Yet another type of programming job, software engineers have witnessed a great rise in both supply and demand in the past decade.
While cybersecurity cares for the safety of the program, data analysts care for the success rate of the program, and front-end developers care for the display of the user interface of the program, software engineers are those who wrote the program, to begin with.
In this Experienced Software Engineer Resume Guide, we will cover the preferred skills of software engineers and descriptions from actual software engineers of their work experience.
What Skills Should a Software Engineer Have?
First and foremost, a software engineer is expected to know how to code in at least one language from C, C#, C++, Python, Java, or Scala. Certain companies appreciate knowledge in more specific languages, like Go in Google.
Second, software engineers tend to develop a lot of code with multiple objects that require certain Object-Oriented Programming features such as inheritance and polymorphism.
For that reason, it is a great benefit if an aspiring software engineer familiarizes himself or herself with OOP and object-oriented design in general.
Third, DATA STRUCTURES AND ALGORITHMS! Data structures and algorithms are the main topics of most technical interviews conducted in the hiring process of a software engineer.
That is because they constitute a massive toolbox of diverse implementations and uses that the engineer will rely on while developing code.
Data Structures and Algorithms is one of the core courses in any programming or computer science major and there are plenty of more advanced courses on that topic due to its highly detailed nature and relative difficulty.
Shifting our focus to soft skills of a software engineer, these include strong communication skills, good at working with a team, high attention to detail, and good at problem-solving.
A software engineer will rarely be working on a project for himself or her own self. For that reason, the engineer should be capable of effectively communicating with the client in order to both correctly assess whether the requested milestones are feasible and be able to discuss all the implemented functionalities clearly.
Communication skills are not only important for working with clients, but also for internal communication between different engineers working on the same project.
Again, the software engineer should be able to clearly communicate his or her vision and achievements to achieve efficiency in the project work.
This brings us to the need for being a team player. While in some cases we find an introverted programming fanatic who is isolated from everyone else and just receives a task and delivers the code for it the next day, that is rarely the case with available software engineering jobs today.
Due to the increase in complexity of projects with time, the workload needs to be divided into individual subgroups that are handled by different teams.
That is why the programming field has diverged into multiple branches, each concerned with a specific aspect of the code.
Thus, most projects have to be completed in teams, and if you want to be efficient and successful, you need to know how to work within such teams, where every single person’s work is crucial for a functional outcome.
Attention to detail is mainly important for finding edge cases and debugging. Sometimes, a code that took five minutes to write requires hours of debugging.
In some cases, the problem is a small detail that the programmer missed, either in the syntax of the code, the logical flow, or a few test cases that should be handled differently.
It is self-explanatory why a software engineer would thus need to have high attention to detail.
A major portion of a software engineer’s job is to identify a problem and find a good fix for it. Note that I said good fix, not just any fix. Very often, we can easily implement a working method that solves a problem, however, it might not be feasible due to say its high memory consumption or slowness.
Problem-solving is not an innate skill – it is acquired. Data structures and algorithms come in handy when trying to find the optimal solution to a problem.
Which Software Engineering Skill Has the Highest Demand?
Today, there is a very high demand for software skills in working with databases. Normally, the following skills are most wanted:
- Python
- SQL
- Java
- Scala
- Perl
- Ruby
- C++
This does not mean that companies are hungry for anyone who has taken an Introduction to Python course. Each company has specific targets in mind and the aforementioned skills are just means to reach those targets.
How Do I Write a Resume for An Experienced Software Developer?
What should be included in a software engineer resume?
If you are joining a new company as an intern or fresh graduate, your degree and coursework play a fundamental role in assessing your expertise. However, for an experienced software developer, the following list includes the key points to include in your resume.
Personal Projects and Work Experience:
This is the most important technical part of your CV as it highlights specifically what you have worked with i.e., have hands-on experience with, not just theoretical knowledge about.
Languages and Programming Languages:
This is the first portion of the skills section and is essential to help recruiters understand your experience and strength points. It is important to include proficiency in each language.
A good idea would be to check which languages are required for the job you are applying to and to organize your list accordingly.
Tools and Operating Systems:
This is the second portion of the skills section and allows the recruiter to understand what you are familiar with (Linux, Git, VSCode, etc.)
How many pages should a software engineer resume?
The more compressed and concise the resume, the higher the chance of employment. Companies, especially those which are big and esteemed, tend to receive a high number of applications and do not care to read filler details.
Be straight to the point and only include relevant experience; your resume is not a showcase of your talents, but an appeal to recruiters to tell them that you have what they want.
Description of My Work Experience as a Software Engineer
I, the writer of this article, am an aspiring software engineer myself. Work involves the renovation of old company code, lots of testing and debugging, taking certain measures to increase security or maintain the efficiency of the code, or coming up with new ideas to implement.
It is tiring but also highly rewarding, and you do not have to worry about brain regression or memory loss when you are a software engineer! That brain of yours will work consistently.
For more descriptions of actual jobs undertaken by software engineers, please visit this website https://hbr.org/2021/07/career-crush-what-is-it-like-to-be-a-software-engineer.
Experienced Software Engineer Resume Templates and Examples
For software engineering resume templates that guide you through the dos and don’ts while writing your resume, please visit the website
https://zety.com/blog/software-engineer-resume.
References:
https://brainstation.io/career-guides/what-skills-do-you-need-to-be-a-software-engineer
https://tunga.io/most-in-demand-software-skills/
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