Web Developer Resume: The Framework for the Perfect Resume

A convincing web developer resume will grab the attention of hiring managers and expedite your job search. We want to share some resume writing tips so you can confidently write your resume in a fraction of the time.

Being a great web developer will take you a long way in your career, but it isn’t enough to land your dream job. Supplementing your development knowledge with a thoughtfully crafted web developer resume is the answer you’re looking for.

Our resume builder has helped over 100,000 professionals secure jobs at companies like Google, Apple, and Square. Follow these writing tips and you, too, can maximize your chances of getting an interview.

Designing a Standout Web Developer Resume

Hiring managers are drawn to developer resumes that merge industry knowledge, relevant experience, and personality all into one. This combination will set you apart from other developers and catch the attention of hiring managers.

Your resume needs to immediately convince hiring managers you’re the right candidate for the job. Here are a few tips you should consider.

Show Your Extensive Development Knowledge

Communicating your development knowledge and experience is the single most important goal of your resume. You need to showcase your familiarity with programming languages, web frameworks, and other web technologies.

It won’t be enough to simply list out programming languages and technical skills. You need to convey that you have a comprehensive understanding of web development through your career experience or college education.

The perfect resume should narrate your career experience and explain how you have leveraged your expertise for development projects. This can include your experience with developing websites, web applications, or enhancing overall user experience.

Match Your Resume to the Job Description

You have the job description at your disposal — use it to your advantage. It’s in your best interest to give the job description a thorough read and then customize your resume.

Relevancy is key here. Every company has different development needs and hiring managers are looking for a specific skill set. Show them you have the unique set of tools to seamlessly join the team and make an impact.

For example, a hiring manager who’s on the search for a full-stack developer won’t be interested in a candidate whose experience lies primarily in front-end development. You should either adjust your resume to show you have full-stack experience or shift your focus to a different job opening.

Look for keywords within the job description — like programming languages, databases, or deployment tools — and incorporate them throughout your resume. This will also help optimize your resume for an applicant tracking system.

Stand Out From Other Developers

Hiring managers have short attention spans. In fact, the average hiring manager or recruiter spends only six seconds scanning a resume. A confusing or unorganized resume is sure to get lost in the mix. Customizing your resume to the job description will help you survive those six seconds. 

The resume summary section is also an opportunity to give your resume a personal touch and create a unique narrative around your professional experience. Great resume design and layout also play a crucial role. Put your front-end and UX design skills to work and create a stunning user experience for hiring managers.

Now that you know what hiring managers are looking for, let’s take a look at how you should organize your resume.

Web Developer Resume Sections

There are five basic sections you need to have on your web developer resume. They include contact information, resume summary, work experience, technical skills, and education. Let’s look at what each section entails.

Contact Information

There isn’t anything out of the ordinary here. The contact information section needs to have basic personal information so the hiring manager can contact you when they want to set up an interview.

You can also consider including a link to your portfolio or GitHub account. GitHub is especially handy if you want to showcase previous projects and your ability to write clean code.

What to include in this section:

• Name
• Job title
• City and state
• Email
• Phone number
• Portfolio or GitHub account

Example:

• Jessica Martin | Back-End Developer | San Francisco, California
• Jmartin@gmail.com | 888-431-2368 | github.com/Jmartin

Resume Summary

The number one job of your resume summary is to entice the hiring manager into reading more. This is likely the first section they’ll look at — make it count.

Your resume summary takes what can sometimes feel like an impersonal resume and makes you human. It tells the story of what you’ve done throughout your career and what makes you the best candidate for the job.

The summary section should combine your years of experience, development specialties, and notable achievements. Think of what successes you’ve had and how they set you apart.

Example:

• Full-stack web developer with over seven years of experience at multiple SaaS companies. Passionate about optimizing web application usability and creating beautiful user interfaces. Specialized in JavaScript, Python, and Ruby. Nominated for the 2018 Webby Award for Best User Experience.

Work Experience

Your work experience goes into further detail on every relevant development project you’ve worked on. It shows how you’ve leveraged your different programming expertise in real-world situations.

Every professional experience and project on your resume should include which technical skills you used, the problem you solved, and what the results were. Avoid creating lists of technical skills in your bullet points. Instead, explain how you used each technical skill to successfully complete the project. 

You should also strengthen this section by incorporating metrics to quantify every achievement. This shows you’re data-driven and understand that your work needs to have a positive impact on the company.

What to include:

• Job title
• Company
• Dates employed
• 3-4 bullet points highlighting your contributions

Example:

E-commerce Company | Web Developer | April 2018 – May 2020

• Developed new checkout flow with JavaScript and Python that increased conversions by 18%
• Improved page load time with Python performance improvements, resulting in 22% lower bounce rate.
• Improved Jest test coverage. Reduced customer support tickets by 10% and roll backs by 15%.

Technical Skills

The work experience section explains how you leveraged your expertise to drive results for your company. The skills section is simpler than that. It provides a comprehensive look at your development expertise by listing all of your technical skills.

Create a list of the most relevant programming languages, frameworks, and web tools you’re familiar with. Try to stick with the ones that you have the most experience with while keeping them relevant to the job description.

One tactic you can use to stand out is to bucket your skills into a few different categories. For example, create a heading for programming languages, web frameworks, and debugging tools.

Example:

• Programming languages: JavaScript, Python, PHP, HTML, CSS
• Web frameworks: React, Angular, Django, Rails, Bootstrap
• Debugging and testing tools: Chrome DevTools, Jest, Jasmine, Storybook

Education

The education section doesn’t need to get into too many details, but it’s still a crucial part of your resume. It shows that you’ve built foundational development knowledge before entering the workforce.

Hiring managers are more concerned about the real-world application of your development skills. However, some companies consider a degree a prerequisite for employment.

What to include:

• Name of institution
• Degree obtained
• Dates attended

Example:

• The University of Michigan | Bachelor of Science in Computer Science | 2010 – 2014

Resume Formatting

Web developers need to be cognizant of user experience in their day-to-day job. Think of your resume as an exercise in creating a clean user interface. You want to develop something that looks great and enhances overall usability.

Hiring managers will ignore resumes that are poorly formatted and hard to read. Optimize your resume for readability while incorporating professional-looking design elements.

Here are some areas for consideration:

• Resume style: Use a reverse chronological resume format. This format walks through your experience starting with your most recent web developer job.
• Margins: Margins need to be big enough so you can print, but small enough to avoid extending your resume to too many pages.
• Font: Professional-looking fonts are a must. Make sure they are clean, modern, and chosen for readability.
• Font size: Don’t make your font so small that a hiring manager strains their eyes to read. Refine your resume content instead of decreasing font size.
• Spacing: Adequate line spacing also helps with readability. Set your spacing to a level that is legible.
• White space: A crowded resume will reduce readability and overwhelm the reader. Leave enough white space between sections to avoid this.
• Color: You can incorporate color but maintain a professional look. Avoid using too many colors and stick to a palette that isn’t distracting.
• Resume length: One page is the ideal length. You can extend your resume to two pages if you have extensive experience and are applying to a high-level position.

A clean resume design is critical. You can have the best work experience in the world, but if you botch the execution, you'll have a slim chance of receiving any interviews.

Follow the Approved Resume Template

Resume writing doesn't need to be overly complicated. Follow our recommendations above, or use our resume builder, and you'll have a polished resume in no time.

You can also look through our hiring manager approved web developer resume examples. These will give you a head start on your resume so you can speed the process up and start sending your resume to hiring managers.