Top 12 Junior Software Developer Skills to Put on Your Resume

Landing a role as a junior software developer takes more than classroom theory. You need a practical toolkit and the instinct to ship. Showcase a crisp mix of technical depth and people skills on your resume, and you’ll look ready to contribute from day one.

Junior Software Developer Skills

1. Python
2. JavaScript
3. React
4. SQL
5. Git
6. Node.js
7. Java
8. C#
9. Docker
10. AWS
11. Angular
12. REST APIs

1. Python

Python is a high-level, interpreted language known for clarity, batteries-included tooling, and a vast ecosystem. It powers web apps, data pipelines, automation, and AI work.

Why It's Important

For a junior developer, Python lowers the barrier to building useful software fast. Readable code, strong libraries, and broad applicability make it a launchpad for many paths—web, data, scripting, testing.

How to Improve Python Skills

Build small, finish often. Then aim higher.

1. Practice consistently: Daily coding drills, tiny utilities, weekend projects. Repetition breeds fluency.

2. Think “Pythonic”: Embrace list/dict comprehensions, generators, context managers, data classes, and structural pattern matching.

3. Master the standard library: Get cozy with pathlib, itertools, functools, datetime/zoneinfo, logging, and typing.

4. Use strong tooling: Virtual environments, pyproject.toml, a formatter (Black), a linter (Ruff/Flake8), and type checking (mypy/Pyright).

5. Learn key frameworks: Django or FastAPI for web; NumPy and pandas for data; pytest for tests.

6. Read and review code: Study mature open-source projects, ask for feedback, and refactor your own work.

7. Ship and iterate: Automate tasks, deploy small services, and track what breaks. That’s where the learning sticks.

Steady practice plus real projects will sharpen your instincts and your code.

How to Display Python Skills on Your Resume

2. JavaScript

JavaScript runs in the browser and, increasingly, everywhere else. It drives interactive UIs, handles real-time updates, and forms the backbone of modern web applications.

Why It's Important

It’s the language of the web. Mastering it lets you build dynamic interfaces, fetch data without full page reloads, and even write server-side code. One language, many surfaces.

How to Improve JavaScript Skills

Tighten fundamentals, then lean into modern syntax and platform APIs.

1. Own the core: Scope, closures, prototypes, this, and the module system.

2. Asynchronous fluency: Promises, async/await, event loop, microtasks vs macrotasks.

3. Modern features: let/const, arrow functions, destructuring, spread/rest, optional chaining, nullish coalescing, iterators, generators.

4. Web APIs: Fetch, URL, Storage, WebSockets, IntersectionObserver, and the DOM.

5. Tooling: ESLint, Prettier, TypeScript basics, and a fast dev server/bundler (Vite or webpack).

6. Debugging and tests: Browser DevTools proficiency, unit testing with Jest or Vitest.

7. Build real things: Small widgets, a dashboard, a SPA. Ship to learn.

Hands on keyboard, regularly. Progress compounds.

How to Display JavaScript Skills on Your Resume

3. React

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces from small, focused components. It favors declarative views and efficient rendering.

Why It's Important

It streamlines interactive UI work. Reusable components, predictable state flows, and a thriving ecosystem mean you can move fast without losing clarity.

How to Improve React Skills

Think components, refine state, measure performance.

1. Core concepts: Function components, props, state, and keys. Hooks like useState, useEffect, useMemo, and useCallback.

2. State management: Keep state local when possible; reach for Context, Redux Toolkit, or React Query when needed.

3. Routing and data: Client-side routing, data fetching patterns, loading/error states, and suspense-ready code.

4. Performance: Memoization, lazy loading, code splitting, and avoiding unnecessary renders.

5. Type safety and tests: TypeScript with React, plus React Testing Library for behavior-focused tests.

6. Accessibility: Semantic HTML, focus management, and ARIA where appropriate.

7. Ship projects: Real apps surface real constraints. Iterate fast.

Keep building. Refactor when patterns repeat. Learn from every render.

How to Display React Skills on Your Resume

4. SQL

SQL is the language for working with relational databases: selecting, joining, aggregating, and shaping data.

Why It's Important

Most applications live and die by their data. SQL lets you query, analyze, and modify that data reliably and efficiently.

How to Improve SQL Skills

Start with clean queries. Grow into design and performance.

1. Essentials: SELECT, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY/HAVING, ORDER BY, LIMIT/OFFSET.

2. Modeling: Normal forms, primary/foreign keys, constraints, and indexing strategy.

3. Advanced querying: Window functions, CTEs, subqueries, conditional aggregation.

4. Transactions: Isolation levels, ACID guarantees, and when to lock.

5. Optimization: Read execution plans, tune indexes, avoid unnecessary scans, and reduce N+1 patterns.

6. Security: Parameterized queries, least-privilege access, careful handling of migrations.

7. Practice: Solve real reporting questions and reproduce slow query scenarios.

Good SQL is part art, part science. Measure, adjust, repeat.

How to Display SQL Skills on Your Resume

5. Git

Git is a distributed version control system for tracking code changes, branching safely, and collaborating without stepping on each other’s toes.

Why It's Important

It protects your history, powers teamwork, and lets you experiment without fear. Essential, every day.

How to Improve Git Skills

Understand the model, then polish your workflow.

1. Mental model: Commits as snapshots, branches as pointers, a DAG under the hood.

2. Core commands: status, add, commit, log, diff, branch, switch/checkout, merge, rebase, stash, tag.

3. Branching strategy: Trunk-based or feature branches with small, focused pull requests.

4. Conflict resolution: Practice merges and rebases. Learn to read and resolve conflicts calmly.

5. History hygiene: Rebase interactively, squash/fixup, revert safely, and use --force-with-lease when needed.

6. Reviews and CI: Clear pull requests, actionable reviews, and checks that run automatically.

7. Security and automation: Signed commits, hooks, and release tagging.

Small, meaningful commits tell a story. Make yours readable.

How to Display Git Skills on Your Resume

6. Node.js

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime for the server, built on an event loop and non-blocking I/O. It excels at networked applications and APIs.

Why It's Important

One language across front end and back end reduces friction. Rapid prototyping and fast I/O make Node a strong choice for web services.

How to Improve Node.js Skills

Learn the runtime’s rhythm, then structure apps you can reason about.

1. Runtime internals: Event loop phases, timers, microtasks, and the single-threaded model with worker threads when needed.

2. Asynchrony: Callbacks (and pitfalls), promises, async/await, streams, and backpressure.

3. Modern modules: ES modules, package.json fields, and dependable dependency management (npm, pnpm, or Yarn).

4. Frameworks: Express or Fastify for HTTP; NestJS for structured, opinionated apps.

5. Data and caching: SQL/NoSQL clients, connection pooling, Redis for caching or rate limits.

6. Error handling: Centralized handlers, async boundaries, process signals, graceful shutdown.

7. Security: Input validation, environment secrets, Helmet, CORS, safe defaults.

8. Testing and diagnostics: Built-in node:test (Node 20+), supertest for APIs, logging with pino, profiling when performance dips.

9. Deploy smart: Health checks, containerization, and observability baked in.

Make it simple. Then make it fast. In that order.

How to Display Node.js Skills on Your Resume

7. Java

Java is a platform-independent, object-oriented language used for everything from Android apps to large-scale enterprise systems.

Why It's Important

It’s stable, widely adopted, and rich in libraries and tooling. Learn it well and you can step into many codebases with confidence.

How to Improve Java Skills

Adopt modern Java, not just legacy patterns.

1. Core mastery: OOP, collections, generics, exceptions, I/O, and the Java memory model basics.

2. Modern language features: Records, var, text blocks, switch expressions, pattern matching, sealed classes, and virtual threads (Java 21 LTS).

3. Frameworks that matter: Spring Boot for services, JPA/Hibernate for persistence.

4. Build and test: Maven or Gradle, JUnit 5, and Mockito. Fast feedback, reliable builds.

5. Concurrency: Executors, CompletableFuture, and structured concurrency patterns with virtual threads.

6. JVM insight: Garbage collectors, profiling, and heap tuning at a basic level.

7. Projects: CLI tools, REST services, or a small microservice set. Ship something real.

Readable code wins. Idiomatic code wins faster.

How to Display Java Skills on Your Resume

8. C#

C# is a modern, object-oriented language running on .NET, used for web, desktop, cloud, and games (hello, Unity).

Why It's Important

It offers strong tooling, a powerful standard library, and a path into enterprise stacks and high-performance applications.

How to Improve C# Skills

Lean into contemporary .NET. It’s evolved a lot.

1. Language fluency: LINQ, async/await, pattern matching, records, local functions, nullable reference types.

2. ASP.NET Core: Minimal APIs, middleware, configuration, dependency injection.

3. Data access: EF Core, migrations, and query performance basics.

4. Testing: xUnit or NUnit, and fluent assertions. Coverage where it counts.

5. Performance mindset: Value types, Span<T>, memory profiling, and async pitfalls.

6. Tooling: dotnet CLI, NuGet, analyzers, and formatters baked into the pipeline.

7. Projects: Web APIs, background workers, or a small desktop utility.

Clarity over cleverness. Every time.

How to Display C# Skills on Your Resume

9. Docker

Docker packages apps and their dependencies into containers. Same build, same behavior, everywhere it runs.

Why It's Important

It slashes “works on my machine,” speeds up onboarding, and smooths deployments. Consistency pays dividends.

How to Improve Docker Skills

Smaller images, safer defaults, faster builds.

1. Core concepts: Images, layers, containers, registries. Understand how layers affect caching.

2. Dockerfiles that sing: Multi-stage builds, .dockerignore, minimal base images, non-root users, and explicit health checks.

3. Compose: Define multi-service environments for local dev and repeatable setups.

4. Networking and storage: Bridges, ports, volumes, bind mounts, and data persistence strategies.

5. Security: Scan images, pin versions, drop capabilities, read-only filesystems, and secret management.

6. Performance: Leverage build cache, layer ordering, and efficient dependency installs.

7. CI/CD: Build, tag, push, and deploy automatically with clear versioning.

Work toward reproducible builds. Your future self will thank you.

How to Display Docker Skills on Your Resume

10. AWS

AWS is a broad cloud platform offering compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, and more—on demand and at scale.

Why It's Important

It lets you deploy quickly, scale when needed, and lean on managed services instead of reinventing infrastructure.

How to Improve AWS Skills

Focus on fundamentals, automate everything, and respect security.

1. Core services: EC2, S3, RDS, DynamoDB, Lambda, API Gateway, and IAM. Know when to pick each.

2. Networking: VPCs, subnets, security groups, and basic routing. Private by default.

3. Security first: Least-privilege IAM policies, KMS for encryption, secret management, and guardrails.

4. Infrastructure as code: CloudFormation or CDK (or Terraform in mixed environments) for repeatable environments.

5. Automation: AWS CLI and SDKs for scripting and integration.

6. Observability: CloudWatch logs/metrics, CloudTrail, alarms, and dashboards.

7. Cost awareness: Tagging, budgets, and simple rightsizing habits.

8. Hands-on: Use the free tier to prototype, then tear it down and rebuild. Muscle memory matters.

Design for failure, assume retries, and keep blast radius small.

How to Display AWS Skills on Your Resume

11. Angular

Angular is a TypeScript-based framework for building rich, scalable web apps with opinions about structure, testing, and tooling baked in.

Why It's Important

It delivers consistency: a CLI-driven workflow, clear conventions, and robust patterns that scale with teams and codebases.

How to Improve Angular Skills

Embrace the modern Angular stack.

1. Foundations: Components, templates, dependency injection, modules (and when you don’t need them), standalone components.

2. TypeScript: Types, generics, utility types, strict mode. Lean on the compiler.

3. Reactive mindset: RxJS fundamentals, observables vs promises, and change detection.

4. Newer features: Signals, the modern control flow syntax, and server-side rendering with hydration.

5. CLI and build: Angular CLI, fast dev servers, and optimized production builds.

6. Routing and forms: Typed forms, route guards, resolvers, and lazy loading.

7. Testing: Component tests with TestBed, faster setups using modern runners.

8. Performance: OnPush change detection, trackBy, and code splitting.

Keep refactoring to shared, focused components. Your app will feel lighter.

How to Display Angular Skills on Your Resume

12. REST APIs

REST APIs define how systems talk using HTTP verbs, resource-oriented URLs, and predictable status codes. They usually exchange JSON, sometimes XML.

Why It's Important

APIs are glue. They let teams and services coordinate cleanly, scale independently, and evolve without breaking everything.

How to Improve REST APIs Skills

Design for clarity first, resilience second, speed third.

1. Resource-first design: Nouns over verbs, consistent paths, and meaningful status codes.

2. HTTP semantics: Safe and idempotent methods where appropriate; PATCH for partial updates; conditional requests.

3. Validation and errors: Strict input/output schemas and a consistent error shape (consider problem+json).

4. Pagination, filtering, sorting: Make large datasets manageable and predictable.

5. Versioning strategy: Plan ahead—URL, header, or media-type based. Communicate deprecations.

6. Security: HTTPS everywhere, OAuth2/OIDC where needed, JWTs with rotation, rate limits, and robust input sanitization.

7. Caching: ETags, Cache-Control, and sensible TTLs to cut latency and load.

8. Observability: Correlation IDs, structured logs, metrics, and tracing.

9. Documentation: OpenAPI specs, examples, and runnable snippets. Keep docs versioned with the code.

10. Testing: Contract tests, integration tests, and canaries in production.

Small, stable contracts beat sprawling, brittle endpoints. Keep it tidy.

How to Display REST APIs Skills on Your Resume