5 Essentials of a Java Developer Resume

In today’s highly evolved tech-driven universe, Java is omnipresent.

09:59 19 May 2020

You can find it everywhere- in your laptops, phones, gaming consoles, super-computers, etc. It shapes our realities and makes things like smartphones and apps possible.

 Without exaggeration, java development is as relevant today as it was about a decade ago. That there are 9 million Java developers in the world is nothing but a testament to this. It also conveys the importance of this profession and the magnanimity of the competition that is in store for you.

That is why having a stellar java developer resume at your side is essential. A well-formulated resume can give you an edge and make it easier to get hired. 

So in this article, we have streamlined the 5 essentials of a java developer resume for you.

Follow this simple checklist to ensure that nothing stands between you and your dream job. 

Keep it relevant

A recruiter does not care if you have exceptional culinary skills or have a football game medal to your name. If your resume is filled with irrelevant details, it will end up in the trash.

You need to keep your resume relevant. Focus on your job-related skills and accomplishments in your resume. 

You can do this by simply following 2 rules:

Add information relevant to Java Development

From skill section to professional experience, the resume should boast of your accomplishments in the field of java development.

If you have any co-curricular achievement or certification in java, do not shy away from highlighting it.

Even if you won some competition in high school relating to java, you can mention it and score brownie points.

The bottom line is relevance.

Keep it relevant to your functional industry and your resume will be good to go.

Remove information Irrelevant to Java Development

Even if you do not have professional work experience in java development, do not flood your resume with anything irrelevant. Whether you worked part-time at McDonalds or babysat someone, putting nonsensical details will do you no good.

In such cases, your java development certifications and internships will do a good job of getting your resume shortlisted for the next round.

Make sure that you write an impactful objective to complement your job application.

Quantify your achievements 

Stating that you can code or understand java is a given.

It will do nothing to advance your job application.

On the contrary, showing that your java skills amounted to something will do wonders in getting you shortlisted. So instead of saying that you are proficient in java development, show how this proficiency has resulted in certain valuable achievements for the company you have worked with.

In other words, quantify your achievements.

Here are some examples:

• Designed 5+ web & hybrid mobile apps at the stipulated TAT

Notice the difference?

Instead of blandly stating that you can develop web and mobile-based apps, the example shows the number of apps developed. It also shows that the apps were completed before the deadline, showcasing the professional’s commitment and ability to adhering to timelines. 

So take our advice, and quantify your achievements.

By showcasing the visible impact of your actions, you are convincing the recruiter of your abilities to deliver a quantifiable impact.

It gives them a good reason to shortlist you for an interview and talk about your achievements face-to-face.

Include relevant sections

Recruiters go through hundreds of resumes on a typical work day. Your job is to make their job easier. A great way to do this is by keeping your resume neat and to-the-point by using relevant sections.

Organizing your resume section-wise enhances the readability of your resume and makes the recruiter’s job a lot easier. Here are some sections that you should ideally include in your java developer resume

• Header
  
  
• Personal Information
  
  
• Profile Title
  
  
• Summary / Objective
  
  
• Key Skills
  
  
• Professional Experience
  
  
• Internships (if you have less than 3 years of work ex)
  
  
• Education
  
  
• Certifications (if any)
  
  

Distinguish your skills using a distinct ‘key skills’ section

Java development skills are the crux of your resume. Even if you are a fresh graduate with no relevant work ex to put in your resume, having the right skills and presenting them in your resume can help strengthen your application.

It is important to understand here that whether you get the job or not depends more on your skill sets and how lingual you are at your particular skills. Having a relevant work experience is an added bonus, but what truly matters is your ability to perform the task of your functional profile.

This is why you should always impeccably organize your skills in your resume.

Club your skills under a distinct ‘key skills’ section in your resume and divide it into two parts:

• Key skills 
  
  
• Technical skills
  
  

Key Skills are your profile-specific core skills. These are skills that you are expected to have. Example: coding, troubleshooting, end-user support, quality assurance, etc. It also entails new skills that you may have picked up in the duration of your job. Example: team management, client relationship management, report generation, etc.

On the contrary, technical skills are your tech-specific skills and tool knowledge such as programming language, platforms & database knowledge that you use to fulfill your tasks and responsibilities.

A few examples of technical skills to go on a java development resume are: Javascript & JQuery, Struts & Springs, CSS, and HTML, etc.

Customize your resume according to your target job

Most of us tend to send the same resume over and over to different organizations. 

Trust us: this spells disaster.

Even if you are great at java development, a one-for-all approach will not work for you.

Every job, every organization, and even every department will have unique requirements in addition to the everyday demands of your job profile.

For example, if you don’t have work experience but the hiring body is explicitly looking for people with work experience, you are just wasting your time by applying for the job.

Similarly, if your target organization is looking for machine learning skills in addition to your regular java-specific skills, you won’t qualify for the job.

But let’s say that you check all the boxes of your target job, you need to customize your resume according to the needs of that job.

Here is a stepwise approach:

• Scrutinize the job description of the job that you're targeting. Filter out the important keywords.
  
  
• From work experience to education to certifications to particular skill sets, keywords can look like anything.
  
  
• Check whether the keywords match your skills and professional experience.
  
  
• If they do, mention these keywords in your resume.
  
  
• Mention only those keywords you can justify at the time of the interview.
  
  
• Do this every time you apply for the job.
  
  

For example, the JD says that you should possess the following skills:

 

• Bug Fixing & Troubleshooting
  
  

• Coding
  
  

• End to end Testing
  
  

• App & mobile development
  
  

• Solutions Architecture & Delivery
  
  

Highlighting these skills or keywords in your resume will tell the recruiter that you match the job requirements.

Similarly, if the JD says that you should have a certification in java development, mentioning the same in your resume (as long as you actually have the certification) will optimize your resume.

These skills and certification requirements are called keywords.

Using them optimizes your profile for the ATS software and increases the likelihood of getting shortlisted. Once the ATS passes your resume, it reaches the recruiter, who then uses his/her discretion in hiring you.

Remember that seeing these keywords on your resume can psychologically motivate a recruiter to hire you. So play it smart and include keywords in your resume.

Conclusion 

The demand for java developers is exploding all over the globe, more people are likely to pursue a career in this demesne.

In order to beat your competition, you need an impressive skill set. But more than that, you need an impressive resume.

As the first point of contact between you and the recruiter, your resume needs to reflect your expertise with perfection. Following the tips we have outlined in this article can help.

Follow them to see your resume transform into a shortlist-worthy document.

That said, happy coding!