A computer science resume portrays a summary of your skills and experience with the purpose of impressing recruiters and landing you the job.
In an ever-expanding digital realm where long lines of complex code reign supreme, there’s a much simpler document capable of unlocking doors to career opportunities. A well-crafted computer science resume—much like a perfectly optimized algorithm—holds the power to impress your employers.
But unlike the years of learning and practice it takes to fully grasp a programming language, you need just a few minutes to master the art of resume-building. All it takes is one comprehensive guide that features everything from general rules to minute details and expert tips.
So, prepare your keyboards, and let’s embark on a resume-writing adventure!
Selecting the right format for your computer science resume is imperative, as it sets the foundation for the entire document. It represents the arrangement of sections and the information within them. That’s why you should pick one of these three proven resume formats used by most candidates:
Sometimes recruiters spend less than 10 seconds skimming through a resume before moving on to the next one. That’s why—in addition to a clean format—you need a strong resume layout that will make your document visually appealing, simple to scan, and easy to read.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a graphic designer to achieve those goals. You can simply follow these guidelines:
1. Keep your resume one page long unless you have more than a decade of experience and plenty of invaluable achievements to showcase.
2. Take advantage of bullet points, which convey as much information as blocks of text while being much more concise.
3. Pick a modern and readable sans-serif font (e.g., Verdana or Helvetica). 4. Use a 10–12 pt font size for the body of your resume and 14–16 pt for section headings. 5. Set margins to at least 1 inch on all sides to achieve a professional look.Certain sections represent a staple of your computer science resume, and they are:
Additionally, you can customize your document by including some extra information and increase your chances of standing out by mentioning:
We’re about to take a deep dive into how to create each of these sections. But before that, you should take a second to check out our resume builder.
As a computer scientist who knows the value of automation, you’ll appreciate our full-fledged solution designed by industry experts. Whether you’re making a computer science resume as a student or a veteran, you’ll get everything you need to create a job-winning resume in minutes!
Instead of grabbing a Word template for a computer science resume to create a hit-or-miss document, choose one of our submission-ready samples. Adjust its layout, format, sections, color, font choice, and more; insert your information, and simply download a finished product!
Here’s one of many computer science resume templates that you’ll find in our collection.
Phone number: 000-000-0000 | Email: namesurname@gmail.com | Location: City, State
[Adjective] [your job title] with [years of experience, if applicable] in [your area of expertise, if applicable] looking for a [position] job at [company name]. Eager to apply [relevant skills] gained through [work/volunteer/other experience] to help [company name] [mention what you can do for the company].
Most Recent Relevant Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
Less Recent Relevant Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
[Degree] in [Major] [University/college name] [Start date] - [Graduation date]
Before you start talking about your skills and achievements, you need to introduce yourself to recruiters and let them know how to get back to you. That’s the purpose of the contact information section, which should go in your resume header and feature the following details:
As a computer scientist, you can also include links to your profiles at relevant websites such as Github, Stack Overflow, and others. It’s also common to add a link to your LinkedIn profile, as many recruiters use this network to look into candidates.
Lastly, while adding location is an outdated practice due to security reasons, you can include it if the job ad asks for it or if you’re applying for a position abroad and are willing to relocate.
Now let’s see all that in an example:
Rebecca Oliver
We briefly mentioned how recruiters sometimes skim through resumes until one grabs their attention. That’s why you need a strong opener at the top of your computer science resume in the form of a resume objective or summary.
This 2- to 4-sentence paragraph is designed to highlight a couple of your most impressive features. As an entry-level applicant, you’ll likely demonstrate your skills and motivation by writing a resume objective. However, if you have plenty of experience, you’ll write a resume summary to point out a few of your most prominent accomplishments.
Writing an impactful science resume objective is all about showing potential. You should emphasize the skills that are needed for the position that you’re applying for while displaying a drive to work for their company in particular.
Here’s a good example:
“Motivated recent graduate with a BSc in Computer Science looking for an entry-level position at [your company]. Adept at Java, Swift, and SQL with a focus on user-centered design. Seeking to leverage academic knowledge while working alongside experienced computer scientists on the road to becoming a full-stack developer.
And here’s what happens if you don’t provide any information of value:
“A recent graduate looking for their first job to gain real-world experience.”
To write an effective resume summary, make sure to include how much experience you have in the field and mention one or two exceptional achievements to substantiate all that. This will usually be enough to persuade recruiters to keep reading your computer science resume.
Here’s a well-written resume summary:
“Senior computer scientist with 11+ years of experience in machine learning. Notable achievements include saving the company $70,000+ in costs by implementing 11 machine-learning models and techniques. Seeking to leverage extensive knowledge of LSTMs and CNNs to successfully fill a senior position at [your company].
However, if you fail to provide any proof of your experience and ability, you’ll end up with a bland summary like this one:
“Experienced computer scientist looking for a senior position to apply my skills and knowledge and help your company grow.”
The work experience section is usually the focal point of a computer science resume. Let’s see how you can make it impeccable.
Let’s start with the fundamental parts of every work experience section:
If you’re adding multiple previous jobs, you should do so in reverse-chronological order, placing the most recent employment first. However, focus on quality over quantity. An irrelevant job you had as a hotel receptionist during your college days likely won’t impress recruiters who are looking for a computer scientist.
Now, the most important part of getting your work experience right is your list of achievements and results. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of it:
The important thing to understand when writing a computer scientist resume with no experience is that recruiters know what to expect from entry-level candidates. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed and worried about crafting a resume filled with impressive accomplishments.
Instead, you can showcase some of your school projects, internships, volunteer work, and similar activities.
Here’s a good example:
Work Experience
Computer Science Intern
Analytic Inc.
As an experienced computer scientist, your goals should be quality and relevance. Don’t add dozens of bullet points just to fill the space on your resume. Instead, keep the position that you’re applying for in mind when listing achievements and focus on the most impactful and suitable ones.
Let’s see that in an example:
Work Experience
Computer Scientist
InnoTech Solutions
The education section of your computer science resume is one of the simpler ones. It’s usually enough to briefly list the following details:
These elements are sufficient if you’re an experienced candidate. However, if you’re writing a computer scientist internship resume and you lack a decent work history, you can make your education section more prominent by adding optional details such as:
BSc Computer Science
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
If you’re still a student, you can add your degree by placing “current” instead of a graduation date. It’s even better if you have a planned graduation date, in which case you can add “expected” next to it.
On a final note, it’s acceptable to add your degree even if you quit your studies. You can do that by mentioning how many points you obtained toward your degree.
A distinct set of valuable skills can quickly set you apart from the competition. The trick is figuring out which computer science resume skills recruiters want to see and then proving them.
Properly adding skills to your resume is a three-step process:
Which hard skills you should add to your computer science resume will depend on the specific position that you’re applying for. Some of the most prominent computer science hard skills include:
Computer scientists often need to be highly proficient in various programming languages, frameworks, version control systems, etc. These include:
Soft skills are transferable between professions and much harder to prove than hard skills. That’s why you should only list a select few that recruiters want to see in candidates, such as:
You can dress up your computer science resume with some of these optional sections to greatly increase your chances of getting an interview.
Awards and certifications represent a demonstration of excellence. They play a significant role in the field of computer science as they add credibility to the candidate’s skills, expertise, and accomplishments.
Whether you’ve been awarded for outstanding work or certified in certain areas of specialization, you can add this section to your resume to stand out among the competition.
Projects are particularly important for candidates who are writing entry-level computer science resumes. If you’re light on work experience, you can showcase some of the projects that you've worked on. That way, you’ll demonstrate that you’ve applied your theoretical knowledge and concepts to real-life scenarios.
In addition to representing a testimony of experience and validation of your skills, projects can also help you emphasize your collaboration skills.
A hobbies and interests section is a hidden gem in the world of resume-building. You can use it to portray yourself as a versatile and well-rounded candidate. Moreover, your hobbies and interests can indicate desirable soft skills and personality traits. Lastly, they are great conversation starters and a way to connect with recruiters during interviews.
A cover letter is a highly recommended document if you want to maximize your chances with recruiters and potential employers. The mere act of submitting it tells them that you’re someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Similar to your resume, your computer science cover letter also needs to be brief, concise, and tailored to the position. You can use it to highlight a few more skills and achievements that you didn’t manage to add to your resume. It can also be beneficial to address the recruiter by their name, indicating you did your research and building rapport in the process.
Maximize the performance of your computer science resume with these expert tips:
We prepared three professional computer science resume examples to help you summarize everything that you’ve learned so far. You can also use them as inspiration during your resume-building endeavors.
As you can see, one of the most important things when it comes to writing a computer science resume is condensing your entire professional journey into a concise form.
However, remember that it’s not supposed to be a flat collection of bullet points but an engaging story of accomplishments and aspirations. It’s your opportunity to leave a lasting first impression and position yourself as a skilled, competent, and passionate individual.
So, combine this newfound knowledge with your honed problem-solving prowess, and don’t forget to let a touch of your personality shine through. Good luck, and may your career in computer science follow an exponential growth path!
Sheila Kravitz Content Writer & Head EditorBy day, Sheila Kravitz writes stellar content and works as a head editor. At night, she spends her time winning at trivia nights or playing Dungeons & Dragons with her friends. Whether she’s writing or editing, she gives her maximum effort and ensures no error gets past her watchful eyes. When she’s doing none of the above, Sheila likes to spend time with her cats and her partner, endlessly watching crime documentaries on Netflix.
