AI is changing the way organisations build and run their software, and that shift is putting DevOps engineering at the centre of how teams work today.
As businesses modernise their systems, they need engineers who can support continuous improvement at scale.
Yet, 32 per cent of businesses cite a lack of specialist skills as a major barrier to their tech hiring, including the cloud engineers and DevOps specialists needed to support automation testing services and modern software development.
So, what exactly are employers looking for in a modern DevOps engineer, and what skills should you put on your CV to get noticed?
Top skills
When reviewing CVs for DevOp roles, hiring managers are looking for the core basics that prove you can support cloud environments and make delivery smoother.
A CV should include at least some of the below skills:
- Cloud Computing
- AWS / Azure
- CI/CD Pipelines
- Docker
- Kubernetes (basic exposure counts)
- Infrastructure Awareness
- Environment Configuration
- Linux Fundamentals
Try to include some of these on either in a skills section or through previous experience for the best chances of being shortlisted in a screening process.
Testing and quality engineering skills
Testing is a core part of DevOps, and hiring managers want to see that you understand how quality fits into the delivery pipeline. The most sought-after include:
- Unit Testing
- Integration Testing
- Test‑Driven Development (TDD)
- Automated Testing
- Quality Assurance
- Secure Coding
- Documentation
How to stand out to employers
When it comes to making your CV really stand out, it’s not just about listing all the technical skills you have. What really catches an employer’s eye is seeing the impact you’ve made with those skills. They want to know how you’ve used them to make a real difference.
If you’ve helped teams work more efficiently through better monitoring, clearer reporting or smarter use of automation, demonstrate that with examples. They’re also interested if you’ve experimented with using AI to optimise timelines or support incident response because it shows you’re comfortable working with emerging tools.
Advice for an entry-level DevOps engineer
Demand for DevOps remains strong as organisations look to find DevOps engineers.
Signs of problem-solving and the ability to learn quickly, are both qualities that matter just as much as the technical knowledge. You can show these through portfolio projects, coursework, volunteering or internships.
These examples help employers see how you approach work, manage your time and work with others, even if you haven’t held a formal DevOps title yet. By showing what you’ve done on small projects or contributed to group work will also significantly improve your chances of your CV standing out.
