← All resourcesWhat recruiters look for first
A frontend engineer resume gets ranked in seconds. These are the five signals a recruiter (and an LLM-ranked ATS) checks before deciding whether to keep reading.
- React or framework expertise on the top line — recruiters filter by this first
- At least one performance metric (LCP, INP, CLS, bundle size, TTI)
- A link to a deployed product or design-system page that actually loads
- Accessibility work named explicitly if you have any (WCAG, screen-reader testing)
- A visible split between IC work and any technical leadership / design-system stewardship
Bullet patterns that work
Every strong frontend engineer bullet follows the same shape: action verb → what you built → who it was for → a number that proves the impact. Use these patterns as a scaffold, not a script.
Pattern
Shipped [feature] used by [N users], improving [metric] from [before] to [after]Example
Shipped a redesigned checkout used by 1.2M monthly users, lifting completion rate from 71% to 84%
Pattern
Reduced [perf metric] by [N] through [technique]Example
Reduced LCP on the marketing site from 3.4s to 1.1s through route-level code splitting and image preloading
Pattern
Led [system / design system / migration] for [team scope]Example
Led the migration of 60+ legacy class components to React Server Components, retiring 11k lines of dead code
Skills section — what to keep
Recruiters skim skills sections for the keywords the JD mentioned by name. Lead with the hard skills, group your tools, and keep soft skills short.
Hard skills
- Component architecture
- State management
- Web performance
- Accessibility (a11y)
- Design-system maintenance
- Cross-browser testing
Tools
- React
- Next.js
- TypeScript
- Tailwind
- Vite
- Storybook
- Playwright
- Vitest
- Figma
Soft skills
- Designer collaboration
- PM partnership
- Code review for junior engineers
Pitfalls that get frontend engineers filtered
- Listing every CSS framework you've touched without naming the one you actually shipped at scale
- Skipping perf numbers — frontend roles are scored on Core Web Vitals more than any other axis
- Linking a portfolio site that's broken on mobile (recruiters open it on phones)
- Calling yourself "full stack" if you've only touched APIs once or twice — say frontend
Frequently asked
How important is a portfolio for a frontend role?
Important. A working portfolio is a stronger signal than a list of bullets. If you don't have one, link a deployed product or a CodeSandbox of a non-trivial pattern.
Should I list my Lighthouse scores?
List the metric and the delta ("LCP from 3.4s → 1.1s"), not the score. Scores are gameable; the underlying numbers are what teams care about.
Do I need design experience as a frontend engineer?
Not as a designer, but recruiters value engineers who can talk to designers in their language. Naming "Figma" or "design-system stewardship" is a quiet credibility signal.
Build this resume in HireDrive.
The free resume builder uses these patterns as defaults. The free resume checker tells you which lines a frontend engineer recruiter would skim past. No account needed for either.