ATS Keywords & CV Guide for Software Engineer
Software engineers design, build, and maintain applications and systems. They write code, review peers, debug issues, and collaborate with product and design to ship features. When you apply for Software Engineer roles, applicant tracking systems scan your CV for the skills, tools, and responsibility phrasing below. Use them in context within your experience bullets, not just in a skills list.
Top skills recruiters scan for
These are the skills that appear most frequently in Software Engineer job descriptions. The importance score reflects how heavily each skill is weighted in the occupation's O*NET profile. Include the top 5 in your CV where you can prove them with real outcomes.
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Skill | Importance | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Programming (multiple languages) |
95
|
technical |
| Version Control (Git) |
92
|
technical |
| Problem Solving |
90
|
soft |
| Debugging |
88
|
technical |
| System Design |
85
|
technical |
| Code Review |
85
|
technical |
| Testing (unit, integration) |
82
|
technical |
| Collaboration |
82
|
soft |
| API Design |
80
|
technical |
| CI/CD |
75
|
technical |
Tools & software to name explicitly
Recruiters and ATS systems search for specific tool names. List the ones you have real experience with in your skills section, and prove them in your bullets. Tools marked as hot are currently in high demand in job postings.
- JavaScript / TypeScriptHot
- ReactHot
- Node.jsHot
- PythonHot
- GoHot
- DockerHot
- KubernetesHot
- PostgreSQL
- AWSHot
- GitHub / GitLab
Responsibility phrasing for your bullets
These are the core tasks a Software Engineer is expected to perform. Use them as starting points for your CV bullets, but rewrite each one with your specific outcomes, scope, and context. Do not copy them verbatim.
- Write clean, maintainable, well-tested code for new features and bug fixes
- Participate in code reviews to maintain quality and share knowledge
- Design and implement APIs and backend services
- Debug and resolve production issues
- Collaborate with product managers and designers on feature requirements
- Write unit, integration, and end-to-end tests
- Participate in architectural decisions and technical design discussions
- Deploy and monitor services using CI/CD pipelines
Other titles this role is posted under
Job postings for this role may use any of these titles. Search for all of them to find more relevant opportunities, and use the matching title in your CV's professional summary when applying.
- Software Developer
- Frontend Engineer
- Backend Engineer
- Full Stack Engineer
- Web Developer
- Application Developer
- Platform Engineer
Tailor your CV for Software Engineer roles
Paste a job description and cvlinkd will place these keywords in your CV where the ATS and recruiter expect them.
Tailor my CV now →Related roles
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Includes information from O*NET 29.x by the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license.