Your Information Technology Resume shouldn't suck. Does it?

One of my first IT jobs was with a small company where I was the IT deparment (a fancy word for a desk in a small corner of a room).

One day I had to step in when the HR person was away sick for a week. We were interviewing for my position as I had given in my notice to leave that company and spread my wings.

It was a fun experience looking at people's work history. Most resumes were pretty dull. The way they were written, nothing exciting jumped up to catch my attention. Most of them were like, blah, blah, blah.... I did this and I did that, type of thing.

But luckily some weren't like that at all. The way they were written, made the writing 'come alive'. Here are a few things that I noticed right away:

They were written in an active voice.
They didn't overuse 'I'.
They listed their accomplishments rather than their 'duties'.

Some people serve as a bad example.

Aghast I realized how boring my resume was as well! After comparing the good with the bad, I realized I wasn't so great with my resume writing either. You see, most of us just throw an information technology resume together not realizing just how important it is. It's the way to the front door.

Your resume can either make you or break you. To write a great resume, you gotta know how to write one. But I couldn't be bothered with the task. So I paid to get one professionally done. It worked out great. I paid for it once and it kept on getting me jobs because after studying it, I realized the techniques professionals use to make resumes 'come alive'. So when I needed to change my resume, I just applied those same techniques. And here they are...

Here is a checklist you can run your information technology resume through

1. Does it read like a 'brochure' selling your skills or does it read more like a catalogue?

Solution: use action words to liven it up. You are the product and the resume is your brochure. Highlight what the 'benefits' of the product are.

2. Are you including the heading 'Responsibilities Included'?

Solution: This is boring. Write your responsibilities in a way that show:

The problem you were faced with
The action that you took to fix it
The result that came out of that action

3. Don't have the experience for your new position?

Solution: Alot of people try to 'beef' up their resume with experience they don't have. This is a waste of your time. Consider volunteer work to conquer what is missing. Volunteer work is viewed very highly on a resume. It shows you are a 'giver' and an 'action' person. If you find that you want to reach a job that isn't within your reach yet, consider getting some experience first.

4. Are you using bulleted sentences?

Solution: Give the employer an easy way to read your information technology resume, and they will. Rather than writing lengthily paragraphs, cut up the information in bullet form. This way it will stand out.

5. Are your headings matching the words listed in the ads you are applying for?

Solution: The employer knows what they want. And if they see those keywords in your headings, its makes them stop to read it in more depth. Use keywords in your content as well were applicable.

6. Are you trying to cram is as much information as you can?

Solution: Wrong move. Leave plenty of white space around the border. Also take out irrelevant information that doesn't help you land the job you are applying for.

7. Is your resume tweaked for each individual employer?

Solution: Your information technology resume should feel 'personal' to the employer. It should reflect what the employer is looking for. One standard information technology resume may not do if you are applying for different types of jobs in I.T.

8. Are you describing your previous jobs as accomplishments?

Solution: Whether you believe it or not, you have accomplished many things in your previous jobs. Many, many things. You just haven't activated them in your thinking because simply, you hadn't thought about them. Sit down with a piece of paper and go back through your work history, digging nuggets of gold. Then include them in an active voice on your resume. Trust me, you will be surprised at what you find.

9. Are you listing your personal interests?

Solution: If you are, make some of those interests relevant to the work you are applying for. For instance, you can say that you love to build and spend time in your home lab. Actually, one guy wrote this on his resume and I did become impressed with it.

10. Have you included an objective?

Solution: An objective is what you want to accomplish. Write your objective at the start of your resume, above everything else. The objective should, of course, be relevant to the position you are applying for

11. Are you using numbers, percentages and currency?

Solution: These stand out so if it's applicable to your information technology resume, include them in.

12. Is it focusing on the employer's needs or yours?

Solution: If your resume addressing what the employer is looking for? Are you the answer to their problem? Write it in a way that reflects you are the solution.

13. Are you leaving out anything negative?

Solution: In all our jobs, not everything was positive. Don't include the negative. Anything that will harm your chances of an interview should be left out. If it's vital to include such information, reword it in a positive way.

14. Have you proofread?

Solution: Spelling and grammatical mistakes can pass you by. Read it on screen and again when you print it out. If you can, give it to others to proofread as well.