How to Create a Front End Developer Resume as Clean as Your Code

You can write clean code as well as the best of them. Now you need to submit a clean, polished resume to the hiring manager. Below, we show you how to write a front end developer resume that sells your skill set. 

It can be difficult to get a hiring manager’s attention. However, we’ve helped more than 100,000 people create standout resumes, and we’re here for you as well. In this article, we’ll discuss how to create a front end developer resume that shows off your hard and soft skills as well as your tangible contributions to your former positions. We’ll also show you the sections of a front end developer resume.

What a Hiring Manager Looks for in a Front End  Developer 

A top-tier front end developer delivers more than bug-free code. The best developers offer fresh ideas. They pitch innovative solutions to real problems. And they can interpret wireframes from the creative team as well as they understand programming languages.

When writing a resume for front-end development, keep these three things in mind: 

1. Show off Your Projects

Throughout your work experience, weave your past project contributions through every bullet point you write. (Hint: Don’t merely link to your GitHub account.)

Within every project, display how you arrived at solutions to complex problems. Remember: The goal of every website, app, or product is to arrive at the best possible user experience. To prove you can do that, you need to dive deep through your critical thinking skills. Writing a list of programming languages in your skills section isn't enough. Instead, you could write about the tangible results of your development. 

Many recruiters are searching for developers with demonstrated experience in a certain industry. Include the industries you worked in and the scope of your projects.

• For a nonprofit project: Used Reactjs and GraphQL to create a volunteer sign-up application that lead to half a million sign-ups
• For the online security sector: Designed the user experience for a preventative cyber-attack company, which lead to a 30% customer growth rate 
• For the wellness industry: Developed an online patient check-in portal for a national dentist company using React, leading to $20,000 of annual savings for the client 

2. Prove Your Technical Skills

Most recruiters are looking for developers with a specific skill set particularly related to coding languages. Rather than leave your knowledge of coding languages to the skills section, include them throughout your work experience section. 

Give the recruiter context as to how your technical savvy solved challenges for your team or client. Remember — the hiring manager won't look at your portfolio if they never make it past your resume. You need to show how you enhanced a product, app, or site. Write more than, "Used HTML to code a website." 

Here's how to present yourself as an experienced developer: 

• Python developer: Developed pharmaceutical web applications using Python, leading to a 20% growth rate for the client 
• SQL developer: Built international fundraising web pages for nonprofit clients through SQL server development, garnering $1 million in donations 
• WordPress developer: Built 20 e-commerce websites through WordPress, combining CSS, PHP, and HTML5

3. Weave in Your Soft Skills 

The best front end developers have soft skills like communicating clearly and with empathy. This is because the hiring manager needs to know you can be the liaison between the client, graphic designers, video producers, back-end developers, and the product team.

In other words, a hiring manager needs to know nothing will slip through the cracks — no matter how many parties are involved. 

Touch on your communication, listening, and leadership skills throughout your resume. Here are some examples of how you might write about your skills: 

• To show off your communication skills: Served as the liaison between the client, graphic design, video production, and engineering teams
• To prove you're thorough: Conducted quality assurance testing to deliver bug-free code
• To display your project management skills: Collaborated with development teams across three different time zones to deliver client landing pages on time and on budget

Front End Developer Resume Template 

Your front end developer resume format should consist of five sections: your contact information, a brief summary, detailed work experience, a skills section, and your education. Within your work experience, list your employers and roles from most to the least recent. 

Keep your bullet points brief and to-the-point, avoiding filler words. If you're a recent grad or entry-level developer, keep your resume to one page. If you are a senior front end developer or full-stack developer, you can use a two page resume template — just make every word count. 

1. Contact Information

Keep your contact information brief and at the top of the page. If you have an online portfolio or GitHub account, include it in this section. Only link to an online website or portfolio if it's related to the job posting.

• First and last name
• Most recent job title
• City and state 
• Phone number
• Email
• Portfolio, website, Github portfolio, or business social media handles

For example: 

Cara Anderson | Front End Developer | San Francisco, California 

Cara.anderson@gmail.com | 222.222.222 | github.com/cara-anderson

2. Summary 

Your summary should display you provide extensive technical skills, killer ideas, innovative problem-solving skills, and excellent communication skills.

Here’s an example: 

Agile front end developer and UX creative with five years of experience enhancing web design and mobile apps. Passionate about developing user-friendly e-commerce sites and apps for Fortune 1000 clients. 

3. Work Experience

In your work experience section, tie in the languages you used and the user interfaces you built. Balance your technical skill set with soft and problem-solving skills to present yourself to the recruiter as a well-rounded developer. Here are examples of how you might describe your skills within the context of your work experience.

• Problem-solving skills: Automated tests and provided solutions within cross-functional projects for mobile projects
• Communication skills: Communicated status of iOS and Android apps between back-end web development and the client, leading to a 20% increase in client retention
• Technical skills: Used Python to build a seamless user experience across apps, websites, mobile, and e-commerce
• Project-management skills: Managed code repositories and deployments using GIT 

4. Education 

In your education section, list the schools you attended and the degrees you received. You can also list your graduating years if you wish. Also, if you received any certificates, list them here. 

For example: 

Berkeley University, Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science, Sept. 2007-May, 2011

5. Skills

Many front end developer job descriptions list which languages they expect you to know. So, if they include a language in the job listing, be sure it’s on your resume. Also list other relevant skills, such as those related to full-stack development.

For example: ​

HTML5, React, GraphQL, Javascript, PHP, Bootstrap, CSS3, JQuery, Ajax, Adobe Photoshop, Angularjs 

Design a Resume To Sell Your Skill Set 

Designing a resume is not that different from web design. The resume should create a seamless user experience that sells you as a successful addition to a team.

Maximize what your resume can do for you. In technology industries, only 11% of job applicants will land an interview. More than 100,000 people have trusted the Standard Resume builder to make their resumes stand out in an over-saturated stack. 

To land the interview that could lead to your dream job, start building your resume today.