How to screen Software Engineer resumes
Engineering roles regularly pull 200+ applications, with resumes increasingly padded by LLM-generated skill sections and project descriptions that sound plausible but lack real depth. Reading the pile to find candidates who actually shipped the systems they claim is slow work.
What to look for in a Software Engineer resume
- Specific languages, frameworks, and systems they actually shipped, not just a keyword list
- Concrete projects with their role, scope, and the outcome or impact
- Evidence of ownership: debugging hard problems, production reliability, code review
- Links to real work (GitHub, portfolio) that back up the claims
Red flags
- !Buzzword stacks with no project that proves the skill
- !Vague responsibilities (developed features) with no system, scale, or result
- !Tech listed that never appears in any described project
Criteria to set for a Software Engineer
Example criteria you can set and weight in SiftFirst, each scored 0 to 10 with a quote from the resume as evidence:
- Proficiency in required tech stack
- Evidence of shipping production systems
- Problem-solving and debugging depth
- Code quality and collaboration signals
Screen your whole Software Engineer pile in minutes
SiftFirst ranks every applicant against criteria you set, with a quote from each resume behind every score. You set the criteria; you decide every hire. Free to try, no signup.
Try a free screening →Software Engineer screening FAQ
How do I screen for real coding skill vs. resume keywords?
Look for projects with scope, scale, and outcomes, not just lists of languages. SiftFirst lets you set criteria like 'shipped production features' and surfaces quoted evidence from each resume, so you can separate builders from keyword collectors before the technical screen.
Should I weight open-source contributions heavily?
Only if the role needs that kind of collaboration or your stack overlaps with their contributions. Set the weight to match what matters for your team, SiftFirst will score and rank accordingly.
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