How to become a software engineer at Goldman Sachs in 2025

Getting a role as a software engineer in a bank like Goldman Sachs won't be easy, and requires more than just proficiency in a coding language. On a panel at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2024, Goldman Sachs MD and head of APAC talent acquisition Claire Beardsworth revealed what sets engineering candidates apart for the bank. 

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Beardsworth said that "it's not just about a technical skillset" at Goldman Sachs; the bank is looking for "all-rounders." Above all, this means having great communication skills. She says you have to be "eloquent in the way you talk about what you build," as many stakeholders in these systems may not have great understanding of the low-level technical details.

Communication is a common thread among all Goldman Sachs employees, not just technologists. Citadel CEO Ken Griffin previously said that Goldman Sachs people are "more poised and articulate, and better able to express concepts" than their peers.

The importance of communication becomes even more important when you're a senior engineer at Goldman, but it doesn't replace expectations of technical proficiency. Beardsworth says "one of the areas [Goldman] really struggles to recruit for" is tech roles requiring leadership skills, because "a lot of people tend to become less removed from being hands-on coders." Instead, the bank is looking for people who can "still roll their sleeves up" and influence the codebase in addition to their management responsibilities.

Elsewhere in banking, leadership requirements sometimes even surpass technical ones. For technologists in Citi's newest managing director class, less than half had STEM degrees.

There is a place where you can be too technical, however: your CV. Beardsworth says that a continuing issue among candidates is that they will "write down every single thing [they've] ever done," and all the technologies they've worked with. She instead advises that you instead highlight "repeatable skillsets" and the "things that really differentiate you." Goldman Sachs recruiters have previously provided a template to candidates for the optimal CV here, while we've done our own guide to a perfect engineering CV for finance here.

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