Technical CV Example
Updated 24 July 2026
A technical CV must prove your expertise to both software and humans. Recruiters scan for your stack in the first ten seconds; ATS parsers match exact keywords from the job spec. This guide shows you how to structure a technical CV that passes both filters, with real examples across junior, mid and senior levels.
Technical CV examples
Junior Technical Support Engineer
entryLeads with relevant certifications and hands-on project work, quantifies helpdesk metrics, and groups technical skills by category for ATS.
Mid-Level DevOps Engineer
midDemonstrates cloud and CI/CD expertise with hard metrics, groups skills by domain, and includes recent AWS certification to prove currency in a fast-moving stack.
Senior Software Engineer
seniorShowcases technical leadership, architecture decisions and cross-team impact with strong business metrics. Balances deep technical detail with strategic outcomes and mentoring.
How to write a technical CV
Format and structure
Use a single-column layout with standard fonts (Calibri or Arial, 10–12pt) and no graphics. Multi-column templates scramble when parsed by ATS, and your technical-skills section can vanish entirely. Aim for two pages (three for senior roles with 10+ years).
Order your sections: personal statement, technical skills (immediately after the summary, not buried at the end), experience, education, certifications, optional extras (GitHub, publications, volunteering). For technical roles the skills section is the first thing a recruiter checks.
Section pointers
Personal statement: Two to three sentences covering your specialism, years of experience, headline technologies and one standout metric. Spell out what you do in plain language so a non-technical recruiter understands your value.
Technical skills: Group into labelled categories (Programming Languages, Cloud Platforms, Tools & Frameworks, Methodologies) and list each group by proficiency, most relevant first. Match the exact wording of the job spec for ATS. Prune outdated tools.
Experience: Every bullet needs three parts: what you did, how you did it (the technical approach), and the measurable impact. Add a final Technologies bullet under each role listing the stack and methods you used.
Education & certifications: List degrees in reverse-chronological order. Highlight certifications gained in the last 5–10 years (AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, ITIL, CompTIA) to show you've kept pace with the field.
Extras: Add a GitHub or portfolio link if you have one. Technical roles are one of the few where outside proof of work is expected.
Personal statement examples
AWS-certified DevOps engineer with four years building CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure-as-code and containerised deployments across AWS and Azure. Reduced deployment time by 60% and infrastructure costs by 34% through automation and cloud optimisation. Skilled in Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes and Python scripting, with a track record of improving system reliability and developer productivity.
Hard-working and motivated technical professional with a passion for technology and problem-solving. Looking for a challenging role where I can use my skills and grow my career. A good team player who is always willing to learn.
Writing your experience
The A–B–C structure
Every technical achievement bullet should follow this pattern: what you did (the action), how you did it (the technical approach or tools), and the measurable impact (time saved, performance gained, cost reduced, revenue generated). Quantify wherever possible.
| Weak (task-focused) | Strong (impact-focused) |
|---|---|
| Used Python for data analysis. | Used Python and pandas to analyse customer behaviour, identifying patterns that increased retention by 23%. |
| Responsible for managing AWS infrastructure. | Automated infrastructure provisioning with Terraform, managing 200+ cloud resources and cutting manual configuration errors by 88%. |
| Developed a C++ module for the system. | Developed a low-latency C++ module by redesigning the data-processing pipeline, reducing system response time by 35%. |
Action verbs for technical roles
Start bullets with strong, specific verbs: architected, automated, built, configured, deployed, designed, developed, engineered, implemented, migrated, optimised, refactored, reduced, scaled, scripted.
Avoid vague or passive phrasing like "responsible for", "involved in", "helped with" or "worked on". Own your contributions.
Add a Technologies line
At the end of each role, include a final bullet listing the specific stack and methodologies you used: "Technologies: Python (Django, Flask), PostgreSQL, Docker, AWS (Lambda, S3, RDS), Jenkins, Agile." This feeds ATS keyword matching and gives a recruiter instant context for where each skill was applied.
Balance detail with readability
Spell out acronyms on first use. A recruiter who isn't an engineer still needs to understand your value. Pair your technical depth with project-management, leadership or communication skills to show you can work across teams.
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
Education
List degrees in reverse-chronological order: institution, degree title, field of study, start and end years. If you completed a final-year project or dissertation relevant to the role, add a one-line bullet describing it and any measurable outcome (e.g. "Built a real-time data-processing system in Python, achieving 99.5% uptime under simulated load").
For technical roles, relevant coursework can strengthen an entry-level CV. Include 2–3 modules if they directly relate to the job spec (e.g. Operating Systems, Computer Networks, Database Systems, Embedded Systems).
Certifications
Technical fields move fast. List specialist certifications gained in the last 5–10 years to prove you've kept pace with the stack. Place them in a dedicated Certifications or Achievements section, with the issuing body and year.
Relevant certifications by domain:
- Cloud & DevOps: AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator, Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
- Networking & infrastructure: Cisco CCNA, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+
- IT support & service management: CompTIA A+, ITIL Foundation
- Embedded & hardware: FPGA/Verilog/VHDL training certificates, embedded Linux certifications
- Engineering & design: AutoCAD Certified Professional, SolidWorks Certification (CSWA, CSWP), MATLAB certification
If a certification is listed in the job spec, make sure it appears on your CV using the exact wording.
Common mistakes to avoid
Burying the technical-skills section at the bottom of the CV or omitting it entirely.
Place a dedicated Technical Skills section immediately after your personal statement. For technical roles it's the first thing recruiters and ATS scan for the must-have stack.
Listing technologies in a flat, alphabetical list without grouping or context.
Group skills into labelled categories (Programming Languages, Cloud Platforms, Tools & Frameworks, Methodologies) and order each group by proficiency, most relevant first. Add a Technologies bullet under each role to show where you applied each skill.
Using vague or generic wording for technical skills (e.g. 'good with computers', 'familiar with cloud').
Match the exact wording of the job spec for ATS. Use industry-standard terms: ITIL, Agile, Waterfall, AWS EC2/S3/Lambda, Docker, Kubernetes, Python (Django, Flask), PostgreSQL.
Writing task-focused bullets that list duties instead of impact (e.g. 'Responsible for managing servers').
Use the A–B–C structure: what you did, how you did it (the technical approach), and the measurable impact. Example: 'Automated server provisioning with Ansible, reducing deployment time from 2 hours to 15 minutes and eliminating 90% of manual configuration errors.'
Including outdated or irrelevant technologies that dilute your current stack (e.g. Perl, Flash, Windows XP).
Prune dead tools from your skills section. Trim very old roles to title/company/date only unless they're directly relevant. Focus on the stack the recruiter is actually hiring for.
Using a multi-column or heavily designed CV template with graphics, tables or decorative elements.
Stick to a single-column, ATS-safe layout with standard fonts (Calibri or Arial, 10–12pt). Multi-column templates scramble when parsed, and your technical-skills section can drop entirely.
Junior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Leads with recent qualifications (degree, certifications like CompTIA A+ or ITIL Foundation) and any internship or project work. Emphasises willingness to learn and foundational technical skills. | Leads with years of experience, technical leadership and strategic impact. Highlights architecture decisions, mentoring, cross-team collaboration and business outcomes (cost savings, performance gains, revenue growth). |
| Technical skills | 8–10 core technologies and tools, grouped by category. Focus on breadth of foundational skills (Windows/Linux, networking, scripting, ticketing systems) and any certifications. | 10–12+ technologies, grouped by domain and ordered by depth. Includes advanced tools (Kubernetes, Terraform, microservices, cloud-native architectures) and methodologies (Agile, TDD, DevOps). May prune outdated tools entirely. |
| Experience bullets | Focuses on hands-on technical tasks, learning and contribution to team goals. Metrics are smaller in scale (e.g. 'Resolved 1,200+ tickets', 'Reduced ticket closure time by 28%'). | Focuses on system design, architecture, cross-team leadership and business impact. Metrics are larger and strategic (e.g. 'Migrated platform to microservices, reducing latency by 52% and supporting 3x traffic growth', 'Mentored 6 engineers, with 4 promoted within 18 months'). |
| Certifications | Entry-level certifications (CompTIA A+, ITIL Foundation, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner) to prove foundational knowledge and commitment to the field. | Advanced certifications (AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, Certified Kubernetes Administrator, Azure DevOps Engineer Expert) to demonstrate deep expertise and continuous learning. |
| Portfolio and publications | GitHub link with university projects, personal scripts or contributions to open-source documentation. Optional but strengthens an entry-level CV. | GitHub portfolio with maintained open-source libraries, technical blog posts, conference talks or published papers. Expected for senior roles to demonstrate thought leadership and community contribution. |
| CV length | One to two pages. Education and certifications carry more weight; experience section is shorter. | Two to three pages. Experience section is longer and more detailed; education moves lower down. May include publications, speaking engagements and mentoring. |