It is daunting to start on a fresh slate, so I recommend you start by making a laundry list of bullet points under each section, then optimizing it accordingly. This prevents excessive attention placed on premature optimization.
To maximize efficiency in applying for several job types, create and keep a "Master resume" updated which will basically contain an exhaustive list of all points under every section of your resume. When applying for each job, you can make a copy of the Master document and eliminate or optimize points as necessary.
The professional summary, if written well, will be the most effective and important part of your resume. From my experience as an interviewer, I generally may not have the time to read into the detail of resumes - hence summaries which directly address why a candidate is a good fit for the job greatly improves their chances of capturing my attention.
**Start with a resume headline**
Always start with a concise, one line description of yourself
- Fewer than 10 words
- Summarizes your experience relevant to the job description
Examples:
- Software Engineer at Company X with strong fundamentals in front-end technologies
**Summarize your best selling points**
Below the resume headline, include a summary of yourself which expands on your resume headline.
- 4 or fewer points, in bullet or paragraph form
- Include most important skills and experiences relevant to the job applied, quantifying them where possible
- Keep in mind to answer the question of "Why am I a good fit for this job?" - while writing the summary
Most software engineering jobs will require at least an undergraduate degree. However, unless you are a recent graduate or do not have much work experience, it should not be prioritized above your work experience.
Use the following format, eliminating information where it is not relevant:
> [Degree Name], [Year of Graduation - write expected graduation date if not graduated]<br/>[University Name], [Location]<br/>GPA: X.XX / 4.0 (List GPA if more than 3.50/4.00, or more than 4.3 under a 5-point system)<br/>List key achievements, including leadership positions, skills, societies, projects, awards, etc.
> BSc in Computing, Computer Science, Graduation Year 2015<br/> National University of Singapore, Singapore <br/>GPA: 3.82 / 4.00 (Magna cum laude)<br/>Dean's List, Valedictorian<br/>President of hacker society
Include at least 2 projects you have contributed to, outlining your key contributions. Always try to link your project name to GitHub or somewhere the hiring manager can view your project.
> [facebook/docusaurus](https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus) <br/>Maintainer and lead engineer for Docusaurus v2, a static site generator which powers the documentation of many of Meta’s Open Source Projects - React Native, Jest, Relay, Reason, etc. Used by 7.6k > projects on GitHub.
