ATS Resume Checker for Software Engineers
Python appears in 36.6% of 853 recent Software Engineer JDs; AWS in 33.5%. See which keywords your resume is missing.
Check your Software Engineer resume
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Based on 853 recent Software Engineer, Backend Engineer, Frontend Engineer, Full Stack Engineer and Platform Engineer job descriptions from Greenhouse, Ashby, Lever, Remotive, Arbeitnow, RemoteOK.
See the keyword data firstWhat Software Engineer job descriptions ask for
Keyword coverage across 853 recent job descriptions. The percentages show how many JDs mention each term — not how many times it appears.
Top 8 by frequency
Full keyword map
All 34 terms that appeared in the sample, grouped by what they do. Percentages are the share of the 853 job descriptions that mention each term.
Languages
Name the languages the JD names; show depth in the ones you can defend.
Frontend
Frameworks are useful, but the bullet still needs the product surface and outcome.
Backend & APIs
Show the system boundary, data flow, and the failure modes you handled.
Cloud & infrastructure
Cloud and deployment terms are common; include only the stack you have run.
Engineering practice
Testing, review and reliability signals separate production engineers from tutorial builders.
Source: Greenhouse, Ashby, Lever, Remotive, Arbeitnow, RemoteOK; collected Oct 19, 2026.
See matched vs missing before you rewrite
After you upload your resume and paste a Software Engineer job description, the checker separates what your resume already proves from what it is missing. This example uses the keywords above.
Check my resume freeExample match
Software Engineer · example JD
Matched
Missing
Illustrative output. Your results depend on your resume and the job description.
What this means for your Software Engineer resume
No single language wins
Python (36.6%), Go (31.4%), Java (29.9%) and JavaScript/TypeScript (27.7%) all appear often. Mirror the JD's language rather than listing every language you have touched.
Cloud beats frontend frameworks
AWS appears in 33.5% and Kubernetes in 27.7%, while React appears in 17.8% and Vue/Angular in under 3%. If you have production cloud work, lead with it.
Production signals beat tool names
Testing (42.7%), observability (39.3%) and code review (23.9%) are stronger differentiators than another framework. Scalability (48.3%) and security (42.6%) are often broad employer language — prove them with real scale and incidents.
How to use these keywords without stuffing
A keyword map is a menu, not a checklist to paste into every section. Use the term where it is true, and prove it in the same bullet.
Mirror the JD's exact wording
If the posting says “stakeholder management”, use that phrase instead of a synonym. Include both the acronym and the full form when relevant (A/B testing, experimentation).
Put the keyword inside a result
The skills section gets parsed; the experience bullet gets read. Pair the tool with scale and outcome — users, revenue, latency, hours saved, decision changed.
Cover the cluster, not one word
A JD asking for Python usually also mentions adjacent tools or methods. Show the cluster in one bullet instead of repeating the same keyword everywhere.
A safe Software Engineer skills-section order
Languages → frameworks → cloud & infrastructure → testing. Lead with the language the JD names; include cloud and testing only where you have production evidence.
Common Software Engineer resume mistakes
These are the patterns that make a keyword-rich resume read like a tool inventory instead of evidence.
Tool soup
Listing every tool you have touched without saying what you built or changed. For a Software Engineer, a framework list without scale, latency or reliability evidence is easy to ignore.
Keyword stuffing
Repeating the same term in the summary, skills list and every bullet. Recruiters notice; it reads like SEO copy, not evidence.
Ignoring the human reader
ATS keywords get you parsed; stakeholder communication and outcomes get you interviewed. Use the keyword as the noun inside a result, not as the whole sentence.
Check your Software Engineer resume against a real JD
Upload a PDF or DOCX, paste the job description, and get the matched and missing keywords.
Before / after: turn duties into evidence
ATS keywords are necessary, but hiring managers still read the bullet. Put the keyword inside a result. These are illustrative rewrites based on the keyword data above.
Built backend services.
Built Python/FastAPI services handling 12M requests/day, cutting p95 latency from 420ms to 180ms.
Used AWS and Kubernetes.
Migrated 18 services to EKS on AWS with Terraform, cutting deploy time from 25 minutes to 6.
Wrote tests and monitored services.
Added integration tests and OpenTelemetry tracing, reducing production incidents by 35%.
How we built this page
We collected 853 recent postings titled Software Engineer, Backend Engineer, Frontend Engineer, Full Stack Engineer and Platform Engineer from Greenhouse, Ashby, Lever, Remotive, Arbeitnow, RemoteOK on Oct 19, 2026. Duplicate postings were removed. A keyword counts once per JD; percentages are the share of JDs that mention it.
The sample skews toward tech-product companies and includes backend, frontend, full-stack, platform and mobile titles. Non-tech industries and junior-only roles are underrepresented.
Method and limitations
- Source mix: Greenhouse 615 · Ashby 186 · Lever 5 · Remotive 1 · Arbeitnow 34 · RemoteOK 12.
- The before/after bullets are illustrative, not real candidate resumes.
- This is an ATS-style keyword and formatting check, not a reproduction of any employer's private screening system.
Software Engineer resume FAQ
What keywords should a Software Engineer resume have?
In our 853-JD sample, the most common terms were scalability (48.3%), testing (42.7%), security (42.6%), observability (39.3%), Python (36.6%), AWS (33.5%), Go (31.4%), Java (29.9%), JavaScript/TypeScript (27.7%) and Kubernetes (27.7%). Use the stack named in each job description, not a generic list.
Which programming language should I put first?
The one the job description names. Across the sample, Python, Go, Java and JavaScript/TypeScript all appear in roughly 28–37% of JDs; there is no universal winner. Depth in one language plus production evidence beats a long list of languages.
Do I need cloud experience?
It is a strong differentiator: AWS appears in 33.5% of JDs, Kubernetes in 27.7%, GCP in 19.5% and Azure in 17.8%. Show a deployed service, the infrastructure you managed and the reliability outcome, not just a tool list.
How many keywords should a Software Engineer resume have?
Aim for roughly 15–25 role-specific terms across skills and experience. Start with the language, framework and cloud stack in the JD, then keep only what you can prove with a project or production result.
Should I list every framework I have used?
No. A long framework list reads like tool soup. Lead with the stack the JD names and use the experience bullet to show what you built, the scale and the outcome.
Is this a real ATS score?
No. This is an ATS-style keyword and formatting check, not a reproduction of any employer's private screening system. Use it to find gaps, not as a guarantee.
How many job descriptions is this page based on?
853 recent Software Engineer, Backend, Frontend, Full Stack and Platform Engineer job descriptions from Greenhouse, Ashby, Lever, Remotive, Arbeitnow and RemoteOK, collected Oct 19, 2026.
Is the check free?
The first resume scan is free and does not require signup. Paid plans are only for AI rewriting, unlimited scans and exports.
Related role checkers
The same method with role-specific job-description data.
Find the keywords your Software Engineer resume is missing
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