An IT resume is unlike the resume for nearly any other industry. IT resumes have to be incredibly specific in relation to the technology that you are most experienced with. The process of creating any resume is all about deciding which features, experience, and education you most want to showcase.
Focus on Your Most Applicable Jobs
As your job history spans backwards, it becomes less important for a variety of reasons. Not only are most companies not as interested in the positions you held 10 years ago, but the IT industry also moves very quickly. Spend most of your time describing your last one or two positions. The information that you have about your older positions can be limited to a few pertinent and important lines.
Put In Accomplishments, Rather Than Responsibilities
Rather than describing your daily responsibilities, show what you actually achieved in terms of bottom line for the business. Describing your job in terms of a responsibility would look like this:
- Managed support tickets and troubleshooting for the help desk.
While that is a critical job function, it doesn’t tell your soon-to-be employer anything about how you actually performed. A better way to phrase this on a resume would be as follows:
- Decreased average support ticket wait time from 6 hours to 4 hours.
This gives a relatable and understandable metric for your success.
Remember the Most Popular Technologies
When deciding on which of your skills to showcase, you should keep in mind the most popular technologies currently in use. Though C# may be gaining traction, C++ is still one of the most often-used languages. Though alternative languages and niche languages may be currently developed, a strong base in Java is still highly desirable. Look for the technologies that employers are most interested in now, and emphasize these on your resume.
Always Place Your Keywords Prominently
Don’t forget that many resumes are filtered by software before they’re ever seen by a human’s eyes. When writing your resume, you need to pay attention to the keywords that you’re using. If you can, mirror the keywords that are on the job listing that you are applying for. The software is most likely looking for these phrases. You don’t need to create an info dump at the beginning of your resume; just do what you can to work it in naturally.
Like many resumes, an IT resume also has to be tailored to each position that you are interviewing for. In fact, in the IT industry, this is probably more important than in any other. You’ll need to be able to show that you have the relevant experience and skills to succeed. This can merit a few additional customizations every time you send in your resume.
Once you’ve managed to complete your resume, Software Specialists has a wide variety of job listings to get you started on your job search. Contact Software Specialists today to learn more about crafting the perfect IT resume and finding the position that is right for you.
