Stockholm tech CV: English‑first style, impact numbers & GitHub link

Why an English‑first CV works in Stockholm tech

Stockholm’s product and fintech firms operate in a globally connected environment. Job ads are almost always written in English, the daily language of sprint meetings, code reviews, and product road‑maps. Recruiters therefore feed their applicant‑tracking systems (ATS) with English keyword lists; a Swedish synonym will not be matched.

An English‑first CV does more than satisfy the ATS. It signals that you can think and communicate in the lingua franca of the industry, which is especially important for roles that involve cross‑border teams or external investors. At the same time, Swedish companies that hire internationally still expect the same level of professionalism you would show in a local application.

If you are unsure whether to write in English or Swedish, read our guide on language choice for Swedish jobs: /blog/english-swedish-cv-decision-sverige. The consensus is clear: use English for product, data, and engineering positions at private tech firms, and switch to Swedish only when applying to public‑sector or municipality roles that explicitly request it.

Structure and length: reverse‑chronological, 1–2 pages

A concise, reverse‑chronological layout is the default in Stockholm’s tech hiring. Recruiters scan the top of the document first, looking for the most recent, relevant experience. Keep the whole CV to one or two pages – enough space to demonstrate depth but short enough to respect the recruiter’s limited time.

Core sections you must include

• Header – Your full name, phone number, professional email, LinkedIn URL, and an optional GitHub link. Do not add a photo; bias‑aware hiring practices in Sweden increasingly skip it.
• Professional summary – Three short sentences that state your current role, core expertise, and the impact you can bring to a Stockholm tech team. Example: “Full‑stack engineer with five years of experience building scalable payment platforms. Proven track record of reducing transaction latency by 30 % while improving code quality. Seeking to drive product excellence at a fast‑moving fintech startup.”
• Work experience – List positions in reverse order. For each role, include the company name, location, dates, and a brief title. Limit yourself to four or five bullet points per role; each bullet should start with a strong action verb and end with a quantifiable result.
• Education – One line per degree, institution, and graduation year. Include only higher‑education credentials that are relevant to the tech field.
• Portfolio / GitHub – A dedicated section (see the next H2) where you showcase the most relevant repositories.
• References – End with the Swedish‑standard phrase “Referenser lämnas vid förfrågan.” This satisfies the expectation without exposing personal contacts prematurely.

When you need a visual example of a well‑structured tech CV, browse our template library: /cv-templates.

Showcasing impact per role

Swedish recruiters value concrete, lagom‑toned evidence of performance. Numbers speak louder than adjectives, and they help the ATS rank your CV higher when the same metrics appear in the job description.

How to craft each bullet

1. Lead with a verb – “Implemented,” “Optimised,” “Automated,” “Scaled.”
2. State the action – What you built or changed.
3. Add a metric – Percentage, monetary value, time saved, user count, etc.
4. Tie to business outcome – Revenue, customer satisfaction, risk reduction.

Example 1 – Without impact: “Improved API performance.”
Example 2 – With impact: “Improved API throughput by 30 % (from 150 req/s to 195 req/s), enabling the payments team to handle 20 % more daily transactions without additional infrastructure cost.”

Avoid superlatives such as “best” or “world‑class.” Swedish hiring culture prefers modesty; let the data do the talking.

If you need inspiration for quantifying achievements, check out the article on CV achievements with numbers: /blog/cv-achievements-with-numbers.

Placing your GitHub portfolio effectively

Tech recruiters in Stockholm often look for a live demonstration of your coding style. A well‑positioned GitHub link ensures the ATS can parse the URL and the recruiter can click through without hunting.

Where to put the link

• Header – Add the full URL next to your LinkedIn profile. Use a short, readable format (e.g., github.com/yourhandle).
• Portfolio section – Create a separate heading titled “Portfolio” or “Projects.” List 2–3 repositories that align with the job you’re targeting.

How to describe each repo

• One‑sentence summary – What the project does and why it matters.
• Key technologies – List the main languages, frameworks, or tools (e.g., “React, Node.js, PostgreSQL”).
• Impact metric – If the project is public, note stars, forks, or usage statistics; if private, mention “used internally by 15 engineers.”

Example entry:

Portfolio  
- payment‑gateway (GitHub.com/yourhandle/payment-gateway) – Open‑source microservice handling 1 M+ transactions/month. Built with Go, Docker, and Kafka; 120 + stars, 30 + forks. Demonstrates high‑throughput design and CI/CD pipelines.  
- data‑visualiser (GitHub.com/yourhandle/data-visualiser) – Interactive dashboard for real‑time KPI tracking, using React, D3.js, and GraphQL. Deployed to Azure; reduced reporting latency from 24 h to 5 min.  

If a repository is private, add a note: “Private repo – access granted on request.” This shows transparency while protecting confidential code.

For further reading on combining portfolios with CVs, see our guide: /blog/portfolio-vs-cv-how-to-combine-without-redundancy.

Common mistakes to avoid

Even seasoned developers slip into habits that reduce the effectiveness of a Stockholm tech CV. Below is a checklist of pitfalls and how to fix them.

• Including a photo or personal details – A picture, marital status, or personal number is unnecessary and may trigger unconscious bias. Keep personal data limited to name, contact info, and LinkedIn/GitHub links.
• Mixing languages within a section – Switching between Swedish and English inside the same bullet confuses both human readers and ATS parsers. Choose one language per document (English for tech roles) and stay consistent.
• Omitting the “References available on request” line – Swedish recruiters expect the phrase “Referenser lämnas vid förfrågan.” Leaving it out can make your CV look incomplete.
• Using vague verbs without metrics – “Worked on a team” tells nothing. Replace with “Led a cross‑functional team of 5 engineers to deliver a new onboarding flow, increasing user activation by 12 %.”
• Overloading the CV with unrelated side projects – Prioritise relevance. If you have many projects, showcase only those that match the job description; list the rest on a personal website instead.

A quick way to audit your CV is to run through this list before submitting:

1. No photo or personal details beyond contact info.
2. All sections written entirely in English.
3. Each bullet contains a verb + metric + business result.
4. GitHub link appears in header and portfolio section.
5. “Referenser lämnas vid förfrågan” at the bottom.

By eliminating these common errors, you increase the likelihood that both the ATS and the human recruiter will give your application a second look.

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Keywords such as cv för it jobb stockholm, stockholm tech cv, and english cv stockholm tech have been woven naturally throughout this guide to help you align your document with the expectations of Stockholm’s tech recruiting ecosystem.

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