New Grad Software Engineer Resume That Actually Gets Interviews
No "real" experience? These are the projects, skills, and strategies that got 500+ new grads their first dev jobs—even without big-name internships.
What You'll Learn
Stop Saying You Have "No Experience"
Here's what new grads get wrong: you think experience means "years at a company." It doesn't. If you've built anything—really built it—you have experience.
Recruiters don't care if it was a class project or a side hustle. They care if you can code, solve problems, and learn fast. Your resume needs to prove all three.
What Counts as Experience:
- ✅ Personal projects you actually finished
- ✅ Internships (even if short or unpaid)
- ✅ Freelance work or contract coding
- ✅ Open source contributions
- ✅ Hackathon projects (especially winners)
- ✅ Course projects that went beyond requirements
- ✅ Teaching assistant or tutoring positions
- ✅ Research projects with professors
The New Grad Reality:
You're competing with other new grads, not senior engineers. The bar isn't "have you built production systems at scale?" It's "can you code, learn fast, and contribute?" Your projects prove the first two. Your resume proves you can communicate.
The Ideal New Grad Resume Structure
Order matters. Here's the optimal structure for a new grad with limited experience:
Header
Name, email, phone, LinkedIn, GitHub (one line)
Education
Degree, school, GPA (if 3.5+), relevant coursework
Projects ⭐ Most Important
2-3 projects with technologies, impact, and links
Experience (if any)
Internships, part-time work, TA positions
Skills
Languages, frameworks, tools—only what you know
⚠️ If You Have Internships:
If you have relevant internship experience, move the Experience section above Projects. Real work experience trumps side projects—but only if it's tech-related.
Projects That Prove You Can Code
Your projects section is your strongest asset. This is where you show you can build real things, not just pass exams.
⚡ The Project Selection Rule:
Pick 2-3 projects that show different skills. Don't list five React apps. Show range:
- 1. Full-Stack Project — Shows you can build end-to-end
- 2. Algorithmic/Systems Project — Shows technical depth
- 3. Deployed Project with Users — Shows you can ship
Example: Full-Stack Project
Real-Time Task Manager | React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, WebSockets
- • Built collaborative task app with real-time updates serving 100+ active users
- • Implemented JWT authentication with role-based access control
- • Deployed on AWS with CI/CD pipeline; maintained 99.5% uptime
Why it works: Shows complete ownership, specific technologies, real users, and deployment.
Example: Algorithmic Project
Custom LRU Cache | C++, Performance Optimization
- • Implemented LRU cache with O(1) lookup and eviction using hashmap + doubly-linked list
- • Optimized memory usage by 40% compared to std::unordered_map baseline
- • Wrote comprehensive unit tests with 95% code coverage
Why it works: Shows data structure knowledge, optimization mindset, testing discipline.
Example: ML/Data Project
Sentiment Analysis API | Python, FastAPI, HuggingFace, Docker
- • Built REST API serving fine-tuned BERT model for tweet sentiment classification
- • Achieved 89% accuracy on test set; optimized inference to <100ms latency
- • Containerized with Docker; deployed on Google Cloud Run
Why it works: Shows ML fundamentals, API design, production deployment, performance awareness.
🚫 Projects to Avoid:
- ❌ Todo apps (everyone has one, they're not impressive)
- ❌ Tutorial clones without any modifications
- ❌ Projects from 2+ years ago with old tech
- ❌ "Work in progress" with no demo/deployment
- ❌ Projects without GitHub links or live demos
- ❌ Group projects where you can't explain your contribution
The Education Section That Works
As a new grad, education goes near the top—right after your header. Here's how to maximize it:
Weak Example
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
University of State
Graduated 2025
Missing GPA, coursework, activities
Strong Example
B.S. in Computer Science, GPA: 3.7/4.0
University of State, May 2025
Coursework: Data Structures, Algorithms, Distributed Systems, ML
Activities: ACM President, Google Developer Student Club
Complete, scannable, shows initiative
Education Section Rules:
- ✓ Include GPA if it's 3.5+ (or 3.3+ for top schools)
- ✓ List 4-6 relevant courses that match the job description
- ✓ Mention leadership positions in tech clubs or honor societies
- ✓ Include Dean's List if applicable
- ✗ Skip high school—nobody cares once you're in college
- ✗ Don't list every course you took—just the impressive ones
The Skills Section (Keep It Real)
Don't list every language you've touched once. Only include skills you can actually discuss in an interview.
The Ideal Format:
Languages: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, SQL
Frameworks: React, Next.js, Node.js, Express, Flask, FastAPI
Tools: Git, Docker, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, AWS
Concepts: REST APIs, Data Structures, Algorithms, OOP, System Design
✓ Good Skills to List:
- • Languages you've used in 2+ projects
- • Frameworks you can build something in
- • Tools you use regularly (Git, Docker)
- • Concepts you can explain in interviews
✗ Skills to Avoid:
- • Languages from a single tutorial
- • "Microsoft Office" (assumed knowledge)
- • Soft skills like "teamwork"
- • Outdated tech (jQuery, PHP 5)
⚠️ The Honesty Check:
If the interviewer asks "Tell me about your React experience" and your answer is "I followed a YouTube tutorial"—you've lost credibility.
Rule: Only list skills you've used in projects you can discuss in detail.
Real Resume That Got Interviews
Here's what a winning new grad resume structure looks like:
Alex Chen
alex@email.com • (555) 123-4567 • github.com/alexchen • linkedin.com/in/alexchen
Education
B.S. in Computer Science, GPA: 3.8/4.0
UC Berkeley • May 2025
Coursework: Algorithms, Databases, Distributed Systems, Operating Systems
Projects
Real-Time Collaboration Platform | React, WebSockets, Redis, AWS
- Built collaborative whiteboard supporting 50+ simultaneous users with sub-100ms latency
- Implemented conflict resolution using operational transformation algorithms
- Deployed on AWS with auto-scaling; 1,000+ registered users
Custom Database Engine | C++, B+ Trees
- Implemented B+ tree indexing with 100K+ record insert/query performance tests
- Designed buffer pool manager with LRU eviction, reducing disk I/O by 60%
Experience
Software Engineering Intern • Startup Co • Summer 2024
- Built internal dashboard reducing customer support tickets by 30%
- Implemented REST API endpoints serving 10K daily requests
Skills
Languages: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, C++, Java, SQL
Technologies: React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, Redis, Docker, Git, AWS
Why This Resume Works:
- ✅ Strong GPA shown prominently (3.8/4.0)
- ✅ Projects demonstrate real technical depth (distributed systems, algorithms)
- ✅ Specific numbers and metrics throughout (50+ users, 100K records, 30% reduction)
- ✅ Technologies in each project are specific and modern
- ✅ Clean, scannable format with clear hierarchy
- ✅ GitHub and LinkedIn links for verification
- ✅ One page, no wasted space
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Common New Grad Mistakes to Avoid
🚫 Listing Every Course You Took
No one cares that you took "Intro to Programming." Only list advanced or relevant courses that match the job description. Quality over quantity.
🚫 Including an Objective Statement
"Seeking a challenging role to leverage my skills..." is wasted space. Everyone knows that's why you're applying. Use that space for projects.
🚫 Generic Bullet Points
"Worked on a team project" tells me nothing. "Built X feature using Y technology that achieved Z result" tells me everything. Be specific.
🚫 Unfinished Projects
If your GitHub repo is half-done, don't list it. Three complete projects beat ten abandoned ones. Finish what you start.
🚫 Going Over One Page
You're a new grad. You don't have enough experience to justify two pages. If it's longer than one page, you're including things that don't matter.
🚫 Using a Template with Colored Sidebars
Those fancy Canva templates with skill bars and colored sections? They break ATS systems. Stick to simple, black-and-white, single-column layouts.
Final Advice
The new grad job search is a numbers game. You'll send hundreds of applications. Your resume needs to work at scale—clear, scannable, ATS-friendly.
Your projects prove you can code. Your GPA shows you can learn. Your clean resume proves you pay attention to details.
"Build things. Finish them. Put them on your resume. That's how you get your first job."