Junior Backend Engineer Resume Example
Backend engineers reach junior level when they show production feature ownership measured by reliability metrics, not assisted task execution.
This resume is for junior backend engineers who have moved beyond academic projects to owning production features and microservices, but aren't yet designing entire system architectures.
- Proficiency in core backend languages and relational database management
- Evidence of owning and delivering specific features within a production environment
- Demonstrated understanding of performance optimization and system reliability
- Contact header followed by a categorized technical skills block
- Professional experience section emphasizing specific contributions and outcomes
- Technical projects section highlighting independent architectural decisions
Diego Mendoza
Summary
Experience
- Engineered 4 internal microservices using Node.js and TypeScript, improving data synchronization speed between client and server by 22%.
- Optimized PostgreSQL query performance by implementing strategic indexing and query refactoring, reducing p95 API latency from 180ms to 135ms.
- Architected a background job processing system using Redis to handle asynchronous task execution for 45,000 monthly active users.
- Refined the error logging pipeline by integrating structured logging and custom middleware, decreasing the average time to resolve production incidents by 15%.
Education
Skills
Python · SQL · Git · REST APIs · Node.js · TypeScript · PostgreSQL · Redis · Docker · AWS · GraphQL · CI/CD · FastAPI
Projects
Distributed Rate Limiter
Built a sliding-window rate limiting service to protect API endpoints from burst traffic, supporting up to 5,000 requests per second across distributed nodes.
Go, Redis, Docker, gRPC
Real-time Analytics Engine
Developed a backend system for processing streaming event data and generating real-time usage metrics for a mock SaaS platform, handling 10k events per minute.
Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Kafka
What makes this resume effective
- This resume meets the hiring bar for a junior backend engineer by demonstrating feature ownership, database optimization skills, and a solid grasp of modern infrastructure.
- Notice how Diego Mendoza highlights a 22% improvement in data synchronization at Linear, which signals an ability to translate technical tasks into measurable performance gains.
- The specific mention of reducing p95 API latency from 180ms to 135ms through PostgreSQL indexing proves technical depth beyond simple CRUD operations.
How to write better bullet points
Helped the team with database queries and fixed some bugs.
Optimized PostgreSQL query performance by implementing strategic indexing, reducing p95 API latency from 180ms to 135ms.
It replaces vague assistance with a specific technical action and a measurable performance outcome.
Built microservices using Node.js for the company app.
Engineered 4 internal microservices using Node.js and TypeScript, improving data synchronization speed by 22%.
It quantifies the output and defines the specific business value created by the new services.
Used Redis for task processing.
Architected a background job processing system using Redis to handle asynchronous task execution for 45,000 monthly active users.
It shows the scale of the system and the specific architectural role the technology played.
Junior Backend Engineer resume writing tips
- Highlight a specific feature you owned from development to deployment to prove reliability.
- Mention specific database or API optimizations you performed to show technical proficiency.
- Include metrics like latency or throughput to demonstrate your focus on system performance.
Common mistakes
- Listing too many languages without demonstrating depth; it is better to show mastery of one stack like Node.js or Python.
- Focusing only on 'assisted' or 'helped' tasks; junior roles require showing you can own a ticket or feature independently.
- Omitting the impact of bug fixes; resolving production incidents is a key signal of technical maturity at this level.
Frequently asked questions
Is this resume right for someone with only internship experience? Yes if you shipped production code or owned tools; no if experience is limited to academic exercises without real-world deployment.
Yes if you shipped production code or owned tools; no if experience is limited to academic exercises without real-world deployment.
Yes, if your internships involved shipping code to production environments or owning internal tools. No, if your experience is limited to purely academic exercises without real-world deployment or version control.
What if I use a different stack like Go or Java instead of Node.js? Yes, because the structure focuses on performance metrics and ownership rather than specific syntax or language features.
Yes, because the structure focuses on performance metrics and ownership rather than specific syntax or language features.
The structure remains effective regardless of the specific language. Simply swap Diego’s Node.js and TypeScript focus for your primary backend languages while keeping the focus on performance metrics and optimization.
What if I don't have exact latency numbers for my work? Use relative improvements or scale indicators like user count to show the 'before and after' impact on the system.
Use relative improvements or scale indicators like user count to show the 'before and after' impact on the system.
In this resume, Diego uses specific p95 metrics, but you can use relative improvements or scale indicators like the number of users handled. Focus on describing the 'before and after' state of the system you improved.
How much should I change before applying? Keep the action-verb-to-metric structure and skill categories while tailoring tools to match the specific job description.
Keep the action-verb-to-metric structure and skill categories while tailoring tools to match the specific job description.
Keep the categorized skills layout and the bullet structure that leads with an action verb and ends with a metric. Tailor the specific technologies and infrastructure tools to match the job description's requirements.
What do hiring managers focus on at this level? Managers prioritize clean, testable code and system awareness, evidenced by mentions of structured logging, CI/CD, and database optimizations.
Managers prioritize clean, testable code and system awareness, evidenced by mentions of structured logging, CI/CD, and database optimizations.
They look for evidence that you can write clean, testable code and understand how your work fits into the broader system. Diego signals this by mentioning structured logging, CI/CD, and specific database optimizations.
Related resume examples
Get a Junior Backend Engineer resume recruiters expect
Use this example as a base and tailor it to your job description in seconds.
Generate my resume