How to Build the Perfect Computer Science Resume

Building an effective computer science resume is no easy task. Breaking down high-level technical projects and conveying your contributions can be difficult for technical professionals who often struggle to describe their work experience. Your resume should highlight your expertise in relevant technologies, and show how you’ve used that expertise to solve problems and create value for companies.

Keep this approach in mind as you write your bullet points, and always spell out the positive impact of your efforts. Below, you’ll find expert tips to help you prepare the perfect computer science resume.

1. Balance the Language of Your Computer Science Resume

Ideally, your resume will be evaluated by a hiring manager with a firm grasp of technology programs and concepts. But this may not always be the case during the initial hiring process. If your document is reviewed by a non-technical member of the human resources (HR) team, they may struggle to see you meet the position requirements because the language isn’t accessible to them. You can counter this problem by drawing attention to the bottom-line value of your achievements and the issues you resolved. With this focus on results, you’ll build a compelling document for technical and non-technical audiences

2. Identify the Appropriate Technical Skills

As a technology professional with extensive technical skills, you may find it hard to know which ones you should include in your resume. This can be especially challenging because technology is always evolving, and names are constantly in flux. For example, Microsoft Office 365 is now called Microsoft 365 to encompass broader aspects of the productivity suite. When building your resume, carefully evaluate how your computer science background aligns with the role you’re applying for and feature technologies, programming languages, and platforms that match the company’s needs

3. Quantify Your Computer Science Experience

Quantifying your work achievements is almost always a good resume strategy. Numbers let you create a sense of scope for your role and show tangible results for the hiring manager. Within the computer science space, how you quantify your experience will depend on your discipline. A software developer may cite the number of users helped by an application they designed. A cloud solutions architect may note reduced infrastructure costs after migrating from Oracle to Microsoft Azure. In either case, the purpose of the bullet point is to spell out the wider value of your achievements. This will help differentiate you from the competition during your job search.

4. Showcase Your Technical Project Management Expertise

As more companies integrate project management concepts like Scrum and Agile, knowledge of these methodologies has become near-mandatory for many computer science professionals. If you have experience leading offshore project teams, creating roadmaps, or managing stakeholder expectations, give examples of these accomplishments. But if you’re an early-career professional lacking management experience, you can still benefit by describing your experience working within Agile development environments.

Computer Science Resume Samples

Now that you know some of the best practices for building your computer science resume, it’s time to see how to use them to enhance your document. These strategies will help you describe your technical expertise and achievements, but you must also adapt them to your career needs and experience. Below, you’ll find three examples of strong computer science job descriptions.

Before sending your resume, proofread it carefully and ensure you’re using up-to-date terminology for your technical skills. Even minor errors can hinder your document’s ATS performance or first impression on the hiring manager. For more help building your computer science resume, see our samples for computer scientists, database developers, and front-end developers.

Frequently Asked Questions: Building a Perfect Computer Science Resume

Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).