A junior software-engineer CV should let a reviewer understand one working project: the problem, your contribution, the technology and how you checked it. Link the repository or a usable demo where it is relevant. A long technology list cannot explain what you built.
The example below is fictional and instructional. Replace every placeholder with your facts and remove any experience or skill you do not have. Its tasks are not a real customer's results.
Example to copy and adapt
[Name] | Junior software engineer
[Current city] | [Email] | [Phone] | [Repository or portfolio URL]
PROFILE
Computer science graduate who built a small issue-tracking application using TypeScript and SQL. Interested in junior web development with code review and structured testing.
PROJECT — Issue tracker, [Dates]
Implemented a form to create and update issues, with required-field validation.
Designed a small relational schema and documented how to run the application locally.
Added tests for creating an issue and rejecting an invalid request.
Documented known limitations: single-user demo and no production deployment.
EDUCATION
[Degree], [Institution], [Date]
TECHNICAL SKILLS
TypeScript: form handling. SQL: schema and queries. Git: branches and pull requests.
EXPERIENCE
[Actual employment or internship, if any]
Lead with a feature you can explain
A junior developer CV should help a reviewer understand what you built, your contribution and how you checked it. A stack list alone cannot do that. Choose one or two projects that resemble the advertised work and put the technical detail beside the feature. If the work followed a tutorial, say what you changed or investigated yourself.
Fictional junior developer project entry
Appointment request application | [Language/framework actually used] | [Date]
Implemented validation for missing contact fields and invalid date selections.
Separated user-facing errors from unexpected server failures in the form flow.
Wrote tests for an empty submission, a valid request and a failed response.
Documented local setup and the sample data needed to reproduce the feature.
Student project; no production patient data or real clinic deployment.
Connect the CV, repository and live demo
| Place | What the reviewer should find |
|---|---|
| CV | A concise feature description, your role and a useful link |
| Repository, if public | Readable setup instructions, sample configuration and tests |
| Demo | A working path using fictional data and clear limitations |
| Portfolio | The problem, decisions, your contribution and what you would improve |
Test the links while signed out. A private repository link is not a usable public work sample unless the employer has access. Never publish keys or private data to make a demo easy to run. If you cannot share the code, explain the work at a permitted level and provide another sample.
Describe team projects and AI assistance accurately
Separate the team outcome from your individual work. “Built the booking application” overstates your role if you only implemented validation. Explain which files or features you owned and how they fit together. If AI helped you draft code, be prepared to explain and verify the code you submit. Do not claim testing, deployment or user outcomes that never occurred.
Tailor the technical terms to the vacancy only where true. Someone applying for a junior backend role may prioritize an endpoint, data validation and a test. The same person applying for a frontend role may prioritize form behavior and accessibility work they actually completed. The degree and project dates remain the same.
- Should I list every language I have tried?
- Prioritize languages used in completed work that you can discuss. Label introductory coursework honestly and omit unrelated tools that distract from the target role.
- Can a tutorial project go on my CV?
- Yes, if you label it accurately and explain your contribution or extension. Do not present the tutorial author’s design as your original product.
- How do I make the portfolio useful?
- Follow the resume-to-portfolio walkthrough and add a specific technical decision, test result or limitation to each project. Use the graduate CV guide if education and projects are your main evidence.
Let a reviewer verify the project
- Explain your contribution separately from teammates' work. If you followed a tutorial, identify what you changed or investigated beyond the original exercise.
- For a Riyadh backend advert, emphasise schema, request validation and tests. For a Dubai frontend advert, prioritise interface behaviour and accessibility work you actually completed.
- Before linking a repository, remove secrets and private data, document setup and make the README consistent with the CV. A broken demo is less useful than clear screenshots with honest limitations.
- Do not claim production users, performance gains or security guarantees without measurement and context. A small complete application is a valid graduate project.
Why the example is written this way
The known-limitations line makes the project assessable. Specific tests and setup instructions give a reviewer something to examine without inventing commercial scale.
Next step
Use the UAE guide or Saudi guide for your application, or return to the guides hub. Use the resume builder to organise your information. Building and previewing are free; PDF export requires a paid plan. See pricing.
