incomplete without a display of your educational qualifications. This is why the education section of your cse resume is deeply relevant to your job application.
This section communicates the following information about you:
- School/university you have attended
- Courses pursued
- Location of your educational institution
- Date of enrolment & graduation from each course (in month & year format)
We have attached a computer science resume sample below. This illustrates the ideal education section for your cs resume.
Computer Science Resume: Certifications
Another important element of your cse resume is your certifications.
If you have them, list them down under a separate certifications section in your professional computer science resume.
This section consists of important information about you such as:
- Certification course name
- Name of the certifying body
- Location of the certifying body
- Enrolment and completion date in month & year format
Arrange these points in the below-mentioned format:
{Name of certification} | {Affiliating Institution} | {Location} | {Date} (in month and year format)
Here's a computer science resume example illustrating the ideal certifications section for your professional computer science resume.
Computer Science Resume: Additional Information
When it comes to writing a cse resume, you should always make a consistent effort to make it as interesting as possible.
The idea is to keep the recruiter interested in your professional computer science resume because resume evaluation can get monotonous for someone who evaluates hundreds of cse resume in one day!
The 'Additional Information Section' gives you the perfect opportunity to do this as you enjoy the liberty to personalize your resume and make it your own.
For example, being multilingual is a great asset, irrespective of the industry you work in. Showcasing it in your professional computer science resume can revolutionize your job application as it will show that you can communicate with people who may struggle with English!
Moreover, listing hobbies that complements your professional computer skills for resume can also go a long way in helping you accentuate the value of your cse resume.
Given below is a computer science resume sample that will help you understand this section better.
Computer Science Sample Resume
Before we begin, here's a computer science resume sample that we have constructed with our Computer Science Resume Builder. It illustrates how a professional computer science resume looks.
- DBMS: NoSQL (MongoDB), MySQL
- Operating Systems: Linux, Windows
- Web Frameworks: Django (Python), Google App Engine, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal
- Technologies: Unity Game Engine, MATLAB, JQuery, FTP (Filezilla), Adobe Photoshop, Flash Application, Microsoft Office Suite, Wireshark, XML, SSH, Network Mapper, Adobe AfterEffects, RESTful Applications, Autodesk Maya, Google Docs, Security Tools, Android Application, Adobe Flash, Facebook Apps Development, G Suite, SaaS, Eclipse, Apache Web Server, JSON
- Languages: C, Python, C++, JavaScript, Java, PHP, ActionScript, SQL, HTML/CSS
- Supporting the HR partners, employees, managers, and the operations team to resolve product management queries
- Coordinating with computer programmers, IT experts & senior software engineers to solve technical problems
- Formulating the requirements of the management and the team members to address administrative & operational issues
- Improving existing technologies and solutions to increase efficiency by ~25%
- Debugging and troubleshooting the software via Radare2 to ensure the efficiency of tasks
- Deploying various programming languages like C, C++, Perl, Python, COBOL, HTML and CNO tools to implement algorithms
- Creating technical presentations to brief the employees about the usage of complex tools and techniques
- Writing code to improve the functionality of the software, and designing operating systems, software and databases
- Tracking the changes in coding by using version control tools such as Git, CVS, SVN, etc.
- Installed JMeter to test the performance of various web applications and conducting functionality test
- Strengthened company security by making use of various firewalls and security tools and minimized breach by 99.99%
- Received a grant of USD 100,000 to switch to cloud computing to completely revolutionize the computing system
- Set up port and vulnerability scans to configure tools and identify aberrations
- Liaised with the security incident response team to analyze phishing scams and potential malware
- Conducted security awareness programs channelizing through the marketing team
- Employed Nexpose and brainstormed with the security incident response team to for remediation plans
- Decrypted abnormalities in the log files to analyze the impact of the security incident
- Interned with Stark Foundation Inc. to gain expertise in cloud computing and web development
- Python | EdX | Jun '13 - Aug '13
- Cloud Computing | Eureka | Mar '15 - May '15
- Top 15 percentile of the class
- Languages: English, Spanish
Key Takeaways
In a nutshell:
- Use the month & year format for dates across all sections in your professional computer science resume.
- Use the city/state code format for all locations in your cs resume.
- Strictly avoid using paragraphs. Instead, use one-liner points to compose your cse resume.
- Use achievements/performance wherever possible in your professional computer science resume. This will help you prove your computer science resume skills.
- Use grouping & highlighting alongside one-liner points to make the most of your cs resume.
- Try to avoid using phrases in the key skills section. Just include keywords that showcase your abilities and expertise effectively.
- Compose the 'key skills' and 'summary' sections towards the end. This will help you single out your career highlights and core computer skills for resume easily.
- Begin each one-liner point with a power verb.
- Use power verbs in the past tense for past profiles and present continuous tense for present profiles.
- Whether you write a computer science resume summary or a resume objective depends on your work experience. If you have over 3 years of professional expertise, write a computer science resume summary. If you don't, write a computer science resume objective.
Follow the guidelines that we have laid out in this blog to the write best computer science resumes.
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