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Your IT resume may be good; it may even be great, but there are several ways you can fine tune your resume to make it stand out to recruiters and hiring managers.
An important thing to remember when applying for a position is that your resume is usually first looked at by some sort of human resources rep or an administrative clerk. These individuals are looking for specific "buzz words" that show you may be qualified to get an interview.
Remember, they could go through hundreds of resumes in a day so you want to make sure you have the right information that will make them put yours in the hiring manager’s inbox.
I’m going to explore some techniques in this article that will get your resume noticed right off the bat.
Once you get pass human resources, you need to make sure your resume will pass the second test, which is the scrutiny of the hiring manager.
"Buzz words" won’t cut it when it comes to the hiring manager because this is the individual that is going to take a good long look at your resume.
Now, when I say long, I mean longer than human resources but not an excessive amount of time, because the hiring manager is probably just as pressed for time too.
So, you want to make sure you get the most relevant information and convey it in a way that makes the hiring manager say: "I need to get this person an interview."
The two things I want you to keep in mind when writing your resume are:
With that in mind, let’s examine my 10 best tips to make your IT resume sell.
You have to get your resume looked at and the best way to do it is to have an eye catching design.
For most of the article I will be deferring to my own resume as I recently was looking for a job in the IT field, and obviously have attained one with Train Signal. The headings on my resume are listed in bold.
I’ve included a brief description of what should be covered under these headings.
OBJECTIVE: To obtain a full-time position in the area of information technology.
The objective section is short and to the point. Just make sure that it applies to whatever job you are trying to get. If you are applying for a tech support position your objective shouldn’t say “A position in sales or a related field.”
EDUCATION: Where and When I went to school and the degree I obtained
Now a lot of people don’t think that the education section is as important as other sections, but I feel that you want to let a potential employer know what your education level is.
Simply putting where and when you went to school and the degree you obtained is short and to the point. A hiring manager can glance at that and realize you have enough training or education to be considered for the job.
Even if you haven’t been in school for quite some time, it is still important to show your education level. It should look something like this:
Fake University, Rolling Meadows, Illinois (August 2004 – May 2008)
B.S. in Management Information Systems, May 2008
That’s just two lines but it gets your point across.
The information in the last three headings should all be bulleted and you should try to keep each bit of information to no more than two lines to maintain a consist format and to stay concise.
PROJECTS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, SKILLS: Software expertise, projects I’ve worked on that would translate well to the position I’m applying for, any work related awards that accentuate my qualifications
LICENSES and CERTIFICATIONS: Certifications I’ve obtained that would be beneficial to the job I’m applying for
WORK EXPERIENCE: Company and position name. Brief description of the responsibilities of my position.
Under your Work Experience heading you should start with your current position or your most recent job if you are not currently employed. Your first entry should look like this:
Subsequent entries should look the same way.
Notice that the headings are bold and in all capital letters. This helps anyone scanning the resume to quickly locate specific information. Also, the bullet points are a must to make your resume professional and easy to read.
You should also make sure your formatting is error free. Are you using consistent fonts? Does everything align correctly? Is there anything that looks odd? Every small detail must be taken care of.
I definitely could have put this under the eye catching category, but I feel like this is such an important part of formatting your resume that I wanted it to be a category unto itself.
A header is easy to create and it is a great way to include all of your pertinent contact information without taking up much space.
To create your header in Microsoft Word 2007 you want to go to the Insert tab and select Header.
Once you are in the page header you can choose the style you want to use and type in your information. This tab has a lot of interesting options for you to use, but the only thing I’ll use it for is to edit the page header.
I just want to put certain information in here. Here is what my header looks like:
This only takes up a single line and shows how you can be contacted by mail, phone, and email. Again, this is just one more technique you can use to get your pertinent information in your resume in the most efficient way possible.
The biggest problem I’ve encountered when creating my resume is not compromising detail, while at the same time remaining as efficient as possible.
If you’ve read any of my articles (including this one) it’s pretty apparent that I’m incredibly long winded, so it’s difficult for me to condense everything I need to say. However, this is essential when it comes to building your IT resume.
Here is an example of a possible skill set you may have:
You definitely want to represent the fact that you are able to use these applications but you need to be able to condense this information into one line. The best way to show this information is:
It’s important to note the wording I’ve used here. "Expert knowledge" is two words that completely convey that "I know how to use these programs as good as anybody".
This brings me to the next section …
It’s important to make sure you say things in a way that conveys your information in the most attention grabbing way possible.
Here’s an example of a project you may have worked on:
This is a great piece of information but it just isn’t conveyed in a way that jumps out at you. Here’s what I think stands out a little more:
To me, this just sounds so much stronger than the previous line. You really took charge by "spearheading" the project and you give some insight into the project by showing it was for business use.
Again, it’s all about putting down the best information possible without taking up too much space.
Some other great descriptive words you can use include:
This is something that you have to do if you want your resume to make it past the human resources department.
Study everything you can about the job you are applying for, the company itself, and think about what the people doing the hiring will be looking for. Then tailor your resume to fit this profile by prioritizing your content.
If the job you are applying for is a Junior Administrator position with a company using Windows Server 2003, then make sure the first thing listed under the Skills section is the work you’ve done with Server 2003.
If you list this information at the bottom then it may not even be seen! Don’t lose out on a shot at an interview because the skills that would help you get the job are buried at the bottom of your resume.
You should constantly tweak your resume to make sure what you have at the top is the most relevant information to the job you are applying for.
You’d think I wouldn’t need to put this in here, but it’s got to be said. You have to tell the truth!
Do not put that you spearheaded a project if you watched everyone else do the work and put your name on it. Do not say you are an expert with Windows 2003 Server if you’re not even sure what it is.
There is a difference between tweaking your resume to remain current and viable, and lying to get a job. Don’t even tell a little fib because it will eventually come back to haunt you.
This is pretty self explanatory but I want to qualify what I mean.
Even if you are just entering the work force it is difficult to keep your resume condensed to one page. But, if you follow the above formatting steps you will have a much better chance of having a one page resume.
Hiring managers don’t have time to rifle through two or more pages and a lot of times you will get your resume tossed out without so much as a look if it is more than one page.
There is an exception to every rule and this rule is no exception (read that again, I’m pretty sure it makes sense).
If you’ve been in the work force for, say, 20 years, you’re going to be hard pressed to condense your entire career into one page. At that point two or more pages may be the only solution to make sure you don’t leave anything important out.
Just make sure you do everything you can to keep the size of your resume manageable.
I think this is one of the biggest problems that people have when creating a resume.
Have confidence in yourself. I’m sure at some point when you were growing up, a parent or a teacher told you that it’s not polite to brag.
On your IT resume you have to brag about yourself a little bit.
You need to show all of your relevant strengths and abilities, and you need to come across strong and confident. If you can’t show how good you really are, then how will you be able to help the company you’re trying to be a part of?
Let me give you a quick rundown of what I mean. You do not need to list:
Make sure your content falls under the above headings and keep everything else out. You probably don’t have room for this unnecessary information anyway.
Proofread your resume until you know it is perfect. Then, proofread it again.
Have a trusted friend proofread it too. Someone you know who will pay close attention to the details and will make suggestions to you. Don’t give it to that friend that’s going to glance at it and say, "Yeah I love it."
Also, if you can, have someone that has recently gone through an IT job search take a look at your resume and give you suggestions. They can proofread it and give you ideas on formatting that may work better for you.
Remember, these tips are things that have worked for me and others, and are just suggestions.
You have to put a little bit of your own style into your resume, while adhering to the basic format of what a professional resume should look like.
With that in mind, good luck with your IT job search!
Tags: IT Job Tips, IT Resume Help, Miscellaneous
Justin Dorfman Says:
June 19th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Great article. I am opening up Google Docs ASAP and applying some of these tips! ;)
Justin Dorfman Says:
June 19th, 2008 at 11:29 am
BTW I love the Homestar & Strongbad pic. That episode is great.
Kasia Grabowska Says:
June 19th, 2008 at 11:38 am
That’s one of my favorite Homestar Runner videos… here’s the link for anyone who hasn’t see it yet:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/interview.html
Enjoy!
Tonia Miller Says:
June 19th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I like this article… I hits all of the necessities. There is one thing I would expand on with using Buzz Words. Not only will HR look for these words, but if you post online employers will search for specific words. If you don’t include them, your resume won’t show up in the search.
Gosia Grabowska Says:
June 19th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Good article! Love the Homestarrunner Pic though :)
kishan Says:
June 20th, 2008 at 1:40 am
This tips will sure make my CV for enhance whihc express about my efficiency.
Kabul Says:
June 20th, 2008 at 3:42 am
Hey Guys,
My cv is in 5 pages? should i make it shorter?
khardiss Says:
June 20th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Kabul: Yes. As a Director of IT, if was handed your resume I’d say that you had way too much experience and I’d throw it away without even looking at it. If your CV/resume is 5 pages, then you are very advanced (read as “I can’t afford you”) or you have a hard time staying at one job (read as “I don’t want you”) or you’ve included too much irrelevant information (read as “I don’t have time for you” or “I don’t want you”).
I don’t mind getting a 2 page resume, but anything longer needs to be restricted a bit. And you can only shrink the font and cheat the margins so much before I don’t want to even look at it.
Remember, the resume/CV is your advertisement. It’s only job is to pique my curiosity enough to invite you to an interview. That’s where I want to hear about the particulars of your greatness.
jitendra parmar Says:
July 24th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Dear sir,
Thanking toyou and your team for guide line .please send this type of resume format or tips .
Thanks and regards
jiten parmar,pune
Ramees Says:
July 27th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Greetings
I am on the search for new job.currently working as tech support in a company.this guide line is very helpfull,now i got the picture about what is going to be a good IT resume.really thankfull to your guidelines
Dan Says:
August 13th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
When you can, use your well developed and written resume as a follow up tool, not as the first item you present. Present yourself as the product, not your resume. It should be utilized at the close of any great conversation, without regard to how short it may have been. Use it to remind readers of your main strengths, and provide details that they are curious about. You won’t fall prey to the “send me your paper, and I’ll think about meeting with you” approach. The potential employer, or the person who is looking for the job, is not benefited by prescreening with the resume method. Have some discussions with people. Research the company thoroughly. Promote your skills and assets. Make it happen for yourself!