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Alex 👨🏼‍💻FullStack.Cafe for FullStack.Cafe

Posted on • Updated on • Originally published at fullstackresume.com

How To Write Kickass Developer Resume Summary and Get Hired

🔴 Originally published on FullStack.Cafe - Kill Your Tech & Coding Interview

When describing a summary of your web developer career in your resume or CV (you know the difference, do you?) remember about KISS principle and use that simple yet powerful template:

[Your professional identity] with [how many years in profession] of [broad experience] in [Areas of expertise] with willingness/eagerness to learn/master/practice [Areas of interests]. [Strongest area of expertise] specialist/practitioner/expert/adept.

Don't panic if it doesn't make any sense and look at these examples:

  • Skilled Sr. Android Developer with 7+ years of broad experience in Mobile Development, Core Java & Kotlin areas with willingness to learn and master Front-end Development and DevOps. App Store SEO specialist.

  • Inventive Front End Developer with 3+ years of comprehensive expertise in UI/UX & Design, JavaScript/ES6/ES2017 areas with willingness to learn and master Back-end Development and Web Servers Administration. Testing, DDD/TDD expert.

  • Creative Node.js Developer with 12+ years of wide knowledge of Operating Systems & Terminal, Machine Learning areas with willingness to learn and master Scrum & Agile and RDBMS & SQL. Blockchain practitioner.

  • Inspired .NET Full Stack Developer with 13+ years of extensive knowledge in Back-end Development, DevOps & CI/CD areas with willingness to learn and master NoSQL and Testing, DDD/TDD. DevOps & CI/CD adept.

  • Results-driven Azure Developer with 12+ years of wide knowledge in Operating Systems & Terminal, Progressive Web Apps areas with willingness to learn and master NoSQL and JavaScript/ES6/ES2017. GOF Design Patterns & OOP proffesional.

Wonder why to use this resume summary? In short, that summary will answer 80% of questions about you as a potential employee in first 3 seconds and attract immediate reader's attention by staying succinct and respectful to others people time right from the start of your professional relationships.

Read the full article why this is important on my blog www.fullstackresume.com.

To make it easier for you to compile your own web developer resume summary I did collect the following lists of useful placeholders.

Professional Qualities

Use that professional qualities for your developer identity:

  • innovative
  • creative
  • inventive
  • inspired
  • skilled
  • proficient
  • skilful
  • adaptable
  • ambitious
  • candid
  • confident
  • cooperative
  • devoted
  • enthusiastic
  • flexible
  • focused
  • goal oriented
  • imaginative
  • independent
  • insightful
  • knowledgeable
  • open Minded
  • proactive
  • responsible
  • results-driven
  • results-oriented
  • self-reliant
  • versatile

Areas of Expertise in IT

Use that list of areas of expertise, check what areas are important for recruiters from job description:

  • Front-end Development
  • Back-end Development
  • UI/UX & Design
  • JavaScript/ES6/ES2017
  • Progressive Web Apps
  • Single Page Apps
  • SEO
  • Web Components
  • Infrastructure as a Service
  • DevOps & CI/CD
  • Multithreading Development
  • Microservices & Containerisation
  • Blockchain
  • Testing, DDD/TDD
  • Software Architecture
  • RESTful & APIs
  • GOF Design Patterns & OOP
  • GraphQL
  • Machine Learning
  • Scrum & Agile
  • Web Servers Administration
  • Operating Systems & Terminal
  • NoSQL
  • RDBMS & SQL
  • Graph Databases
  • Knowledge Management

Experience Synonyms

Use that handy synonyms for broad experience term as well:

  • strong experience
  • extensive knowledge
  • wide knowledge
  • broad expertise
  • extensive expertise
  • hands-on experience
  • first-hand expertise
  • comprehensive experience
  • professional experience'
  • practical experience

Don't forget if you want to improve your developer resume/cv and get hired 2x faster check the full article on my blog www.fullstackresume.com.

Good luck!

Top comments (10)

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard • Edited

That's nice and good if you want to specialize.

I don't want this and I struggle to explain that I'm interested in more than one thing. That I have skills in more than one area. And that I have skills a set of areas that wouldn't really make sense at a first glance for a recruiter.

There is a quote that makes sense to me

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.
Time Enough for Love (1973), written by Robert A. Heinlein

... but it could look agressive.
I'm not sure how I can make it assertive.
Basically I feel I can learn enough of anything provided that

1) I am interested in that thing
2) I feel it's important right now in my context.

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hamsterasesino profile image
Gabriel

I don't have any interest in specialization either but I'd sure use OPs advice in order to tailor my resume for specific employers

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard

My concern is that if I present myself as a $TECH developer and gets that job, then both the company and I will end up being not very happy.
I would rather explicitly focus on companies that find my multiple areas of interest valuable.

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thompcd profile image
Corey Thompson

I’ve billed myself as a member of a software swat team. I haven’t worked in any specific technology for more than a few months at a time and I’m thrown onto a different scrum group every couple sprints to aid with our company’s most pressing issue at the moment. The reactions have been very positive for the employers who value that type of flexibility.

Working in Azure Cloud, ladder logic in PLC’s, C in microcontrollers, Swift and JavaScript within 3 sprints isn’t very common, but I get to tout that this has been my life for years now. :)

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard

I didn't know this concept of SWAT team.
I googled it and found SWAT Team, a Pattern for Overloaded, Multi-project Organizations
Looks a lot like what I would like to do.
Thanks for giving a name to my concerns :)

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thomasjunkos profile image
Thomas Junkツ

In hindsight I built a template like that for myselves.
My version looks like

I am $Whatever and do $MyCurrentJobDescription.
Aside from that I am interested in doing $OtherThings.
In my current job, I have no possibility to move towards $WhateverTheNewJobDemands. I bring X to the table and
want to achieve Y in your company.

Not more than 10 sentences. Better 8.

I try to show my reasoning for why I want to change.

This got me everytime to an interview and I got the jobs I wanted after the interview.

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livanjimenez profile image
Livan Jimenez

I have a question about the summary, recently I got a lot of feedback from people reviewing my resume, e.g. recruiters, hiring managers, friend that hires. That having a summary is kinda pointless and should be avoided because it's often overlook. Is this 100% true or it depends on the position you're applying for?

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duckspace profile image
Stephanie L.

I think having a summary or overview on your resume is outdated. It doesn't add any value.

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codenutt profile image
Jared

Wow. This is really damn good lol. Good tips! Definitely going to go change my Linkedin....

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tringakrasniqi profile image
Tringa Krasniqi

Just changed my LinkedIn summary because I saw this post !! Great post!