Tech companies receive hundreds of applications for each role. Your CV passes through multiple filters: ATS systems scanning for keywords, recruiters doing 10-second scans, and finally hiring managers evaluating technical depth. Fail any of these, and you're out.
The Tech CV Structure
The optimal structure for most tech roles:
- Contact Info , Include GitHub and LinkedIn
- Professional Summary , Technical identity + key skills + achievement
- Technical Skills , Organized by category
- Experience , Achievement-focused with tech specifics
- Projects , Personal/open source work (especially for juniors)
- Education , Degrees + relevant certifications
Technical Skills Section
This section is critical for ATS matching. Organize by category and be specific:
Example Technical Skills Section (2026)
TECHNICAL SKILLS Languages: Python, TypeScript, Go, Rust, SQL Frontend: React, Next.js, Tailwind, TanStack Query Backend: Node.js, FastAPI, gRPC, GraphQL, REST Cloud/DevOps: AWS (Lambda, ECS, RDS, S3), Kubernetes, Terraform, Pulumi, CI/CD AI/LLM: OpenAI + Anthropic APIs, RAG, vector databases (pgvector, Pinecone), evals, prompt orchestration Databases: PostgreSQL, Redis, ClickHouse, DynamoDB Tools: Git, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, Linear, Datadog, Linux/Unix
ًں’، Pro Tip: Mirror exact technology names from the job posting. "React.js" vs "React" vs "ReactJS" , use whatever they use. ATS systems can be picky about exact matches.
AI / LLM Engineering Is Now a Distinct Skill Line
By 2026 most engineering teams expect candidates to have shipped at least one AI feature in production, not just to have played with ChatGPT. If you have, give it its own bullet line and be specific. Vague "leveraged AI" phrasing is invisible.
- RAG pipelines: chunking strategy, embedding model, retriever tuning, eval setup
- LLM API integration: OpenAI, Anthropic, model routing, streaming, fallback
- Vector databases: pgvector, Pinecone, Weaviate, Qdrant
- Evals and observability: Braintrust, Langfuse, custom eval harness, regression tests
- Agent workflows: tool calling, multi-step orchestration, human-in-the-loop checkpoints
- Guardrails: prompt injection defense, output validation, content filtering, cost controls
Strong 2026 bullet example: "Built an LLM-assisted support workflow using RAG over 18k product docs (pgvector + GPT-4o), reducing average response time 38% and improving resolution accuracy 22% measured against a 500-question eval set."
ًں’، Pro Tip: AI coding tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Claude Code are now table stakes for most engineering teams. You don't need to brag about using them, but if you've meaningfully shifted your team's workflow with them (faster reviews, automated test generation, doc-as-code pipelines), that's worth a line.
Writing Tech Experience
Technical hiring managers want to see impact, scale, and specific technologies:
- Scale: "Processed 10M+ daily transactions"
- Performance: "Reduced API latency from 800ms to 120ms"
- Architecture: "Designed microservices architecture serving 50K concurrent users"
- Technologies: Weave specific tools into achievements
Example: Senior Engineer Experience
SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER TechCorp Inc., San Francisco, CA | 2021 to Present * Architected and deployed event-driven microservices (Go, Kafka, K8s) reducing order processing time from 45s to 3s * Led migration from monolith to microservices, improving deployment frequency from monthly to 20+ daily releases * Built real-time analytics pipeline processing 50M+ events/day using Spark and Kafka with 99.9% uptime * Mentored 4 junior developers, establishing code review practices that reduced production bugs by 60%
The Projects Section
For developers, projects can be as impressive as work experience. Include:
- Project name and brief description
- Technologies used
- Your specific contribution (for team projects)
- Link to GitHub/live demo
- Usage metrics if available
Example Project Entry
DEVFLOW , Open Source Developer Productivity Tool github.com/username/devflow | 2,400+ GitHub stars * Built CLI tool in Rust that automates git workflows and PR management * Implemented plugin architecture enabling 15+ community extensions * Featured in Hacker News front page; adopted by 3 YC startups
GitHub Profile Matters
Many tech recruiters check GitHub. Ensure:
- Profile has professional photo and bio
- Pinned repos showcase your best work
- READMEs are polished with clear documentation
- Contribution graph shows consistent activity
ATS Optimization for Tech
Tech-specific ATS tips:
- Spell out acronyms once: "Amazon Web Services (AWS)"
- Include both "JavaScript" and "JS" versions
- Use standard section headers (ATS expects them)
- Avoid tables, columns, or graphics that confuse parsers
- Save as PDF with text layer (not image)
Key Takeaways
- Lead with a comprehensive Technical Skills section
- Quantify everything: scale, performance, impact
- Include GitHub and portfolio links
- Projects matter , especially for junior developers
- Mirror exact technology names from job postings
- Keep formatting ATS-friendly (no complex layouts)