How to Rock Your Technical Resume: Key Points of Success

Publication Date: 23 Feb 2019
Author: Alice Miley

Get Your Dream Job with a Kick-Ass Technical Resume

The first step to getting your foot over the company’s door is to impress the HR with your resume. It should be something really special to catch the eye but nothing flashy to distract the attention. So what should it be? There is no general standard for a successful CV with the right words and right formatting. However, there are some things that hiring managers of tech fields are paying attention to and you can use this info to cheat a little bit.

Customize and Stand Out

The main goal of your CV is to show what you have already done and what you would like to do. If done correctly, it may result in the first interview. So here are the key things you should start with:

• creative header;
• top skills;
• experience and achievements.

Let’s start with the header. First of all, it should be informative and accompanied by a brief summary about yourself. It should consist of your full name, contact number and email, your city and maybe state (the actual address is not required). Then comes a summary: a fun fact is that those candidates who included a personal note were twice more likely to be responded than those who didn’t. So don’t be lazy to write a short paragraph summarizing your professional experience and progress.

Add the position you are looking for, your level of experience and qualifications relevant to it. One more tip: to stand out, try to customize your CV for each company you are applying to. Show them that you did some research and you know that you are looking for – that is why you are the best match. Tip number two: read the job description. You might say: what, how could one not read it? Sometimes a candidate may get confused at the interview although all the info was already included in the listing.

What about your experience and achievements? Work experience and skills are the most important points in all your CV, so be attentive. Avoid writing a lot about previous companies; concentrate on yourself and your role there. Provide real data and numbers and start every sentence with a verb – it helps to concentrate on what you DID. Tip number three: do not reveal all the information, leave out some details like complete work history, irrelevant skills, unimportant details, links to your social media. However, do not make gaps between your past jobs: it looks even worse than a completely opposite position you are applying to now.

Let’s Talk about You

Personal skills are as important as professional ones, so if you are self-educated or have anything relevant to add to your CV from your personal experience, share it! Here go all the awards, certificates, prizes, recognition etc. It shows your abilities, professional history and your desire to go above and beyond at work. It proves that you are good. You ARE good. Aren’t you?

When it comes to the education section, specify your school and university, the degree you got and the languages you know. Another fun fact: an advanced degree is required by hiring managers 99% in the technical field. Tip number four: if you are at the late stages of your career, do not include the year of your graduation. It will help to avoid ageism and increase your chances.

Final Touches

When you are finishing your resume, keep in mind three main things: spelling, formatting and organization. The wrong format may ruin the whole impression of your CV even if you are a great specialist and bad spelling is even worse. A poorly organized resume could indicate a poorly organized employee, so take some time to make a messy document easy-to-navigate. Now it is a fully structured catchy resume that can help you get the desired job. Good luck and don’t screw up on your interview!