Top Software Engineer Intern sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write a Software Engineer Intern resume experience section
Software Engineer Intern Resume’s Job Experience Checklist:
- Use 4-6 bullet points per job title;
- Don’t go further than a decade behind when describing your job history, unless you’re applying for an executive position;
- Combine job responsibilities as well as achievements with numbers in results when you describe your past work;
- Start each sentence with a power verb and avoid overused buzzwords;
- Use either C-A-R or S-T-A-R methodology, when describing your experience.
The work experience samples below come from real Software Engineer Intern resumes that got people hired at top companies. You can use them as an inspiration to build your own resume:
- Implemented 3 new features in the PillowPro App, in turn accelerating the release of the app to the App Store and Play Store
- Learned React Native within the first 2 weeks and used React Redux, React Saga, Camera, Code Push and Push Notifications libraries
- Worked with Ruby on Rails MVC framework on the server side
- Developed a system that interfaces with external APIs, fetches data using external APIs and updates company’s database.
- Clean, analyze, merge, and de-duplicate data from multiple sources. Metrics included Levenshtein Distance, geographical distance (in the context of place data), as well as proprietary metrics.
- Created test suite
- Developed an Android App which uses Augmented Reality concept.
- The app looks for a predefined marker through device camera.
- On encountering the marker, Recipe book appears in place of the marker.
- On Single tap, a new page appears and on double tap, video related to the page will be played.
- Automated Coverage Reports & Regression/Performance testing
- Brought down process time from 1-2 days to just under 10 hours
- Created sample Android apps for testing MobileDgnSdk
- Developed a system that interfaces with external APIs, fetches data using external APIs and updates company’s database.
- Clean, analyze, merge, and de-duplicate data from multiple sources. Metrics included Levenshtein Distance, geographical distance (in the context of place data), as well as proprietary metrics.
- Created test suite
- Developed an Android App which uses Augmented Reality concept.
- The app looks for a predefined marker through device camera.
- On encountering the marker, Recipe book appears in place of the marker.
- On Single tap, a new page appears and on double tap, video related to the page will be played.
- Developed a system that interfaces with external APIs, fetches data using external APIs and updates company’s database.
- Clean, analyze, merge, and de-duplicate data from multiple sources. Metrics included Levenshtein Distance, geographical distance (in the context of place data), as well as proprietary metrics.
- Created test suite
- Developed an Android App which uses Augmented Reality concept.
- The app looks for a predefined marker through device camera.
- On encountering the marker, Recipe book appears in place of the marker.
- On Single tap, a new page appears and on double tap, video related to the page will be played.
- Developed a system that interfaces with external APIs, fetches data using external APIs and updates company’s database.
- Clean, analyze, merge, and de-duplicate data from multiple sources. Metrics included Levenshtein Distance, geographical distance (in the context of place data), as well as proprietary metrics.
- Created test suite
- Developed an Android App which uses Augmented Reality concept.
- The app looks for a predefined marker through device camera.
- On encountering the marker, Recipe book appears in place of the marker.
- On Single tap, a new page appears and on double tap, video related to the page will be played.
- Developed and tested applications used in the acquisition and observation of real time data captured during jet engine testing.
- Investigated and evaluated the applicability of commercial graphical user interface test software.
- Developed screencasts using video/audio capture and editing software to produce online user training material.
- Developing SaaS application prototype for a healthcare product
- The service includes an Android mobile application and a frontend and a backend ASP.net website
- I was responsible for the programming, documentation and testing of the SaaS platform
- Built custom shaders for lighting and post-processing using bleeding edge WebGL technology.
- Built Youtube-like web viewer interface for 3D content (Time of Day, Fly-through, Render modes).
- Built web editor interface allowing architects to import, customize and pre-visualize their 3D models.
- Built simple PHP5 backend to manage users, and 3D models.
- Developing new functionalities for IBM’s Informix, Netezza and DB2 Systems using Informix SQL and DB2 SQL.
- Ensuring the functionality and quality of the databases. The internship included designing and developing enhancements, analyzing defects and implementing and testing the enhancements.
- Worked on : Informix SQL, DB2 SQL, UNIX, Java
- Wrote SQL queries to retrieve data from a MySQL database.
- Used PHP to generate customer sales reports.
- Identified and fixed bugs involving the product.
- Evaluated, demostrated, and recommended PostgreSQL version 9.5 versus a previous version
- Performed data analytics to identify clients using report generation software that at end of life cycle.
- Participated in internal Global Hackathon event and created a real time data pipeline visualization application gaining team collabortaion experience in a time critical project environment.
- Applied the agile methodology on two projects as well gained experience with working an internaltional team.
- Wrote SQL queries to retrieve data from a MySQL database.
- Used PHP to generate customer sales reports.
- Identified and fixed bugs involving the product.
- Developed a back-end service and API using Node.js to decode Financial Information eXchange (FIX) protocol allowing easier reading of FIX messages.
- Integrated the current internal FIX diffing tool into my service to speed up the migration of other services in the team.
- Developed web UI using Angular to interact with my back-end service.
- Deployed services in Docker containers on cloud computers.
- Developed a Precision Time Protocol (PTP) decoder in C++ to be used on Corvil systems.
- Developed an automated testing script in Python to test the robustness of the Corvil decoders and Corvil software simplifying the process to detect decoder and system crashes.
- Developed an automated testing script in Python to test if decoder update packs contain all the updates expected to be in them improving the speed at which decoder pack updates can be tested.
- Developed transaction/batch duplication detection feature, reducing risk of system and human error.
- Improved maintainability by writing Java unit tests, decreasing QA engineer’s workload by over 25%.
- Learnt PHP and SQL within a 28-day timeframe to implement backend improvements.
PRO TIP
Check the Software Engineer Intern job description for inspiration. Look for similarities between your employer’s values and your experience.
Action Verbs for your Software Engineer Intern Resume
Recommended reads:
Software Engineer Intern Resume Skills’ Tips & Tricks to Impress Recruiters
Resume Skills Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Skills for your Software Engineer Intern resume
- Java
- Android Development
- C#
- JavaScript
- Python
- HTML/CSS
- C/C++
- SQL
- Haskell
- Prolog
- Communication
- Organisation
- Analytical thinking
- Creativity and innovation
- Accountability
- Flexibility
- Eager to learn
- Perseverance
- Problem solving
- Resourcefulness
PRO TIP
Add a Talent Section to your resume, where you can pick your top 3 soft skills and describe how you used them to complete a project or balance departmental communication.
Recommended reads:
Software Engineer Intern Resume Header: Tips, Red Flags, and Best Practices
CHECKLIST For Your Software Engineer Intern Resume Header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Software Engineer Intern resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
Software Engineer Intern Resume Summary Best Practices
Checklist: What to include in your Software Engineer Intern resume summary:
- Years of experience;
- Highlight top 3 skills and proficiencies;
- One big professional accomplishment you’re most proud of, that you can tie with the aforementioned skills;
- Use short, direct sentences - but no more than three - to keep the HRs interested.
Resume Summary Formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a brief but informative introduction to your experience section. In this section you should go into more depth about what you have done, and how you did it.
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Listing Your Education, Certifications and Courses
Resume Education Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Certifications for your Software Engineer Intern resume
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Software Engineer Intern. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
Software Engineer Intern Resume: Additional Writing & Formatting Tips
There are three basic resume formats you can choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional resume format;
- Hybrid (or Combination) resume format;
The most optimal format for your particular case will depend on your years of experience, as well as whether you’re switching industries or not.
Reverse chronological resumes are best suited for experienced individuals who are sticking to their industry. The experience section takes a central place, and its bullets contain your responsibilities and achievements, coupled with numbers and results.
Functional resumes are used by less experienced jobseekers or career changers. Note that it’s not a format that recruiters prefer, as most are used to the classic chronological alignment. Instead of a list of job titles, functional resumes focus on your skills, and through what experiences you gained them.
Hybrid resumes are great for both experienced and entry-level candidates, as well as career changers. They combine the best of both worlds - most often in a double column format, where one side of the content is focused on your experience, whereas the other - on your skills, strengths, and proudest moments.
Software Engineer Intern Resume Summary best practices
Here are more resume tips regarding your layout and style:
- Clear and legible 12p resume font size;
- Use 10’’ resume margins - that’s default for a great resume design;
- Use a one-page template resume length if you’ve got less than 10 years of experience; otherwise, opt for a two-page resume;
- Save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiter.
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
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PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Other sections to include in your resume
Depending on the type of company (corporation or start-up; innovative or traditional), job seniority level and your location, you may want to include more sections to your Software Engineer Intern resume:
Software Engineer Intern Resume: How to Make Yours More Creative & Stand Out
When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are it's the fiftieth one they've seen that day. That's why you need to make your Software Engineer Intern resume stand out for the right reasons. That means showing your personality, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not a robot. Do this by including your passions (which is also a great place to demonstrate skills on a resume), share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like.
What Makes a Great Software Engineer Intern Resume: Key Takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
