How to Put Bootcamp on a Resume

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5 min read. Updated on July 13, 2020

Ronda Suder

Career Expert

Here’s how to put bootcamp on a resume for the best results.

You know they want a job in IT from the start or you may choose to transition into a tech career after pursuing alternative career paths. Regardless, many enter into the tech field through coder jobs. One way to improve your chances of landing a job is by attending bootcamps. However, attending bootcamp isn’t enough – you also need to know how to put bootcamp on a resume to stand out as a viable candidate for the job.

Tips for putting bootcamp on a resume

Not only do you need to know how to put bootcamp on a resume, it’s critical that you create a resume that grabs the attention of hiring teams, especially if you’re just starting out or changing careers to pursue a tech job.

Here are some general tips for how to put bootcamp on your resume:

Include the name of the bootcamp training program, the hosting company, and the dates you attended (if you attended within the past two years).
Emphasize the key skills you acquired during the training.
Include a link to your online profile with examples of your work on your resume. You may choose to include your GitHub profile.
Be selective about the projects you choose to include from bootcamp. Only include 1 to 2, with one being a Capstone project if you have it.
If you lack relevant work experience, list bootcamp as high up on your resume as possible.

Where to put bootcamp on your resume

You have a few options to choose from in terms of where to put bootcamp on your resume, including:

Resume Summary
Education
Special Projects
Core Competencies

How to put bootcamp on a resume: the Resume Summary section

Your resume summary sits just below your contact information and resume heading or title. It’s the perfect place to put bootcamp on your resume so it’s front and center for the hiring team to see. Here’s an example of a resume summary for someone seeking a cybersecurity coding role:

Cybersecurity-Focused Software Developer

Security-focused developer with CompTIA Security and hands-on training through intensive cybersecurity bootcamp specializing in secure coding, automation, and vulnerability remediation. Proficient in Python and JavaScript for automating threat detection, scripting security tools, and writing secure application code. Experienced with tools like Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, Git, and static code analysis platforms. Driven to build resilient systems and embed security into the development lifecycle.

How to put bootcamp on a resume: the Education section

One of the most common approaches for how to put bootcamp on a resume is to include it in your Education section. If the program you attended was an extended program – six months or more – then you can list it similarly to how you list your other schooling in reverse chronological order. For example:

EDUCATION

Software Development Program Immersive | Talent Inc Academy | Dec. 2023

Immersive program focused on full stack application development Bachelor of Science, Engineering | ABC University | Feb. 2022

If your program was a shorter program, then you can include it under a subsection of your Education section titled something like “Professional Development,” “Additional Training,” or “Certifications:”

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Data Science | Public University | Anywhere, WV

Additional Training

Full Stack Software Development Program, TalentInc Academy, 2023
IBM Fullstack Software Developer Certification, 2022

How to put bootcamp on a resume: the Special Projects section

It’s good to include a Special Projects section on your resume to highlight the projects you worked on as part of your bootcamp program. Therefore, you’ll want to include the training program in your Education section while also including a Special Projects section to expand on what you completed during the training.

Choose one to two projects to include.
Avoid going overboard by sharing all of the projects you completed.
Select those that are most relevant or significant, including a Capstone project if you have one.
Include 2 to 3 bullet points about your accomplishments for each project.

Here’s an example:

SPECIAL PROJECTS

TalentInc Academy | Developer SmartTask – UX Redesign of a Productivity App

Redesigned task management app with user-centered approach to improve usability, accessibility, and mobile responsiveness
Conducted user research, created personas, mapped user flows, and developed high-fidelity prototypes in Figma
Iteratively tested and refined designs based on user feedback, resulting in a 40% improvement in task completion efficiency during usability testing

How to put bootcamp on a resume: the Core Competencies section

Your Core Competencies section sits near the top of your resume, just below your resume summary. Though you won’t actually list the bootcamp program in the Core Competencies section of your resume, you should highlight 9 to 12 key skills you gained by attending. Select those most relevant to the job you’re applying to.

This is an example of a Core Competencies section you might see of someone pursuing a Data Science position after attending a Data Science bootcamp:

CORE COMPETENCIES

Additional tips to land a coding job

Not only do you need to write a resume that will get past an ATS, but you have to be able to use your experience and education to get ready for the subsequent interview.

Beat the resume bots

Being web-savvy and all, you might have heard of resume bots — more technically known as applicant tracking systems (ATS). This is a type of software recruiters and employers use to sort, scan, and rank job applications based on specific algorithms meant to toss aside those candidates who don't make the cut.

Here are the basic parameters you should follow to make sure your resume passes through the ATS:

Keep it simple: Avoid intricate templates, headers and footers, and graphics and charts. The bots often have a difficult time “translating” these, so it's best to stick to text.
Optimize your resume with keywords: The ATS can be programmed to look for specific keywords – the hard and soft skills required for the job. Refer to the job description to identify these types of keywords and include the ones relevant to you throughout the various sections of your resume.
Save your programming resume as a .doc or .docx: Avoid uploading a PDF since they may not be compatible with some software programs unless it says explicitly that PDFs are acceptable.

Get familiar with whiteboard coding interviews

As you beef up your programmer resume template and LinkedIn profile and start applying for jobs, it's important to start preparing for the interview.

IT job interviews can look a little different than a traditional interview. Because this is such a technical job, the employer will want you to see evidence of your skills, so you could be asked to solve what's called “whiteboard coding problems.” This is where you'll be asked to physically solve a coding problem on a whiteboard or piece of paper.

There are a ton of resources online to help you better understand whiteboard coding interviews. For instance, the CEO and co-founder of Fullstack Academy put together a six-step process to help.

By taking the time to prepare for these types of interviews in advance, you'll feel less anxious on the big day.

Close the deal with your bootcamp skills

Adding bootcamp to your resume can help you stand out from your peers and land an interview. Make sure you align what you choose to include about bootcamp with the job description requirements while using the guidelines above. Emphasize your projects and technical skills front and center throughout your resume, including in the Resume Summary, Education, and Special Projects sections, at a minimum. Good luck!

Not sure if your bootcamp resume format has “cracked the code?” Get a free resume review to see if your resume will beat the resume bots.

This article was originally written by Carson Kholer. It has been updated by Ronda Suder.