How to Write a Better CV: The Web Developer Edition

As a full-stack developer with over a decade of experience hiring and interviewing hundreds of candidates, I‘ve seen my fair share of lackluster CVs. In a highly competitive field like web development, your CV is your first opportunity to make a strong impression and convince employers that you‘re the right person for the job.

But crafting an effective developer CV is easier said than done. How do you concisely convey your technical skills while still demonstrating your unique value? What projects should you highlight and how much detail should you go into? Is it worth including that online course you took three years ago?

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share my proven strategies for creating a web developer CV that will get you noticed by top companies. We‘ll cover everything from the key sections to include and how to optimize them, to design tips and common mistakes to avoid. Plus, I‘ll pepper in some bonus tips you won‘t find anywhere else.

By the end of this guide, you‘ll have a clear roadmap for transforming your CV from bland to brilliant. Let‘s get started!

Why Your CV Matters

Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of crafting your CV, it‘s worth underlining just how critical this document is to your job search success.

Consider these statistics:

• Recruiters spend an average of just 7.4 seconds initially scanning a CV before deciding whether to read further (source)
• 24% of hiring managers spend less than 30 seconds reading a CV (source)
• The average job opening attracts 250 CVs, but only 4-6 candidates will be called for an interview (source)

With hiring managers spending mere seconds glancing at your CV, it‘s crucial that it makes a strong first impression and quickly communicates your value. You have limited real estate to work with, so every section, every bullet point, every word must earn its place.

Tailoring is Key

One of the biggest mistakes I see developers make is sending out the same generic CV for every application. Not only does this make you appear lazy and untargeted, but it also means you‘re missing out on opportunities to showcase how you‘re the ideal candidate for each specific role.

Instead, you should be tailoring your CV to the job description every single time. This means:

• Reflecting the job title in your CV header
• Highlighting the technical skills and experiences that align with the role‘s requirements
• Sprinkling in keywords used in the job description (within reason)
• Emphasizing accomplishments that demonstrate the qualities they‘re seeking

Let‘s look at a quick example. Say a job description for a React Developer position mentions the following requirements:

• 3+ years of experience with React, Redux, and TypeScript
• Experience with unit testing and test-driven development
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodology
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills

To tailor your CV, you might include a "Skills" section at the top that lists out your expertise in React, Redux, TypeScript, Jest, Enzyme, and Agile/Scrum. Then, in your work experience section, you could highlight specific projects where you utilized test-driven development or solved complex bugs.

By mirroring the language and requirements in the job description, you‘re making it crystal clear to the hiring manager that you check all their boxes.

Sections to Include

Now let‘s break down the essential components every web developer CV should include:

Header

• Full name
• Professional title (e.g. "Full Stack Web Developer")
• Email address
• Phone number
• Links to GitHub, personal website/portfolio, LinkedIn

Skills

• List of 10-15 most relevant technical skills (programming languages, frameworks, tools, methodologies)
• Categorize skills by proficiency level (e.g. "Expert", "Proficient", "Familiar")

Professional Summary

• 3-5 sentence overview highlighting your key strengths, experiences, and career goals
• Tailor to the specific role and company

Work Experience

• Most recent and relevant jobs/internships/freelance projects
• Include company name, location, your title, dates of employment
• Briefly summarize your key responsibilities and accomplishments in each role
• Quantify impact with metrics where possible
• Highlight relevant technical skills used
• 3-5 bullet points per role

Projects

• Showcase 2-4 of your most impressive and relevant projects
• Include brief description, key features, technologies used, and link to GitHub/live demo
• Explain your role and contributions for team projects
• Aim for a mix of professional, academic, and personal projects

Education

• School name, degree, graduation year
• Include major/concentration if relevant
• List honors, awards, scholarships, GPA (if above 3.5)
• Relevant coursework and academic projects

Certifications

• Name and date of any relevant professional certifications
• Explain what you learned and how it applies to the role

Technical Writing & Speaking

• Links to any technical blog posts, articles, or documentation you‘ve written
• Presentations or talks you‘ve given at conferences or meetups
• Open-source contributions or involvement in coding communities

Additional Skills

• Any other relevant skills not mentioned (e.g. foreign languages, soft skills like leadership, communication)

Remember, you don‘t need to include every section in this list – prioritize the ones that are most relevant for the role and shuffle the order accordingly. For example, if you‘re applying for a DevOps position and have several AWS certifications, you might move the "Certifications" section closer to the top.

Show, Don‘t Tell

One of the biggest pitfalls I see in developer CVs is relying on vague, subjective descriptors rather than concrete examples. Anybody can claim to be a "fast learner" with "strong attention to detail" – but those generic buzzwords don‘t give the hiring manager any real insight into your capabilities.

Instead, your bullet points should revolve around specific projects, accomplishments, and results that demonstrate the quality of your work. Each bullet should strive to answer the question: What value did I deliver?

Let‘s look at some examples of bullet points that show rather than tell:

Instead of: "Worked on improving application performance"

Try: "Reduced page load times by 40% by implementing lazy loading and optimizing assets, resulting in a 15% increase in conversions"

Instead of: "Strong knowledge of React and Redux"

Try: "Built a React- and Redux-based dashboard for visualizing real-time sales metrics, leading to a 20% increase in revenue"

The key here is to provide metrics to back up your accomplishments and paint a more vivid picture of your contributions. Whenever possible, include hard numbers like percentages, dollar amounts, or user counts to quantify your impact.

Design Matters

While the content of your CV is paramount, the way it‘s presented can also have a significant impact on its effectiveness. A cluttered, visually confusing CV will turn off recruiters and make it harder for them to discern your key selling points.

Some design tips to keep in mind:

• Stick to a clean, modern template: Avoid over-the-top graphics, colors, and fonts. Aim for a simple, professional aesthetic that allows your content to shine.
• Prioritize readability: Use a legible font (minimum 10pt), sufficient white space, and clear section headings to guide the reader‘s eye.
• Be consistent with formatting: Use the same font, sizes, and styles for each section. Inconsistent formatting is jarring and unprofessional.
• Save as a PDF: Unless requested otherwise, always send your CV as a PDF to preserve your formatting.
• Keep it concise: Limit your CV to 1-2 pages maximum. Recruiters won‘t read a 5-page opus. Focus on the highlights and trim irrelevant details.

ATS-Friendly Optimization

In today‘s digital age, your CV will likely first be screened by an applicant tracking system (ATS) before it reaches human eyes. These programs scan CVs for specific keywords and qualifications to determine which candidates are the best fit.

To ensure your CV makes it past these electronic gatekeepers, follow these tips:

• Include relevant keywords: Sprinkle in keywords from the job description organically throughout your CV. This might include specific programming languages, tools, or methodologies.
• Avoid images and unusual fonts: Some ATS can‘t read graphics, charts, or non-standard fonts. Stick to plain, straightforward text.
• Spell out acronyms: Write out the full term for acronyms in addition to the abbreviation (e.g. "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)").
• Use standard section headings: Avoid creative or cutesy headlines like "Where I‘ve Made Magic Happen" in favor of standard titles like "Work Experience".
• Don‘t hide keywords: Some candidates try to "trick" ATS by hiding keywords in white text or in miniscule fonts – but this is more likely to get your CV tossed than score you an interview.

Bonus Tips

As promised, here are a few bonus tips to help your web developer CV stand out from the pack:

• Link to an online coding assessment: Sites like HackerRank allow you to take coding challenges and publicly display your results. Including a link to a strong coding assessment score can be a powerful way to objectively demonstrate your technical chops.
• Showcase your personality: While you want to keep the tone professional, sprinkling in some humor or personality can help you stand out. Maybe mention a quirky hobby in your additional skills section or include a cheeky one-liner in your professional summary. Just keep it subtle and inoffensive.
• Leverage numbers and data: Metrics lend instant credibility and authority to your accomplishments. Whenever possible, quantify your successes to paint a more concrete picture.
• Volunteer for a cause you care about: Including volunteer work on your CV showcases your character and commitment outside of your 9-to-5. Bonus points if it‘s relevant to your field (e.g. teaching kids to code, designing a website for a non-profit).
• Keep learning and iterating: Your CV should be a living, breathing document that evolves along with your skills and experiences. Make a habit of regularly updating it, even if you‘re not actively job hunting. Continuous learning is key in our field, so make sure your CV reflects your ongoing growth and development.

Putting It All Together

We‘ve covered a lot of ground in this guide, so let‘s recap the key takeaways:

1. Tailor your CV to each specific job and company for maximum relevance
2. Prioritize the sections that best highlight your fit for the role
3. Show, don‘t tell – use concrete examples and metrics to demonstrate your value
4. Aim for a clean, readable design free of clutter and inconsistencies
5. Optimize for ATS by naturally integrating keywords and using a straightforward format
6. Don‘t be afraid to let your personality shine through (tastefully)
7. Regularly update your CV to reflect your latest skills and accomplishments

Remember, your web developer CV is a marketing tool – it‘s your chance to pitch yourself as the best person for the job. By following the strategies and tips laid out in this guide, you‘ll be well on your way to landing interviews and wowing hiring managers.

But the learning doesn‘t stop here. Crafting the perfect CV is an ongoing process that requires constant refinement and iteration. As you gain more experience and insight, keep experimenting and tweaking your approach.

And if there‘s one final piece of advice I can leave you with, it‘s this: Don‘t be afraid to toot your own horn! We developers tend to be a humble bunch, but your CV is no place for modesty. Own your accomplishments, highlight your strengths, and let your passion for your craft shine through.

Now go forth and code up an amazing CV – and don‘t forget to proofread!