ATS keywords for a software developer resume
Many employers keep applications in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), where recruiters search and sort them by the skills the role needs. Use these terms where they honestly describe your experience, so your resume is easy to find and easy to read:
Key skills to highlight
- ▸Designing, building and shipping features end to end
- ▸Writing tested, maintainable code in code review
- ▸Working in Agile teams with CI/CD
- ▸Debugging and improving performance
- ▸Collaborating across product and design
Credentials Australian employers screen for
- ▸Degree in computer science or software engineering (or a strong self-taught portfolio)
- ▸Cloud certifications where relevant (AWS, Azure)
- ▸A public portfolio or GitHub link
- ▸Notable side projects or open-source contributions
Common mistakes to avoid
- ▸Listing every technology ever touched instead of the stack the role needs.
- ▸Achievements with no impact, 'built features' rather than what they enabled.
- ▸No portfolio, GitHub or live links to back the claims.
- ▸Generic profile that does not mirror the job ad's stack and seniority.
Software Developer CV example: before and after
One experience entry, written twice. The numbers are illustrative, the structure is what matters.
Before
Software Developer, 2021 to present. Work in an agile team building features for the company's web platform. Write code, fix bugs, review pull requests and attend stand ups. Experienced with a wide range of languages, frameworks, databases and cloud technologies.
'A wide range of technologies' matches none of the exact terms an ATS searches for, and 'built features' tells the hiring engineer nothing about what shipped, what scale it ran at, or what it changed for the business.
After
Senior Software Developer | AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (validation 000XXXXXX) | Bachelor of Computer Science | github.com/yourhandle
Australian B2B SaaS product company, engineering team of 24 across four squads | July 2021 to present | Full time
- ▸Built and shipped customer-facing features end to end in TypeScript, React and Node.js, working from product discovery through to release in an Agile team on two-week sprints.
- ▸Designed and maintained REST APIs serving around 2.5 million requests a day, cutting p95 response time from 780ms to 210ms by adding query indexing and a caching layer over PostgreSQL and DynamoDB.
- ▸Ran the squad's CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions to AWS ECS), taking deployments from weekly to on demand and lifting automated testing coverage on the core service from 41 per cent to 84 per cent.
- ▸Owned the migration of a legacy .NET billing service to a Node.js service on AWS with no customer downtime, retiring roughly 18,000 lines of unmaintained code.
- ▸Reviewed code across the squad, mentored two junior developers through their first six months, and collaborated with product and design on scoping and technical trade-offs.
Same developer, same platform. The rewrite drops the technology laundry list for the exact stack the ads name, then attaches a number to each thing shipped so the impact is visible without a follow up question.
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Frequently asked questions
Should I include a GitHub or portfolio link on my developer resume?
Yes. Australian tech employers expect it. Link a GitHub, personal site or live project near your contact details, and make sure the pinned work reflects the role you want.
How do I list my tech stack so the ATS picks it up?
Use the exact terms from the job ad (e.g. 'React', not 'frontend frameworks') in a clearly labelled skills section and within your role bullet points. ATS matches on specific names.
Do I need a degree to get a developer role in Australia?
Not always. Many employers weigh a strong portfolio, demonstrable projects and relevant experience as highly as a degree. Lead with proof of what you can build.
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