You’re experienced in software development, and now you’re ready to oversee your own team – congratulations!
But landing a managerial position is no mean feat, and you need to prove you’ve got the organization and leadership skills to run a department.
To do this, you need a standout application. So, check out our resume writing framework and top tips below, along with our software development manager resume example.
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Software Development Manager Resume Example
This example Software Development Manager resume is well-structured to provide a pleasant reading experience for recruiters, and contains all of the crucial information they want to see.
The rest of the guide will show you exactly how you can achieve this in your own resume.
Software Development Manager resume layout and formatting
The format and layout of your resume can make or break its success.
Sure, it’s great to pack your resume with lots of impressive skills and knowledge, but if the page is not structured clearly, hiring managers will struggle to find the important stuff!
Above all, your resume should be easy-to-read and professional looking.
Follow these formatting tips to get noticed.
Formatting your resume
- Length: Think that submitting a 10 page resume will impress recruiters? Unfortunately it won’t… Even if you’ve got tons of experience to brag about, recruiters don’t have time to read essays, so keep it brief – around 2 pages is the sweet spot.
- Font & readability: A readable resume is crucial if you want recruiters to see your important skills. Ensure yours is easy to read by using a simple, clear font and breaking up the text with bullet points and short paragraphs.
- Layout & Structure: Hiring managers should be able to skim through your resume easily and pinpoint the information they want quickly. To help them do this, organize the page into clear sections with bold headings and dividing borders. The design should be clutter-free and professional-looking, with a calm color scheme.
- Photos: While adding a photo to your resume is not mandatory in the USA, it can be beneficial if you are applying to organizations in creative industries.
Quick tip: Achieving a professional look for your resume can be difficult and time-consuming. If you want to create an attractive resume quickly, try our quick-and-easy Resume Builder and use one of their eye-catching resume templates.
Resume layout
Organize the document into these sections when you write your resume.
- Name and contact details – Employers need to know how to get in touch with you – so list your email and cell phone number here.
- Resume summary – An intro paragraph at the top of the resume which summarizes your suitability for target jobs.
- Skills section – A bullet-pointed list of your most relevant skills and knowledge.
- Work experience – A list of your previous jobs (or at least the most relevant and recent ones)
- Education – Add academic and professional qualifications that prove you can carry out the job
- Additional info – If they are relevant to the jobs you are applying for, you can add an extra section for things like hobbies and interests.
Here’s what to include in each part of your resume.
Contact Details
Add your name and contact details to the very top of your resume, making it easy for recruiters to get in touch
- Name and profession title
- Cell phone number – or another number you can answer quickly
- Location – Add your local area such as San Diego or New York – not your full address as that will take up too much space.
- Email address – Use your name or close variation – no nicknames from high school.
You can add a link to your LinkedIn profile if you have one – you do not need to include personal details like date of birth or marital status.
Software Development Manager Resume Summary
Start your resume with a bang by adding a powerful summary to the top, summarizing your most valuable skills and experience.
This short paragraph is your chance to show recruiters why you are a perfect fit for the job and encourage them to read more of your resume.
How to create a resume summary that will excite recruiters:
- Keep it short: A concise and focused resume summary is essential for capturing a recruiter’s attention and keeping them engaged. Limiting your summary to 4-7 lines ensures that you make a strong impression in the first few seconds of them opening the document.
- Tailor to target jobs: To mirror your target jobs, scrutinize the job description and include as many relevant skills as possible in your resume.
- Avoid using cliches: Recruiters always see cringey cliches like “hardworking guru who works well in a team or individually” – they don’t mean much to anyone, so focus your summary on tangible skills and experience.
Software Development Manager resume summary example
What to include in your Software Development Manager resume summary?
- Summary of your experience: Provide a summary of the kind of work you have previously done, along with the benefits you have delivered to the organizations you worked with.
- Relevant skills: To quickly showcase your suitability for Software Development Manager jobs, ensure that your summary emphasizes your most relevant skills to the jobs you are applying for.
- Qualifications: To make a strong impression on potential employers when applying for Software Development Manager jobs, be sure to mention any relevant qualifications in your summary.
Quick tip: Choose from hundreds of pre-written summaries across all industries, and add one to your resume with one-click in our quick-and-easy Resume Builder. All written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset and style.
Core skills section
Underneath your summary, write a core skills section to make your most relevant skills jump off the page at readers.
It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points of your relevant skills.
Before you do this, look over the job description and make a list of any specific skills, specialisms or knowledge required.
Then, make sure to use your findings in your list. This will paint you as the perfect match for the role.
Best skills for your Software Development Manager resume
Project management – Managing complex software projects, including defining project scope, managing timelines, and allocating resources.
Technical expertise – Utilizing in-depth understanding of software development principles, including coding, testing, and debugging.
Leadership – Leading and mentoring a team of software developers, including managing performance, setting goals, and providing feedback.
Agile methodology – Utilizing knowledge of agile development processes and techniques, including Scrum and Kanban.
Budgeting and financial management – Utilizing experience in managing software development budgets, tracking expenses, and forecasting costs.
Risk management – Identifying and managing potential project risks, including technical risks, timeline delays, and budget overruns.
Stakeholder communication – Communicating effectively with stakeholders, including executives, developers, and customers.
Strategic thinking – Thinking creatively and developing long-term strategies for software development projects and products.
Quality assurance – Utilizing knowledge of software testing and quality assurance best practices, including test planning, execution, and reporting.
Continuous improvement – Utilizing experience in continuous improvement through process optimization, stakeholder feedback, and adopting new technologies and techniques.
Quick tip: Our quick-and-easy Resume Builder contains thousands of in-demand skills for every profession that can be added to your resume in seconds – saving you time and greatly improving your chances of landing job interviews and getting hired.
Work experience
Once you’ve got recruiters interested with your impactful summary, your work experience is where the real detail will lie.
Lay out your previous jobs from current to oldest, detailing what you contributed and achieved in each one.
If you’re highly experienced you can cut this section down to your most recent few years of work, but if you are junior you can bulk this up with voluntary work and college placements.
Structuring your jobs
Your job description probably includes tons of information, so it’s vital to organize it well when writing about it on your resume.
Structure your jobs as like the example below to make skim-reading easy for recruiters and hiring managers.
Job outline
Kick off each role with a high-level overview to summarize the focus of the job, what the organization/department does, and how you fit into the bigger picture.
Key responsibilities
List your notable responsibilities in short sharp bullet points to demonstrate your input and how you contributed to the organization’s success.
Highlight the skills that are most important to the roles you are applying for.
Key achievements
Show employers the value you can bring to them by adding a few achievements to your jobs.
Whether you’ve saved the company money or improved an internal process, let recruiters know
Add some numbers to give readers a real scale of the impact, e.g. “reduced call wait time by 10%”
Example job for Software Development Manager resume
Outline
Manage a cross-functional team of 32 software developers, data scientists, and analysts for a leading US cybersecurity systems provider, coordinating the development and testing of new software systems and updates for clients in 42 countries.
Key Responsibilities
- Recruit, hire, and coordinate training for software development professionals, building productive cross-functional teams
- Research and implement industry techniques to innovate new technology
- Define, document, and write tests for cyber security system using Python
- Oversee development and execution of high-value software projects
Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our quick-and-easy Resume Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.
Education section
Nearing the end of your resume, your education/qualifications section should be added.
In a well-structured list, add all of your qualifications and certifications that qualify you to perform a typical Software Development Manager role.
If you have plenty of work experience, keep this section brief – if not, add lots of detail to make up for your lack of experience.
Additional information
At the end of your resume, you can add any extra information that might be relevant to the jobs you are applying for.
This could be hobbies, interests, publications, clubs or memberships.
This section is optional and doesn’t need to be added if you have nothing more relevant to add.
Writing your own winning Software Development Manager resume
Crafting a strong Software Development Manager resume can be a daunting task, but implementing the steps outlined above will significantly increase your chances of securing multiple interview opportunities.
Good luck with your job search!