What skills should a Web Developer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Programming, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Operations Analysis, and Reading Comprehension among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Web Developer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes 3M Post-it App, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe ActionScript, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Creative Cloud software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Web Developer work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Web Architect, Web Design Specialist, Webmaster, and Technology Applications Engineer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Web Developer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 46% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Web Developer role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Web Developer resume example

A resume for a Web Developer needs to show the work itself: develop and implement websites, web applications, application databases, and interactive web interfaces. Day to day that means work like this: write supporting code for Web applications or Web sites; design, build, or maintain Web sites, using authoring or scripting languages, content creation tools, management tools, and digital media. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Web Architect
Web Design Specialist
Webmaster
Technology Applications Engineer
HTML Developer
PHP Developer
PHP Web Developer
UI Developer
XML Developer
Back End Developer
Back End Engineer
Back End Software Engineer
Back-End Web Developer
Computer Graphic Artist
Computer Graphic Designer
Front End Developer
Front End Engineer
Front End Software Engineer

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Write supporting code for Web applications or Web sites.
Design, build, or maintain Web sites, using authoring or scripting languages, content creation tools, management tools, and digital media.
Back up files from Web sites to local directories for instant recovery in case of problems.
Select programming languages, design tools, or applications.
Evaluate code to ensure that it is valid, is properly structured, meets industry standards, and is compatible with browsers, devices, or operating systems.
Develop databases that support Web applications and Web sites.
Perform Web site tests according to planned schedules, or after any Web site or product revision.
Perform or direct Web site updates.
Maintain understanding of current Web technologies or programming practices through continuing education, reading, or participation in professional conferences, workshops, or groups.
Analyze user needs to determine technical requirements.
Respond to user email inquiries, or set up automated systems to send responses.
Renew domain name registrations.

29 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Write supporting code for Web applications or Web sites, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Design, build, or maintain Web sites, using authoring or scripting languages, content creation tools, management tools, and digital media, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Back up files from Web sites to local directories for instant recovery in case of problems, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Select programming languages, design tools, or applications, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

3M Post-it App
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe ActionScript
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Creative Cloud software
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Flex
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Advanced business application programming ABAP
Airtable
AJAX
Amazon DynamoDB

248 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Application servers
Desktop computers
Laptop computers
Personal computers
Universal serial bus USB flash drives
Web servers

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

JavaScript
React
HTML
CSS
REST APIs
Node.js
Git
responsive design
AWS
Kafka

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Programming
02Critical Thinking
03Complex Problem Solving
04Operations Analysis
05Reading Comprehension
06Active Learning
07Active Listening
08Judgment and Decision Making
09Speaking
10Systems Analysis

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Computers and Electronics
English Language
Mathematics
Communications and Media

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

46%Bachelor's Degree
17%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
17%Associate's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Web Developer do?: Develop and implement websites, web applications, application databases, and interactive web interfaces. Day to day that includes work like write supporting code for Web applications or Web sites and Design, build, or maintain Web sites, using authoring or scripting languages, content creation tools, management tools, and digital media.
What skills should a Web Developer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Programming, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Operations Analysis, and Reading Comprehension among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Web Developer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes 3M Post-it App, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe ActionScript, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Creative Cloud software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Web Developer work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Web Architect, Web Design Specialist, Webmaster, and Technology Applications Engineer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Web Developer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 46% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Web Developer role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.