What Recruiters & Hiring Managers Scan First
First pass is short. They check if your resume parses cleanly, whether bullets show engineering outcomes, and if your stack matches the role. Our Honest ATS Scanner mirrors that pass: it flags parser risks, vague verbs, weak headings, keyword gaps (languages, frameworks, cloud), and missing system signals.
Role-True Keywords (Use Them Naturally)
Include the stack the job expects—then tie it to measurable change:
- Languages: Java, Python, Go, TypeScript/JavaScript, C#
- Frameworks: Spring Boot, Django/FastAPI, Node/Express, React/Next.js
- Datastores: Postgres/MySQL, MongoDB/Redis, Kafka/Kinesis
- Cloud & Infra: AWS/GCP/Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform
- CI/CD: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, CircleCI; trunk-based dev
- Testing & Quality: unit/integration/e2e, load testing, SAST/DAST
- Observability: Prometheus/Grafana, OpenTelemetry, logs/traces/metrics
- Security & Reliability: OAuth2, least privilege, WAF, SLO/SLA
Keywords help ATS; outcomes win interviews. See Outcome Bullet Guide and How WisGrowth Works.
Outcome-Driven Bullet Examples (Copy the Shape)
- Migrated image service to S3 + CloudFront; p95 latency −42%, egress costs −18%.
- Implemented CI with GitHub Actions & test containers; deploy frequency +3x, MTTR −36%.
- Re-indexed Postgres tables; checkout queries −280ms, errors −1.2 pts at peak.
- Built feature flags (OpenFeature) for gradual rollouts; release bugs −30%.
- React → Next.js partial SSR; LCP −900ms, conversion +1.7 pts.
Lead with the change, then show how engineering enabled it (design, stack, techniques). If numbers are sensitive, use relative deltas or SLO movement.
Common SWE Resume Mistakes (We’ll Flag Them)
- Tool soup without impact: “Java • React • AWS” with no outcome.
- Unparseable templates: multi-column images that break ATS.
- Project lists without scale: no data sizes, RPS, or user counts.
- System design claims without constraints: missing throughput, availability, consistency choices.
- No ownership story: shipped features but no reliability/security lines.
Parsing & Structure: Don’t Lose to the Template
Use one column, real text, standard headings (Experience, Education, Skills), readable fonts, and consistent dates. Our scan grades parseability, structure, and keywords, then gives specific edits so you can fix the top blockers quickly.
Show System Design Signals Even in Small Teams
You can highlight design thinking without FAANG scale. Mention trade-offs (consistency vs. availability), chosen patterns (circuit breakers, idempotency, retries), and why. Add at least one bullet per role that references scale, reliability, or cost.
7-Day Plan to Lift Your Engineering Signal
- Run a free scan to baseline ATS and find your top three issues.
- Rewrite three bullets with business problem → design/technique → metric change.
- Add scale: RPS, p95/p99 latency, users, data sizes, cost deltas, or SLOs.
- Publish a short case: “From manual deploys to CI/CD”—include before/after metrics.
- Update LinkedIn headline: “SWE • Java/React • p95 −42%, deploy +3x, MTTR −36%”.
- Apply to three aligned roles; message two engineers/EMs weekly.
- Optional: add a Clarity Quiz result to choose backend vs. frontend vs. platform.
Junior vs. Senior Engineer: What Changes
Junior: show learning velocity, testing discipline, and incremental delivery—PRs merged, bugs prevented, automations added. Senior: emphasize design ownership, cross-team impact, reliability/security thinking, and mentoring. In both, metrics matter.
Switching Tracks? (e.g., FE → BE, On-prem → Cloud)
Translate prior work into platform outcomes: performance wins, migration risk reduction, developer productivity, security posture, or cost optimization. Build 1–2 focused repos (e.g., Go + Postgres service with tests, Terraform + ECS deploy) and align your resume with an ATS scan.
Keep Going
When your resume tells a story of systems improved and users helped, interviews get easier. Improve one bullet, one repo, and one calibrated application each week. For fast direction, try the 60-sec Career Health Check, then read How WisGrowth Works.