The Software Engineer's Resume Guide: Get Past the ATS and Into FAANG

The Software Engineering Resume in 2025

FAANG and top-tier tech companies receive thousands of applications for every open role. Your resume needs to pass ATS screening, impress a technical recruiter, and then survive a hiring manager review — all before you get a phone screen.

The Tech Resume Format

Length: One page for candidates with fewer than 10 years of experience. Two pages for senior engineers and architects.

Structure: Contact Information (name, email, phone, LinkedIn, GitHub, portfolio), Technical Skills, Work Experience, Projects, Education, Certifications.

Note: Tech resumes often put Technical Skills before Work Experience. This is intentional — recruiters and ATS systems scan for specific technologies immediately.

The Technical Skills Section

Organise by category:

• Languages: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Go, Rust, C++, SQL
• Frameworks & Libraries: React, Node.js, Django, Spring Boot, FastAPI, TensorFlow
• Cloud & Infrastructure: AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda, RDS), GCP, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform
• Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, DynamoDB
• Tools & Practices: Git, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Jira, Agile/Scrum, CI/CD, TDD

Only list technologies you can speak to in an interview.

Writing Engineering Achievement Bullets

Weak: "Built a caching layer for the API."

Strong: "Implemented Redis caching layer for the product search API, reducing average response time from 340ms to 45ms and decreasing database load by 70%."

Weak: "Worked on migrating the monolith to microservices."

Strong: "Led the decomposition of a 500K-line monolith into 12 microservices using Domain-Driven Design, enabling independent deployment and reducing release cycle from monthly to daily."

What to Include in Your Projects Section

For new graduates and junior engineers, projects are critical. A strong project: solves a real problem (not just a tutorial), has a live demo or deployed version, has a GitHub repository with clean documented code, demonstrates the specific technologies the employer uses, and has measurable usage or impact.

FAANG-Specific Resume Tips

Amazon: Frame achievements using Leadership Principles language: "customer obsession," "bias for action," "deliver results." Quantify everything.

Google: Emphasise technical depth and impact at scale. Mention systems you've designed, scale you've operated at (users, QPS, data volume).

Meta: Emphasise shipping fast, A/B testing, and data-driven decisions.

Microsoft: Emphasise cross-team projects, mentorship, and technical leadership.

Open Source and GitHub

A strong GitHub profile is a significant differentiator. Ensure your pinned repositories are your best work, README files are clear and professional, you have consistent commit history, and your code is clean and documented.

ResumeScribe.ai's Technical template is designed for software engineers — monospace accents, skills sidebar, and ATS-optimised layout. The AI bullet generator is trained on engineering achievement patterns and produces technically accurate, quantified bullets.