40 software engineer resume keywords recruiters look for

With hundreds of software engineer applicants per role, recruiters likely spend just a few seconds scanning each resume. Often, many are first filtered by applicant tracking systems (ATS), which search for specific keywords to determine if your application moves forward. 

A good way to make sure your software engineer resume gets past ATS and catches the attention of top companies like Google, Amazon, or Meta is to use keywords that reflect core competencies (e.g., problem-solving skills → “Debugged production issues affecting millions of users”).

Based on our experience reviewing hundreds of SWE resumes, recruiters essentially look for specific attributes across the board. We’ll walk you through each one and share keyword suggestions to level up your application.

Here’s what we’ll cover: 

• SWE technical skills
• SWE soft skills
• Keywords for your software engineer resume
• Sample SWE resume template

Let's dive in. 

SWE Technical Skills↑

We've extensively discussed what skills you should demonstrate in your SWE applications in our SWE resume and tech resume guides. In summary, you should highlight a mix of technical skills, including:

1. Coding languages. This one’s a given. You’re expected to master at least one coding language well and know common data structures and algorithms, largely focusing on Graphs, Trees, Arrays, Strings, and Dynamic programming. Big tech companies typically don’t care which language you use as long as it’s widely used and you're comfortable with it. 
2. Problem-solving skills. As a software engineer, you’re expected to spot issues, debug, and come up with clean, scalable solutions. On your resume, include examples of problems you’ve solved, whether it’s a workflow or deployment issue, debugging, etc. If you don’t have strong work examples yet, personal or academic projects work, too.
3. System design skills are often needed for engineering roles at FAANG. You'll need to be able to discuss engineering architecture and make decisions relating to efficiency, scalability, and performance. So, if you have any experience in designing systems or related experience, make sure it’s prominent on your resume.
4. Domain knowledge. Recruiters want to get a sense of your knowledge across different areas and technologies. If you don't have much work experience yet, include personal projects as a way to demonstrate domain knowledge.

SWE Soft Skills↑

In addition to strong technical skills, you’ll also need excellent soft skills. The three most important are:

1. Leadership skills, even if you're not applying for a leadership role. Different team members are expected to step up and lead at different times in the lifecycle of a project when their skills are needed. If you lack work experience, try to find examples from personal projects or university projects. For management roles, include any experience working across teams or managing multiple stakeholders.
2. Communication skills are desirable even for very technical roles. Try to include experience of working with cross-functional teams. If you're applying to a management role, demonstrate your experience aligning different stakeholders.
3. Facilitation skills. If you're applying to a management role, show that you can help your team progress by removing obstacles or solving project bottlenecks. It’s not always easy to show this on a resume, but try to include examples where you show how you unblocked a project, took preemptive action to avoid a bottleneck, or improved a process.

Keywords for your software engineer resume↑

Your resume should include terms that highlight the skills we listed above. Here’s a list of common keywords that recruiters and ATS tend to look for in software engineering resumes.

Obviously, the exact keywords you use will vary depending on the companies you’re applying to and the field you’re working in (e.g., fintech, healthtech, SaaS). Use this list as a starting point and adjust as needed for your application: 

You will probably have noticed that all the key phrases above start with an action verb. Using that format consistently for all your bullet points will make it easy for your resume screener to quickly identify that you have the right SWE skills. And if you make your resume screener's life easy, they are definitely more likely to give you an interview!

To see these different keywords in action, you can download our sample resumes below. ↑

Click here to download this SWE resume template as a PDF.

Click here to open this SWE resume template as a Google doc.

Boost your interview chances with expert feedback↑

The example resume above will be really helpful, but if you really want to increase your chances of being in that small minority of applicants who are called for an interview, consider using our resume review service.

You can book a 1-hour call with an IGotAnOffer coach who’s worked in top companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta. They’ll help you improve how you position yourself, rewrite parts of your resume, polish key bullet points, etc. 

Using a good resume review service should result in more interview invitations. If you’re still writing your resume, check out our free guides for detailed tips, templates, and examples:

• How to write a tech resume
• How to write a software engineering resume
• How to write an engineering manager resume

When you’re ready, get immediate feedback on your resume from a top recruiter or coach of your choosing.