Tech Résumé Tips

Just last week, eWeek posted an article saying that over half the tech workforce will be switching jobs in the next 12 months.   

When looking for a new career, the most important step to get your foot in the door with a potential employer is your résumé.  Nothing can squash your chances of landing a perfect job more quickly than a mediocre résumé. 

With applicant track systems being used across the board, keywords on your résumé are more vital than ever before.  In order to get a set of human eyes to even glance at your résumé, load it with relevant keywords like SAP, Visio or Java.  This will pluck your résumé out of the system and land it on some lucky employer or recruiter’s desk.

Avoid the cookie-cutter résumé templates!  These templates reek of an unqualified or lazy candidate.  Also, remember to format your résumé with your objectives highlighted upfront and skills right below.  That’s right, actually designate your career objectives on the résumé AND your cover letter.  In technology, even more than other fields, employers want to know your specific interest in the industry. 

The one-page résumé rule only applies to rookies.  If you actually have enough pertinent experience to fill two pages, do it.  Just make sure that you’re not wasting space with out-dated or personal information.  Although some will recommend adding personal information to your résumé to add that human-quality, don’t.  It’s great you’re active on your kids’ PTA and enjoy fly-fishing; your future boss doesn’t care. 

If you’re following these tips and still not getting a good response on your résumé, try a quick Ego Search on the web.  Type your name into a few major search engines and see what pops up.  Employers are doing this and so should you.  If the first dozen hits are your profane blog posts or scandalous comments on your myspace account, bingo.  Clean-up your Internet hits by posting industry-related comments on blogs like ours. 

For a complete list of tech résumé tips and job hunting tactics in technology, check out this article. 

Posted by Christy H.

Comments

[Anonymous]

I think an interesting and important point is made about cleaning up your Internet hits, especially for recent graduates entering the workplace. I don't think Gen Y fully understands how detrimental sites like myspace can be to their job search. I know of several employers who search these sites before they make their hiring decision, and they take what they see into serious consideration. Sure, if the candidate has exceptional skills and talent, then a myspace posting could be overlooked. After all, kids will be kids, but the point is, myspace can and will hurt your job search,whether you are Harvard grad or not. I mean is a picture of you with your legs up in the air, doing a kegstand really the first impression you want to make?

[Mr. Gecko]

Check out this article from TechCareers on the topic

http://www.techcareers.com/content/article.asp?articleid=190302465