Resume Tips for IT Professionals
60The IT and technology sphere is more competitive than ever, and fine-tuning that resume could be the necessary step for your dream career. Every resume needs to be tailored to suit a specific job, no matter which industry it may fall in, and IT and technology professionals in particular need to highlight some key areas. An effective resume is easy to read, highlights specific job attributes that make the applicant a perfect candidate, and is formatted in a appropriate way. If you are an IT professional on the job hunt, here are some tips to carve out a stellar presentation of your skills:
1. Add a brief summary to the top. This serves as your Technical Summary, and helps the reader quickly scan through your strengths. Instead of going into great detail about your abilities, this captures the main focus of your work so far. Plan to write about 5-6 sentences for this portion.
2. Break out the resume into categories. You'll want to include items such as:
- Technical certifications achieved
- Networking experience
- Programming and languages you are proficient with
- Web applications and experience
- Hardware experience
- Any additional programs or applications you have knowledge in
Each category needs to have a simple bolded heading followed by a bulleted list. This makes it easy to scan and read, and requires little explanation.
1. End with a summary. A brief 3-4 lines summarizing your credentials with an emphasis on why this matters for the prospective position can be valuable to your application. After reading through your qualifications, this wraps up everything to leave a lasting impression.
2. Summarize your previous positions effectively. For every position that you have held, it can help to list 3-4 key accomplishments or projects. This will give the reader an overview of what you're capable of, and highlight your fields of expertise. If you have held only entry-level jobs, you can still highlight the skills and knowledge that you've acquired in all of them.
3. Play the keyword game. Keywords aren't just for the web! Keywords littered throughout your resume can be very effective in emphasizing your point; just avoid overdoing this so the information doesn't seem ‘canned' or superficial. Learn what the keywords and buzzwords are in your industry, and sharpen those sentences!
4. Use an attractive font. Be creative but keep it professional; a polished resume using Arial, Verdana, or Times New Roman typefaces is the standard but you can try a new font for a fresh take on the norm.
5. Publish it in an online format. Set up a URL with your complete resume and make it available for any employer who may need a copy immediately. This can really help speed up the process, and in some cases, makes it much easier to glance through your resume than in a paper form.
6. Provide contact information. Many people simply forget to include their full name, e-mail address, mailing address, and phone number on the resume. If you can, design a template that includes this information on every page. Remember that the goal is to stand out in the reader's mind, and once you have their attention, the next step is having them contact you. Making it as simple as possible for them to reach you may just help increase your chances of selection.
Writing and rewriting your resume for an IT career will take time and a high attention to detail, but your efforts will be well worth it! Your resume is a very valuable presentation, and tweaking it to fit a specific job can help you stand out from the competition.
