Database Developer Resume Sample & 20+ Tips

Create Your Resume Now

Tom Gerencer, CPRW

Career Expert

Updated: December 20, 2024

Reviewed by:

Roma Kończak, CPRW

Article Helpfulness:

4.43

Our customers have been hired by:

Data makes the world go ‘round. Being a database developer means mastering the art of data manipulation. Now let's apply that same finesse to your job search!

We're here to help you compose a database developer resume that's as captivating as your most intricate queries, ensuring you make a lasting impression on hiring managers and land that dream role.

This guide will show you:

A database developer resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
How to write a database developer resume that will land you more interviews.
Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a database developer resume.
How to describe your experience on a resume for a database developer to get any job you want.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Create your resume now

Use this resume template

Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.

One of our users, Pam, had this to say:

Zety is well worth the money! All you do is input your info and Zety turns it into a professional resume that appears like you took hours to make.

Looking for other data-related jobs? See our guides:

Database Developer Resume Sample

Bob Markkula, Database Developer

bob.q.markkula@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/bobqmarkkula

214-927-0369

Professional Summary

Adept database developer with 6+ years of experience. Skilled in SQL and Visual Basic. Seeking to raise database efficiency at American Airlines. At Modace Technologies, worked with team of 5 ETL developers on 30+ projects. Exceeded delivery time targets by 20%.

Work Experience

Database Developer

Modace Technologies

May 2014–May 2019

Collaborated as integral part of team of 5 ETL developers.
Led completion of 30+ ETL projects to client specs. Met or exceeded client requirements 100% of the time.
Completed all individual projects and sprints 20% faster than assigned targets.
Told by supervisor, “You’re the most efficient and accurate ETL developer we’ve ever had.”

Database Developer

Preston Pay

March 2013–April 2014

Managed 50+ SQL Server databases (SSRS/SSIS) instances over 35 product lifecycle environments.
Applied data modeling techniques to exceed development performance targets by an average of 15%.

Education

2009–2013 Southern Methodist University

Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science

Excelled in database architecture coursework.
Completed a senior project to create a member database for a 50,000-member charitable organization.

Skills

Technical Skills: ETL, SQL, .NET, designing database structures, SSRS
Soft Skills: Teamwork, interpersonal skills, communication, efficiency

Activities

Redesigned ETL database architecture for Texas Chapter of national charitable organization.
Do regular CrossFit as self-care.

Here’s how to write a database developer resume that gets jobs:

1. Select the Best Database Developer Resume Format

Database developers design and implement the computer databases that form the back-end data storage and retrieval for our digital world. Their challenge is to make storage and retrieval more efficient and secure. A database developer resume must show skills in SQL and scripting.

A poorly-structured resume for database developer jobs will get you DELETEd.

That’s why you need a clean layout for your resume.

The most respected of the resume formats is the reverse-chronological resume. Employers like it because it lets them focus on your recent work.

Build the sections of your resume in this order: 1) header, 2) summary, 3) experience, 4) education, 5) skills, 6) “other” (see below).
The most effective resume header examples don’t include an address in a resume. They list a name, then job title and contact info like email, phone, and LinkedIn.
Use the best resume fonts like Helvetica, Dido, and Arial in 12-point (or 10-point if you really need to cram). But allow some white space, too.

Pro Tip: What is the best resume file format? PDF resume files work great because they keep the structure no matter where it ends up. MS Word doesn’t always do that.

2. CREATE a Database Developer Resume Objective or Resume Summary

You need to make a connection fast.

If you don’t, they’ll move on to other database developer resumes.

So—

Write a little elevator speech that tells why they should hire you.

It’s called a career objective or career summary.

Select:

An adjective (adept, accurate)
Title (Database Developer)
Years of experience (6+, 9+)
Goal (raise database efficiency)
Evidence of skills + figures (30+ ETL projects)

Haven’t done a lot of projects yet? A first resume for database developer jobs can look good too, with a career objective.

Career objectives aren’t so different from summaries, but they show evidence of skills from other jobs.

Example: You worked as a network administrator and built 5 databases.

Pro Tip: The right resume length can make the difference. Less or more than one page looks lazy and unfocused—unless you’ve got so many database achievements you can’t fit ‘em all.

3. Join Your Resume to the Database Developer Job Description

They’ll notice you.

If you show the right work experience description on your resume, the right way.

It’s all about targeting your resume for database developer jobs.

Use business job titles that match the position. If they want an “ETL Database Developer” and that’s you, don’t leave “ETL” out of your title.
Include professional accomplishments that show you had the skills. “Efficient” looks nice in a database developer resume. “Exceeded time targets by 20%” looks better.
That “20%” is important. Numbers paint the picture of your skills.

Pro Tip: Use resume synonyms like collaborated, led, completed, managed, and applied. They tell the hiring team how well you did at your job—not just that you “handled” it.

4. Adapt Your Database Developer Resume Education Section

Let’s MAX() you out.

Even if you can’t show summa cum laude on your resume, your education section can still wow them.

Do it with achievements like, “excelled in database architecture coursework” or, “completed a school project to create a database for a local charity.”

Those school “wins” prove your database skills.

Pro Tip: If you just graduated from Computer Science school, feel free to take up more real estate with your resume education section.

5. List Database Developer Skills in Your Resume

Select from these skills for your resume for database developer jobs:

Database Developer Resume Skills

Begin with this IT skills list:

SQL, Oracle, Java, C++, C#, PHP, MySQL
.NET
ETL
NoSQL (CouchDB, MongoDB)
Designing database structures and tables
Optimizing SQL queries to integrate with applications
Developing functions, views, and stored procedures
Creating database automation
Database security and integrity
Programming
SSRS, SAP Crystal Reports
Hadoop, Spark

Remember to put hard skills examples in your education and experience sections.

Then add soft skills:

Making a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide, use ready-made content tailored to your job and have a resume ready in minutes.

Create my resume now

When you’re done, our online resume builder will score your resume and our ATS resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add “Other” Sections to Your Database Developer Resume

Don’t be one-dimensional.

Add meat to your experienced or entry-level database developer resume with “bonus” sections.

These options work:

Activities
Associations like the IEEE Computer Society
Classes
Computer science projects
School projects
Certifications
Freelance jobs
Compliments from management or mentors
Personal interests
Honors or awards you’ve won
Fitness

You can also show foreign languages on a resume if they’re needed for the job.

Pro Tip: Confused about how to put volunteer work on a resume? Feature it high up if it was a full-time database volunteer position, or if it showed data skills the job requires.

7. Send a Cover Letter With Your Database Developer Resume

Do you need a cover letter with a database developer resume?

Yes.

But it can’t be AVG().

Here’s how to write a cover letter they’ll notice:

Stick to the best cover letter format—the 3-paragraph layout.
Write a good cover letter opening. How? With the best fact from your resume. Example: “When I exceeded delivery time targets by 20% in every quarter...”
Use the middle of your database developer cover letter to show a few ways you fit their needs.
When ending a cover letter, offer something. Example, “Can we chat so I can explain how I’d exceed client requirements at American Airlines?”

How long can a cover letter be? Three paragraphs, half a page, or 300 words.

Wondering how to follow up on a job application? Give it a few days, then nudge with a short email. Repeat that once per week.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

Create my cover letter now

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

That’s it!

That’s how to write a database developer resume.

What’s the greatest weakness of your resume for database developer jobs? What’s your best achievement? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!

About Zety’s Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.