Your resume is your first filter. Most recruiters and hiring managers spend less than 30 seconds on the first pass. If they can’t quickly spot your front-end impact, you won’t even make it to the interview loop.
The goal is simple: make your achievements impossible to miss. Highlight the wins that show you can build, ship, and improve products — not just that you “worked on features.”
Core principles
- Impact over tasks: Don’t just say “Built a dashboard.” Say “Shipped a dashboard used by 5k users daily, cut support tickets by 20%.”
- Numbers stick: Metrics make your work credible. “Reduced LCP 6s → 3s” or “Improved bundle size by 35%” beats vague claims.
- Relevance first: Put front-end wins at the top — performance boosts, a11y fixes, design systems — before listing generic responsibilities.
- Scannable layout: Keep it to 1 page if you’re under 10 years of experience, 2 max otherwise. Use clear headings and bullets — no recruiter wants to dig through walls of text.
- Tailor to the role: Applying for a React job? Lead with React achievements. Same with Angular, Vue, or TypeScript — show you match their stack.
Good vs bad bullets
The difference between a resume that gets ignored and one that gets calls back often comes down to how you phrase your impact. Weak bullets talk about tasks. Strong bullets highlight results, numbers, and ownership.
| Weak (task-focused) | Stronger (impact-focused) |
|---|---|
| “Worked on front-end features.” | “Built a checkout flow adopted by 3 teams, increasing conversion by 12%.” |
| “Fixed bugs in React app.” | “Resolved async state bug that reduced error rate by 40% and stabilized release cycles.” |
| “Helped improve performance.” | “Cut bundle size by 35% using code-splitting and tree-shaking, improving LCP from 5.2s → 3.1s.” |
| “Maintained UI components.” | “Shipped a design system library now used across 4 products, eliminating 60% of duplicate CSS.” |
👉 When in doubt: ask yourself, “What changed because of my work?”. That’s the version you should write.
Structure that works
Recruiters skim your resume in 20–30 seconds. A clean, predictable structure makes it easy for them to find what matters. Here’s a format that consistently works for front-end engineers:
- Header: Keep it simple — Name, email, LinkedIn, GitHub/Portfolio. ⚠️ No full address or personal info needed.
- Summary: 2–3 lines max. It’s your elevator pitch. Example: “Senior Front-End Engineer (7y) with React/TypeScript expertise. Led design system adoption and performance optimizations that cut LCP by 40%.”
- Experience: The heart of your resume. Use 3–5 bullet points per job, each showing measurable impact. ✅ Action verb + what you built + measurable outcome. Example: “Shipped new search UI that improved conversion 9% and reduced bounce rate.”
- Skills: Group them logically instead of a laundry list. For example: - Frameworks: React, Angular, Vue - Languages: JavaScript (ES6+), TypeScript - Styling: CSS, Sass, Tailwind - Testing: Jest, Cypress
- Education & Extras: Keep short unless directly relevant. Bootcamps, open-source contributions, or talks can go here if they support your story.
👉 The goal: make your resume scannable, focused, and impact-driven. If someone only reads your headings + first bullet of each job, they should still “get” your strengths.
Checklist before sending
Before you hit “Apply,” run your resume through this quick checklist. It takes 5 minutes and can be the difference between getting ignored and getting the call:
- ✅ Zero typos, consistent tense. Read it out loud or run a spell-check — small errors suggest carelessness.
- ✅ Action verbs only. Every bullet starts with words like Shipped, Led, Designed, Improved, Reduced. Avoid “Responsible for” — it sounds passive.
- ✅ Show measurable impact. Each bullet should answer: What changed because of your work? Example: “Cut bundle size by 30%, improving LCP by 1.2s.”
- ✅ Match the job description. Mirror key terms like React, TypeScript, GraphQL, a11y, performance. Many resumes are skimmed by ATS — keywords help you clear the filter.
👉 If your resume passes this checklist, you’re already ahead of most candidates. Recruiters love clarity, measurable wins, and a document that feels tailored to their role.
Extra resources
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Collect a few strong front-end resumes (from friends, communities, or open templates) and study their phrasing and structure. Pay attention to how they highlight impact and numbers, not just tasks.
👉 Pro tip: Draft your bullets in a separate doc first. Once you’ve got 10–15, pick the best 5–6 that clearly show front-end impact. This keeps your resume lean and focused.
Remember: your resume isn’t the finish line — it’s the ticket to get in the race. The goal is simple: pass the 30-second skim test. If a recruiter or hiring manager can instantly see your front-end impact, you’ll get the call.
Once you’re in the room, the resume fades into the background. What carries you forward is how you code, explain, and collaborate. So keep your resume sharp, then shift your energy into interview prep.