No Experience Software Developer Resume Guide (With Tips)

Updated 18 July 2023

If you're interested in a career in software development, knowing how to write a resume with no experience can be helpful. Even without experience, you can include a range of skills to demonstrate your capabilities and suitability for a role. Understanding how to include this information can help you create a resume that gets your application noticed by hiring managers. In this article, we outline what a no experience software developer resume is and some considerations for writing one, list why it's essential to tailor your resume, provide a how-to guide, offer some tips and give an example to get you started.

What is a no experience software developer resume?

Candidates with no or limited software development experience can use a no experience software developer resume when applying for roles. This style of resume allows you to focus on your knowledge of software, typically gained through education or training, rather than your experience. You can also focus on any transferable skills you have that apply across many roles and industries, such as communication, attention to detail or analytical skills. If you're looking to write a resume for software developer roles with limited experience, it's important to understand the skills needed to perform primary tasks in a junior software development position.

You can use your understanding of the role's responsibilities to highlight your skills that align with these roles. Junior software developers typically undertake tests and develop software applications. They can also undertake various programming tasks, which requires some programming knowledge. Hiring managers may look for someone capable of completing routine tasks, such as upgrading or debugging software. You can also include your knowledge of different computer languages. Even without direct experience, you can show your competency to complete necessary tasks by describing your skill set.

How to write your resume

A typical resume is ideally around one to two pages for an entry-level role in software development. Choose a plain and professional font in a size that's easy to read. Here are some steps to take when creating your resume:

1. Include your details at the top of the page

Including your contact information at the beginning of your resume makes it easy for hiring managers to contact you to arrange an interview. The typical contact information to include is:

your full name
your address – you can include just the suburb and state if preferred
your usual contact number, ideally a mobile number
an email address that you check regularly
links to any professional websites or portfolios where hiring managers could find out more about your skills and capabilities

2. Include a resume objective

A resume objective summarises your experience, including any career highlights or achievements. If you're just starting your career, you can use a resume objective to highlight your skills and strengths. Creating a specific resume objective for each job you apply for ensures it's relevant and matches the role requirements. Try to keep your resume objective two to three sentences long.

Including your career goals in your objective helps show a hiring manager how you could contribute to the organisation. Think about why you want the role and what you think you could accomplish and use this as the basis for developing your goals. To help you better understand the organisation you're applying to, consider doing some online research to identify things like the company's values and what it's like to work there. For example, one of your goals might relate to automating software testing to help reduce manual testing, saving time and money.

3. List any experience and accomplishments

While you may not have much work experience in software development, it's important to include your experience in other areas to show hiring managers your technical and interpersonal skills. For example, include any work experience you may have undertaken while studying or highlight any team projects you completed as part of your studies. In addition, you can include any personal projects you've completed that showcase your software development skills. For example, any applications or games you've created.

When listing work experience, include any skills that match the job requirements. For example, if you have experience working in a customer service role, highlight your communication and teamwork skills to show that you can work collaboratively. Be sure to list your experience in reverse chronological order with the most recent first.

4. Include your education

For many entry-level positions, detailing your education or training in your resume is important, especially when you have limited work experience. The resume's education section allows you to outline your technical knowledge, including certifications specific to software development. When listing your education, start with the most recent. Include the name of the university or training organisation, the dates of completion and the name of your course or degree. Also include your results, for example, if you graduated with a high distinction, distinction or credit.

5. Highlight your skills

When including your skills, aim for a balance of soft and hard skills. While technical skills are an essential consideration for a role in software development, demonstrating other capabilities can be equally important. Make sure you include only skills that you're confident enough to talk about during an interview. For example, mention your knowledge of using different coding programs, such as JavaScript or Python, and technical skills, such as data analysis, web development and machine learning. For soft skills, consider time management, critical thinking and communication.

6. Read and check your resume

After writing your resume, it's essential to read through it to ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. An error-free resume that is easy to read can encourage a hiring manager to keep reading to find out more about you. It can also demonstrate your strong attention to detail. It may be helpful to ask a friend or family member to read through your work or for you to come back to your resume a few hours after working on it to get a fresh perspective.

Tips for writing a software developer resume without experience

Here are a few tips to help you create your resume:

Develop a template

While it's essential to tailor your resume to each role you apply for, having a template as your base resume can help get you started. That way, you can focus on adding information that's most relevant to the open position. There are plenty of templates available online to choose from. Consider picking one that's professional, with a plain font and plenty of spacing that's easy for you to update when searching for jobs.

Be specific

Including data to support your achievements can help provide evidence of your capabilities. Where possible, consider including quantified results, for example, 'My application received 400 downloads in the first week it launched.'

Tailor your resume for each application

It's a good idea to write a fresh resume for each job application. Review the job description and pick out specific keywords that you could include to show potential employers that your soft skills and technical knowledge align with the role's requirements. As an entry-level candidate, it can be important to show your willingness to learn and progress in your career.

You can tailor your professional summary to describe your enthusiasm for learning a specific area of each individual job. For example, if you apply for a position that requires a clear understanding of C# language, but you only have minimal knowledge of it, you may state your goal to improve your competency with this language.

Example of a limited experience software developer resume

Use this example of a resume with very limited software developer experience to help you create your resume:

Ritu Singh
Granville, Sydney
ritu.singh@email.com
0412-678-912

Professional summary
Passionate software developer and recent graduate of the University of Northern Sydney. Proven experience developing code and overseeing systems and networks. Looking for a full-time software development role to further develop my skills, helping to automate processes and drive successful business outcomes.

Experience and accomplishments
Software developer (work experience)
Granville Community Centre
November 2021–March 2022

developed a feature that improved the click-through rate of the website by 35%
fixed a bug that increased user feedback on the website by 35%
transferred all files and records to a cloud database
carried out various programming tasks to support senior software developer
provided desktop support and maintenance to community staff, volunteers and visitors

Developer
KidsSafety Plus Application
Launched December 2020
developed, built and launched a children's online safety application

successfully launched the app to download on various platforms and managed several updates
received 200 downloads in the first week of launch
received an average rating of 4.4 from all users over six months

Education

Bachelor of Advanced Computing (major in Software Development, Engineering)
University of Northern Sydney, NSW Distinction
Received accreditation in using Agile software methodology and worked on a team project for an external client including analysing, coding, testing and documenting a web app build using:

Java programming
data structure and algorithms
software construction and design
human–computer interface
object-orientated programming

Skills

Agile methodology
excellent communication skills
time management and problem solving
web programming
operating systems software
Java
Python
mobile app development
data analysis

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.