Software Engineer Resume Keywords From 2,161 Job Descriptions
APIs are in 58% of software engineer job descriptions. No language is in more than half. See the keywords for 2026 and where to put them.
The most important software engineer resume keywords are APIs (in 58% of job descriptions), Java (47%), AWS (40%), Python (40%), and CI/CD (39%). No programming language is in more than half of the job descriptions. Read the job description that you apply to, use its exact words, and add a keyword only for work that you did.
- APIs is the most frequent skill. It is in 58% of software engineer job descriptions.
- No programming language is in more than half of the job descriptions. Java is the most frequent at 47%.
- Communication is in 58% of the job descriptions. Show it in a bullet point.
- 22% of software engineer job descriptions name generative AI or LLMs. Add the keyword only if you did the work.
- The median job description names 5 tools. Match those tools first, and keep each keyword true.
We counted the words in 2,161 software engineer job descriptions. Careerfornia users pasted these job descriptions from September 2025 to October 2026. This guide shows which keywords are in them, and how to use the keywords in your resume.
What are the most important software engineer resume keywords?
APIs is the most frequent keyword. It is in 58% of software engineer job descriptions. No other skill in our charts is in more than half of them.
Java is next at 47%. AWS, Python, CI/CD, and Agile or Scrum are each in 38% to 40%.
What this means for your software engineer resume skills:
- No programming language is in more than half of the job descriptions. Java is the most frequent at 47%. You cannot know the language of a job from its title.
- Read the job description first. Its language and its cloud go first in your skills list.
- APIs go in a bullet point. Name the type that you built, such as REST, and name the language.
- Process words count. CI/CD is in 39%, Agile or Scrum is in 38%, and Git is in 29%.
If the title of the job is "software developer", use the same method. Software developer resume keywords also come from the job description.
Which keywords go with front-end, back-end, and cloud jobs?
The keywords come in groups, and one job description does not use all of the groups. The table shows four groups, with the share of job descriptions that name each keyword. We made the groups. The numbers are from the two charts.
| Group | Keywords |
|---|---|
| All software jobs | APIs 58%, Agile or Scrum 38%, Git 29%, system design 25% |
| Back end | Java 47%, Python 40%, SQL 35%, microservices 23%, C# or .NET 18%, NoSQL 18%, PostgreSQL 17%, Node.js 16%, Go 15%, Kafka 12% |
| Front end | React 32%, JavaScript 30%, TypeScript 27% |
| Cloud and delivery | AWS 40%, CI/CD 39%, Azure 25%, Kubernetes 23%, Docker 22%, GCP 19% |
The second chart shows the next group of skills. Each one is in less than 20% of the job descriptions.
How to use the groups:
- Back-end job: put the language first, then the database, then the cloud.
- Front-end job: list React, JavaScript, and TypeScript in the order of the job description.
- Cloud: AWS is in 40%, Azure is in 25%, and GCP is in 19%. Put the cloud of the job description first.
- Skills in the second chart: Go is in 15% and Kafka is in 12%. When a job description names one and you used it, put it near the top.
Which keywords are not tools?
Communication is in 58% of software engineer job descriptions. That is equal to APIs, the most frequent skill.
| Word | Share of job descriptions |
|---|---|
| Communication | 58% |
| Cross-functional | 31% |
| Stakeholders | 25% |
Do not write "good communication skills" and stop there. Show the word in a bullet point, for example: "Wrote the design document for the search service and presented it to 3 cross-functional teams."
Other words to read before you apply
The median software engineer job description has 468 words. Read all of it. Some words tell you if the job fits you.
| What the job description includes | Share |
|---|---|
| A pay range in dollars | 25% |
| The word "remote" | 19% |
| The word "hybrid" | 16% |
| The word "on-site" | 16% |
| A request for citizenship or a security clearance | 9.8% |
| A statement that there is no sponsorship | 5.8% |
If you need a visa, find these words before you write a resume for the job.
How many years of experience do software engineer jobs ask for?
The median software engineer job description with no level in the title asks for 3 years. We looked at the job descriptions that state a number of years.
| Job title | 0 to 1 years | 2 years | 3 to 4 years | 5 to 7 years | 8 or more years | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Entry", "junior", "associate" or "new grad" in the title (70 job descriptions) | 56% | 20% | 14% | 10% | 0% | 1 |
| No level in the title (840 job descriptions) | 7% | 27% | 43% | 19% | 4% | 3 |
| "Senior", "staff" or "lead" in the title (710 job descriptions) | 0% | 7% | 25% | 59% | 9% | 5 |
Three facts are important here:
- 56% of the entry-level titles ask for 0 to 1 years. The other 44% ask for 2 or more years. This group is small (70 job descriptions), so read it as a signal.
- 66% of the jobs with no level in the title ask for 3 or more years. The other 34% ask for 2 years or less.
- 59% of the senior titles ask for 5 to 7 years. Only 9% ask for 8 or more years.
What this means for a new grad software engineer resume
Internships and large projects are your experience. Write each one with the tool and the result, in the same way as a job. Our guide on entry-level jobs that ask for experience has more data.
Do you need a degree for a software engineer job?
53% of software engineer job descriptions name a bachelor's degree. 26% name a master's degree.
18% use the words "or equivalent experience". If you do not have the degree, those jobs are open to you. Put your experience and your projects above your education.
Is AI now a resume keyword for software engineers?
Yes, for some jobs. 22% of software engineer job descriptions name generative AI or LLMs. The share is higher in 2026 than in 2025.
| Period | Share of software engineer job descriptions |
|---|---|
| July to December 2025 | 19% |
| January to June 2026 | 24% |
| July to October 2026 | 24% |
Software engineers are second in the four roles that we count.
The second chart in this guide shows 14% for the words "generative AI" and "LLM". The 22% count is wider. It also includes words such as AI agents, Copilot and prompt engineering.
What to do with this keyword:
- Add it when the job description names it and you did the work. Write what you built: "Built a support search tool in Python with an LLM API."
- Do not add it to each resume. 78% of software engineer job descriptions do not name it.
- Use the words of the job description. If it says "LLM", write "LLM". If it says "generative AI", write "generative AI".
See how to write AI skills on a resume for more examples.
Where do the keywords go in your resume?
Put each important keyword in more than one section: the summary, the skills list, and one bullet point. The table shows the four sections and one example for each.
| Section | What to put there | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | The job title and the 3 most important skills of the job description | Back-end software engineer with 3 years of experience in Java, AWS, and REST APIs |
| Skills | All skills from the job description that you know, in the same order | Java, Python, SQL, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, Git |
| Experience | Each skill in a sentence, with a result | Moved 12 services to Kubernetes and cut the deploy time from 40 minutes to 8 minutes |
| Projects | Skills that you did not use at work | Built a chat application with React, TypeScript, and Node.js |
Keep the format simple for an applicant tracking system (ATS). Use one column and standard headings.
How do you write a bullet point for a back-end job?
Name the thing that you built, the skills of the job description, and one result with a number. This example is for a job description that names Java, APIs, microservices, and AWS.
Worked on backend services for the payments team.
Built 4 REST APIs in Java for microservices on AWS and cut median response time from 420 to 180 ms.
Write your bullet point in three steps:
- Start with a verb for the work. Examples are built, designed, moved, and tested.
- Name the skills that you used. Use the words of the job description.
- End with a result. Use a number that is true and that you can explain in an interview.
How many keywords are sufficient?
Match the tools that the job description names. The median software engineer job description names 5. 22% of software engineer job descriptions name 8 or more tools from our list of 30.
A long skills list does not help. In a list of 25 tools, the reader cannot see which tools you know well. Put the tools of this job first, and remove the tools that this job does not use.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- One resume for all jobs. One job description asks for Java and Kafka. The next asks for React and TypeScript. One resume cannot match both.
- All the languages that you tried one time. List the languages that you can use in a coding interview.
- Keywords with no evidence. "Kubernetes" in the skills list is weak. "Moved 12 services to Kubernetes" is strong.
- Keywords that are not true. An interviewer can ask about each word on your resume. Add a keyword only for work that you did.
- Tables, columns and graphics. Use one column and standard headings.
How did we get these numbers?
We used the job descriptions that our users pasted from September 2025 to October 2026. We removed duplicates. That left 9,403 different job descriptions. 2,161 of them have a software engineer title or a similar title.
For each keyword, we counted the job descriptions that contain it. We did not count how many times it appears. For the years of experience, we used only the job descriptions that state a number.
The sample has limits. It is the jobs that our users applied to. Most are data and software jobs in the United States. It is not a sample of all software engineer jobs. The order of the keywords is more reliable than the exact percentages.
Related guides: data engineer resume keywords, how to tailor your resume to a job description, and ATS-friendly resume format.
Questions and answers
What are the best skills for a software engineer resume?
The skills that the job description names. In 2,161 software engineer job descriptions, APIs are in 58%, Java in 47%, AWS in 40%, Python in 40%, and CI/CD in 39%.
Which programming language should I put on my software engineer resume?
Put the language that the job description names first. No language is in more than half of software engineer job descriptions. Java is in 47%, Python in 40%, and JavaScript in 30%.
What are ATS keywords for a software engineer resume?
ATS keywords are the skills and words of the job description that you apply to. For software engineers, the most frequent are APIs, Java, AWS, Python, and CI/CD. Use the same spelling as the job description.
Should I put AI skills on a software engineer resume?
Yes, if the job description names them and you did the work. 22% of software engineer job descriptions name generative AI or LLMs. Write what you built, not only the keyword.
What should a new grad software engineer resume include?
Put the skills of the job description first. Then write projects and internships with a tool and a result. In our data, 56% of entry-level software engineer job descriptions ask for 0 to 1 years.