What employers ask for in Software Engineer jobs

We read 18 current Software Engineer postings from 18 companies' own career sites on November 4, 2026 and counted, posting by posting, what they ask candidates for.

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18postings read

18companies

3 yrsmedian minimum experience (11 postings state one)

39%say remote (11% hybrid)

Tools and technologies

Share of postings that name each one.

Python39% · 7 of 18
C++33% · 6 of 18
Java28% · 5 of 18
JavaScript28% · 5 of 18
React28% · 5 of 18
Git22% · 4 of 18
TypeScript22% · 4 of 18
AWS17% · 3 of 18
Docker17% · 3 of 18
Go17% · 3 of 18
Kubernetes17% · 3 of 18
Linux17% · 3 of 18
Node.js17% · 3 of 18
SQL17% · 3 of 18
C#11% · 2 of 18

Skills and methods

CI/CD39% · 7 of 18
Distributed systems22% · 4 of 18
Agile17% · 3 of 18
Configuration management11% · 2 of 18
Infrastructure as code11% · 2 of 18
REST APIs11% · 2 of 18
Relational databases11% · 2 of 18

Soft skills

Communication39% · 7 of 18
Attention to detail11% · 2 of 18

Experience

11 of 18 postings state a minimum number of years; the median is 3 years.

0–2 years36% · 4
3–4 years27% · 3
5–7 years36% · 4
8+ years0% · 0

Where and with what degree

Remote39%
Hybrid11%
On-site17%
Not stated33%
Degree required50%
Degree preferred6%

Using this on your resume

Applicant tracking systems match words. If you have the tools above, name them the way the posting does ("Python", not a synonym).
Every posting is different: check the one you apply to, not just the average. The free match shows what a specific posting asks for that your resume doesn't mention.
Only claim what you've done. ApplyLoop's AI rewrite works from your own resume, and a review pass checks the result for skills your resume doesn't support.

Postings we read

Read on November 4, 2026; some may have closed since.

Company	Role
Blencorp	BLEN – Senior Software Developer I – Full Stack
Botpress	Software Developer
C3iot	Senior Software Engineer – Platform – C3 AI
Clover Health	Senior Software Developer
DRW	Software Developer
Early Career (Fall 2026) \| ASM	Software Engineer – Early Career (Fall 2026) – ASM
FanDuel	Software Engineer
Headlands Technologies LLC	C++ Software Developer – New Grad
ModelBuilder, ArcGIS Pro Job \| Esri Career Opportunity	C++ Software Developer II – ModelBuilder, ArcGIS Pro Job – Esri Career Opportunity
Neurohire Dot A I	Software Developer
Oklo	Software Engineer
OneSpan	Senior Fullstack Software Developer
Optiverus	Production Software Engineer – Senior/Staff/Principal
Quantiq	Software Developer
Resourcemanagementconcepts	Software Developer
Upstart	Software Engineer II, Delivery -
Warp	Software Engineer
ZipRecruiter	Software Engineer – New Grad

How we counted

We searched company career sites hosted on Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workable and SmartRecruiters for current postings titled “software engineer”, “software developer”, at most two per company, and read each one. An AI model listed what each posting asks for; we kept an item only when the posting contains it word for word, and list it here when at least two postings ask for it. Seniority levels are mixed. Updated November 4, 2026.