Software Engineer resume keywords
Most software engineer applications are screened by software before a person reads them: the ATS ranks resumes by how many of the posting's words they contain. The lists below are the terms that show up most in software engineer job ads. Use the ones that are true for you, with the same spelling the ad uses.
Hard skills and ATS keywords
- Go
- Python
- PostgreSQL
- Kubernetes
- AWS
- CI/CD
- System design
- Code review
- REST APIs
- Microservices
- Docker
- Terraform
- Unit testing
- Git
- Distributed systems
- Performance optimization
- Agile / Scrum
- Observability
Soft skills recruiters look for
- Ownership
- Technical communication
- Mentoring
- Problem solving
- Collaboration
Soft skills only count when a bullet proves them. "Team player" is ignored; "Reduced p99 API latency from 480 ms to 290 ms by adding a read-through cache and rewriting 3 hot queries." shows it.
Action verbs to start your bullets
- Built
- Shipped
- Reduced
- Migrated
- Automated
- Scaled
- Designed
- Refactored
How to use these keywords
- Mirror the job ad: if it says "REST APIs", do not write a synonym.
- Put the top 6–8 in a skills section and repeat the key ones inside experience bullets with a number.
- Never list a skill you cannot talk about in an interview.
- Keep the file text-based (no skills inside images or tables), or the ATS cannot read it.
Which ones is your resume missing?
Every posting is different. Paste your resume and the job ad — free ATS Match Score Score your resume free (0-100)
No signup. It lists the keywords from the ad that your resume does not contain.
Need the resume itself? See the software engineer resume example and generate one free from rough notes.