What to put on a software engineer resume at tech companies · 2,484 roles · 90 days to Oct 16, 2026

The skills these postings ask for most

Counts are out of the 2,466 roles whose requirements we could read; the 10 asked for most in each list.

What to put first

1. 1

   Lead with Python, TypeScript and React

   They are the required skills named most, with their counts in the table above. Put the ones you have in your skills line and in the bullets of your latest job, each next to what you did with it.

2. 2

   Then AWS and CI/CD, if you have them

   Preferred, not required: AWS in 290 of 2,466 (12%) and CI/CD in 276 of 2,466 (11%). Add them where they are true; leaving one out costs less than claiming it.

3. 3

   Make 5+ years easy to count

   Among roles that state years, 1,175 of 1,775 (66%) ask for at least 5 years. Give every job a start and end month and year, so a reader can add them up.

4. 4

   Education can go last

   396 of 2,365 (17%) roles require a degree with no alternative; the rest accept experience instead, prefer one or do not mention it. Lead with your work.

5. 5

   Going for senior? Show CI/CD

   CI/CD is required in 92 of 490 (19%) mid-level roles and 231 of 875 (26%) senior roles. If you have done that work, say where.

What changes by level

The software engineer career path compares each level with the next: the required skills that rise, the years asked and the median stated pay where it shows.

Software engineer career path

Bullet patterns

Replace every bracket with your own facts. Keep only numbers you can explain in an interview.

• Pattern, not a real resume

  Built [system] that [what it does] for [team or users], using Python; [metric] after [time].

• Pattern, not a real resume

  Used TypeScript to cut [metric] from [before] to [after] by [change you made].

• Pattern, not a real resume

  Applied React to [problem], which [made it cheaper, faster or more reliable] by [amount].

• Pattern, not a real resume

  Led [project] with [number] people across [teams]; shipped [outcome] in [time].

Gaps to check before you send it

• A required skill you use but never name

  If you work with Python and TypeScript but your bullets only say what the product did, a reader looking for the skill will not find it. Name it where you used it.

• Dates that do not add up

  Most roles that state years ask for at least 5 years. Missing months, overlaps and unexplained gaps make that hard to count.

• Bullets without an outcome

  A bullet that names a tool but not what changed reads as a list of tasks. Add what moved and by how much, or what shipped.

• Work at the next level, hidden by a title

  Senior roles ask for CI/CD and AWS more often than mid-level roles do. If you did that work, say so, whatever your title was.