7 Ways to Improve Your IT Resume and IT Job Search

IT jobs and IT careers are in demand everywhere. However, there are some tricks for writing your IT resume and online profile that can dramatically improve your chances of landing that great IT job. They will separate you from the many resumes employers receive and make you stand out every time. Let’s get started now on improving your information technology resume.

1. Technical Skills Summary

 Let’s face it. If you’re in the technology field, the most important detail for any IT job is always going to be what technology expertise you have. Your job as part of successful IT job search is to make this super easy for a reviewer to find on your IT resume. Include a Technical Skills section on your IT resume. Write a short paragraph, provide a bulleted list, or even a short table. If appropriate, break it out by technical area, such as database, programming languages, networking tools, etc. Try not to make it too long, I generally avoid listing versions unless it is specifically called for as a requirement by a job posting. On an initial scan, reviewers are looking for your technical skills, so if you can make it easy for them to find, you’re off to a good start. A reviewer should be able to quickly identify what your key areas of IT proficiency are, such as networking, database, programming, system administration, help desk, hardware maintenance, etc.

And for heaven’s sake, make sure that if you apply to job that details all of the technical skills needed that you include all of the ones on their list that you have. No matter how trivial. I can’t tell you how many candidates tell me they didn’t make an initial cut because the potential employer thought they didn’t have experience with x, y, or z. But they had a lot of experience with it. And anyone who knew anything about a, b, or c would know that you would also have experience with x, y, or z. And therein lies the problem. You have made an assumption that the reviewer would know that. More often than not, they do not. So do not assume they know this. If it is spelled out in the IT job posting or ad, make sure it is on your resume.

2. Experience Summary

 Once a reviewer determines that you have experience with the required technologies, the next step is to determine the depth of your experience related to the IT job. Again, your job is to make this easy for the review to accomplish to improve your chances of passing the screening. The reviewer is not going to spend a lot of time and if it is too difficult to determine whether you meet the requirements, more than likely you will not make the cut.

I always tell candidates to ditch the Objective on the resume. Quite honestly, it’s not very valuable to anyone. So, use your space wisely and provide a short one paragraph (2-3 sentences) summary of your qualifications for the position. Include things like years of experience and the types of experience and perhaps a few of the most important technologies related to the position. Toot your horn a little bit, but be honest. And make it relevant to the position for which you are applying. Yes, tweak it for each resume submitted or at least for each type of position. These are your highlights of qualifications for THIS SPECIFIC IT job. It is a shortcut you are providing to the reviewer to make their screening process easier. Use it to your advantage.

The next step then is to make sure that each of your write-ups in your experience history (your job summaries) include these details as well. When I get into a detailed review, one of the first things I do is map the summary to the details. I want to see where and when you had the experience I am seeking for the IT job. If it is not there in the details, I typically assume you don’t have it, regardless of what your summary says. This is why it is so important for you to pay attention to these details. The summaries are key to getting past the initial resume screening. But you still need to make sure the details line up with what is in the summary.

3. Education and Training

 Make sure you list any degrees you hold. Many employers want to see these. If you have work towards a degree, but are still pursuing or have never finished but you make someday, list it as in progress.

Do not forget to include a listing of relevant technology training courses you have taken. Many candidates forget to list these items out. They can be very important to demonstrate expertise and exposure to different technologies, especially for a less experienced candidate. I usually recommend putting Training last on your resume, often paired with Education.

4. Certifications

 How important are certifications? Well, truth is, it really depends on the employer. Many employers find these incredibly important, often even requiring them for certain positions. Others prefer candidates with certifications, but they are not required. Still others really don’t seem to pay much attention to them. At any rate, you just don’t know where the company falls so you should list these if you have them.

My experience is that, more often than not, professional certifications for major vendors and professional associations carry the most weight and are well worth the investment of time and cost. They are definitely good things to have and can often give you an edge over other similar candidates being considered. In the IT area, certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, and the like are definitely in demand. Highly sought after certifications from professional associations include A+, Network+, and Security+ from Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA); Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) from International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)²; and Project Management Professional (PMP) from Project Management Institute.

If you don’t have certifications, why not begin training for the one most applicable to you? These can ease a career transition proving your knowledge in new areas where you may not have as much work experience. There are many great online or in-person training programs to prepare you for the certification exams.

5. Key Words

As a IT professional, you will understand that a lot of prescreening of online resume submissions is done using technology. Other screenings are often done by human resources or other personnel who may not fully understand the technologies behind the position for which you are applying. That is why it is so important to use keywords on your resume. Let me say that again, it is so important to use the RIGHT key words on your resume.

A lot of initial resume screenings are done using a checklist of items that must appear on a resume to get it to the next stage, whether screened by computer or staff. If you don’t have the correct ratio of keywords on your resume for the position, you don’t make the cut. So why do so many candidates for jobs in IT not take the time to ensure the correct keywords are on their resume for each individual position for which they apply? That is a good question.

As I mentioned earlier, do not assume that a reviewer will be familiar with similar terms and concepts that can substitute for the ones in the position announcement. That may or may not be true. Best advice is to use the potential employer’s terminology since that is most likely what reviewers will be looking for. Again, do not assume that the initial reviewers are familiar with the technology involved with the position. They may not be. Make it clear that you meet all of their requirements by ensuring your technical skills summary, experience summary, and experience details all liberally use the correct keywords for the position you are seeking.

6. Action Verbs

 Just as important as the keywords you use, are the verbs you choose. Don’t remember your grammar lessons – these are action words. Repeat – action words. So many resumes that I see use very poor verb choices and, as a result, they are not very engaging. There are definitely skills to great writing, and using the right words to convey action and make things interesting is one of those skills.

Make sure that your sentences convey that you did something. I know this sounds silly, but consider these two sentences:

• This approach was an improvement over the previous standard operating procedures.
• This approach improved the standard operating procedures.

While both sentences convey the same meaning, the second sentence is more active. That is, the subject of the second sentence (this approach) actually did the action (performed). In the first sentence, the subject is the same (this approach), however the verb (was) does not convey direct action. Try your best to make your sentence convey action by using action verbs. If you are struggling in this area, you may wish to consider working with a professional resume writer as discussed in the section below.

7. Results, Not Responsibilities

One of biggest mistakes on many resumes is that in discussing their job experience, a candidate talks about what their responsibilities were. To clarify, a reviewer does not care what your responsibilities were, they care about what you did. One tip here is to avoid using the word responsibility or responsibilities on your resume so you don’t fall into this trap.

As you discuss your experience, talk about results. Talk about what results were realized because of the work you performed. Be quantitative. Reviewers love to see numbers and results. Talk about how many desktops or users you supported, talk about how many database you administered, talk about the percentage of network uptime you maintained, talk about percent reduction of security incidents your achieved, etc. Get the idea?

The current trend in job candidate evaluation is behavioral with the idea being that your past performance is the best indicator of your future performance. So, toot your horn a little and make your accomplishments known. Quantifying your experience is usually the most difficult part of preparing a resume for any person. So take some time, think it through, and detail the results you achieved in each of your positions relevant to the one for which you are applying.

Using a Professional Resume Writer

IT professionals notoriously despise documentation. They would rather do anything else than write documentation. Some IT professionals are great writers, others are not and avoid writing like a bad disease. Luckily, there are many great resume writers who specialize in preparing resumes for IT jobs and IT careers. If you don’t enjoy writing or are not good at it, the investment up front in a well written resume could make a huge difference in bringing in the interviews for your next great IT job or IT career. Resume Remodeler has over 20 years of experience as a top resume writer for IT professionals. You can get more details from our Resume Writing Services page.

If want to consider other top IT resume writers, then let me suggest the following who do excellent work and know how to prepare an IT resume. The ones listed here are among the best at getting results! Mention that Resume Remodeler referred you to receive a special offer.

• Great Resumes Fast – Mention Resume Remodeler referred you for a special offer!
• Professional Resume Services – Tell them Resume Remodeler sent you and get 10% off your package
• ResumeWriters.com – one of the top online resume writing companies with outstanding reviews

How Good Is Your LinkedIn Profile

IT professionals particularly must have a great LinkedIn profile. Potential employers and recruiters use LinkedIn every day to search for potential candidates. How much easier is it to have someone find you than you find them? But for that to happen, your LinkedIn profile must be written similar to your resume, identifying your experience with specific technologies that are being searched. Remember the discussion we had about keywords? They are just as important here since potential employers and recruiters are searching on those words. You want your profile to be included in their search results, so take time and develop it well.

You might consider contacting an IT resume writer above to assist you with your LinkedIn profile as well. It could be the difference between getting and interview and not getting an interview. And if you do get an interview, most likely your profile will be reviewed by the potential employer before you arrive at the interview. It better match your resume. That’s why professional resume writers often prepare the resume and LinkedIn profile together. Take a look and see which best fits your personality, need, and budget. However, you can expect to spend anywhere between $150 to $400 for a complete resume and LinkedIn profile package depending on your experience level.

Post Your Resume

Post your resume to the top job boards on the Internet to get on the radar of top recruiters. Each board will have a different variety of users, so make sure you post on several. Some companies do not have the budget to pay for access to all of the top sites, so they may only use one or two. Don’t bypass a site and lose out on a great opportunity.

Good luck and if you are not getting calls within two weeks, you need to go back and revisit your resume again to make it work better for you. Yes, your resume is a living, breathing document that needs to be continually updated and rewritten for the IT job market.