How do I get a software engineering job with no experience?

Lean on projects and fundamentals. Show shipped work (internships, open source, or strong personal projects) with the stack and outcomes named, and tailor each application to the posting’s technologies.

What keywords should a new-grad engineer resume include?

Your primary language and the specific stack named in the posting (e.g. Python, React, SQL, Git), plus fundamentals like data structures and algorithms — only where they are genuinely true for you.

How do I get my resume past ATS for engineering roles?

Use a clean single-column layout, name the exact technologies from the posting where you know them, and lead with your most relevant project. ResumeHog tailors the resume to a specific posting automatically.

Do I need a CS degree for entry-level roles?

Many roles prefer one, but bootcamp grads and self-taught engineers get hired regularly when they show strong fundamentals and real shipped projects. Tailor your resume to demonstrate both.

Verified Jobs · Guide

Entry-Level Software Engineer Jobs

Entry-level and new-grad software engineering roles attract enormous applicant volume, so the first screen is almost entirely automated. The resumes that get through are specific, parseable, and matched to the posting — not generic "passionate developer" templates.

This guide covers what recruiters and hiring managers screen for in junior engineers, the keywords and projects that matter, and how to tailor each application.

Tailor My Resume for This Role →

What entry-level engineers are evaluated on

For junior roles, teams are betting on potential and fundamentals more than years of experience. The signals that matter: solid CS fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, HTTP, databases), real shipped projects (internships, open source, or substantial personal projects), and evidence you can learn and collaborate.

What recruiters screen for

A named primary language and the stack from the posting (e.g. Python, Java, Go, TypeScript, React).
Projects with outcomes — what you built, the stack, and what it did, ideally with a link.
Internships or equivalent — or substantial open-source / hackathon work if you have none.
Fundamentals — data structures, algorithms, version control, testing.
Parseable formatting — a clean single-column resume an ATS can read.

Make your projects do the work

With little professional experience, projects carry your resume. Each project bullet should name the stack, what you built, and the result or scale ("built a REST API in Go serving 5k requests/day; added tests raising coverage to 85%"). Link to a repo or live demo. Drop coursework that does not show building.

How to tailor each application

Match your named languages/frameworks to the posting’s stack where you genuinely know them.
Lead with the project or internship closest to that stack.
Keep one concrete result per bullet; cut filler adjectives.
Use a single-column, ATS-friendly layout.

ResumeHog tailors your resume to each posting automatically — matching the stack and surfacing your most relevant project for that specific role.

ATS keywords for Entry-Level Software Engineer roles

Include the terms below that are genuinely true for you, in context, with results attached — mirroring the exact wording each posting uses.

PythonJavaJavaScriptTypeScriptGoC++ReactNode.jsSQLGitdata structuresalgorithmsREST APIunit testingDocker

On the board

Browse verified Entry-Level Software Engineer roles — each one checked against the employer’s live application page.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I get a software engineering job with no experience?: Lean on projects and fundamentals. Show shipped work (internships, open source, or strong personal projects) with the stack and outcomes named, and tailor each application to the posting’s technologies.
What keywords should a new-grad engineer resume include?: Your primary language and the specific stack named in the posting (e.g. Python, React, SQL, Git), plus fundamentals like data structures and algorithms — only where they are genuinely true for you.
How do I get my resume past ATS for engineering roles?: Use a clean single-column layout, name the exact technologies from the posting where you know them, and lead with your most relevant project. ResumeHog tailors the resume to a specific posting automatically.
Do I need a CS degree for entry-level roles?: Many roles prefer one, but bootcamp grads and self-taught engineers get hired regularly when they show strong fundamentals and real shipped projects. Tailor your resume to demonstrate both.