How to Write a Technical Resume: 9 Tips

Have you ever dreamed about working with cutting-edge technology and creating something that actually changes people’s lives for better? With today’s rise of the technology industry, this is more possible than ever in history. Top tech companies such as Google, Apple and Salesforce seek talent from across the world. Let alone the thousands of smaller companies that create an unprecedented demand for professionals in the IT field. And, if you have the right skills under your belt, all it takes to pursue a dream career is creating a solid resume.

Just like with any other industry, a good technology resume should immediately convince the employer that you’re the right person for their company. If you already have a resume but think it needs further work, use the advice from online resume services when rewriting it for your next gig. Learn also how to write a sales assistant CV.

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“Why even bother about my resume if the demand for tech experts is so high?” you might ask. Here’s the answer: the most prestigious companies with lucrative wages and benefits attract talent from around the globe. And your resume has to be good enough to convince them that it’s you they need to interview.

If you don’t have a strong understanding of which technical recruiter skills resume will be seeking or aren’t sure your resume is up to scratch, contact us. The writers of Resumeperk.com have 10+ years of experience writing effective IT resumes. We will review your application and point out what to correct to make your CV competitive in the tech world.

9 tips for creating a perfect IT resume

All great resumes share a few common traits: they are result-oriented, relevant to the prospective job and are done according to the rules of modern resume writing. However, writing tech resumes has its peculiarities. Here are a few hints to help you create a developer, product manager or support specialist resume:

1. Make your key selling points visible
   If you ask all tech employers about their #1 requirements from resumes, the answer will be pretty much the same: it should be up to the point. The recruiters’ time is limited, so they want to see your core qualifications at a glance and compare them with the job’s requirements. Quite often, it takes the recruiter less than a minute to make this decision.
   So, how do you go about it? Ease the hiring person’s job. Put the important stuff such as hard and soft skills, programming languages and methodologies used above the fold. And the most efficient way to do it is to…
2. Add a technical summary
   You must have heard about the importance of a career summary for your resume’s success. This rule works for a technology field too, the only difference is that your summary should be oriented at your knowledge of programs, applications and software development methodologies. Give examples of your previous successes or list any information that your target company seeks in the candidates in the first place.
   Keep in mind though that the content of your summary should be dictated by the target position. For instance, if you are writing a MS CRM technical consultant resume, be sure to highlight your negotiation skills and business acumen as well.
3. Add context for your skills and responsibilities
   Including a long list of skills is good yet not enough to communicate your practical proficiency with these skills. For instance, mentioning that you’ve worked with Python and C# programming languages doesn’t provide the recruiter with enough details. Did you code in those languages on a daily basis or only worked with them once or twice? What kinds of projects did you work on?
   To communicate your real experience in a technical resume, list what kind of projects and how you used those technical skills. For instance, you might say “Developed a mobile app using Java and iOS framework”.
4. Quantify the accomplishments wherever possible
   If you’re aiming for a high-profile job, you need to focus more on your measurable accomplishments rather than on routine work responsibilities in a resume. Adding facts which are supported with figures builds credibility between you and the hiring person and shows your business orientation.
   Some good examples of technical professional’s accomplishments are:
   1. Developed a new risk management plan resulting in cutting security risk by 42%.
   2. Increased app revenue by 25% and increased customer satisfaction by translating user needs into the technical solutions.
   3. Performed technology planning for a large retailer, directing software installations and upgrades.
5. Keep your set of skills up-to-date
   The IT industry changes rapidly, and the technologies, software and frameworks quickly become redundant. So, if you’ve started a career path in technology over 5 years ago, it makes sense for you to revise the resume and clean up the outdated details. The fact that you used to program on Dolphin or work with Windows XP isn’t going to impress anyone in 2019. Only preserve the current technologies and methodologies in your resume.
   For the same reason, expert recommends removing any experience that is older than 15 years. The working practices change, and it’s only your most recent experience that matters for your prospective employer.
   Think that your CV needs rewriting but don’t know where to start? Consult our checklist: https://resumeperk.com/blog/a-cheat-sheet-to-rewrite-resume-like-a-pro.
6. Make your resume short and concise
   If you take a look at some technical resume examples, you’ll notice that the best of them take 1-2 pages. Indeed, it’s a common mistake of IT professionals to make their resume excessively long, over 5 pages. Lead software developers and senior QA automation engineers tend to list all tasks and projects they’ve worked on, making the resume hard to read for recruiters.
   Keep in mind that recruiters won’t read your 5-page resume and avoid lengthy writing. Squeeze the resume to 1-2 pages, keeping only the most relevant, recent and high-impact projects. All in all, a resume is designed to sell you for an interview, not to store your entire technical career path.
7. Make it accessible for non-technical readers
   Your resume should efficiently describe your technical background. However, even a non-technical reader (such as an HR generalist or secretary) should be able to read it without getting confused by abbreviations, terms and sophisticated process names. Moreover, your company’s internal technical and marketing slang might be all Greek for another company.
   Write in plain English and only use the industry-recognized terminology in your resume for tech job. Not only this will make your CV accessible for non-technical recruiters, but also will ease the ATS scanning that some companies use, helping your resume rate higher.
8. Put your IT skills above the work experience
   Since the majority of tech jobs are skill-based, it’s often the set of skills you possess that determine the hiring manager’s approval of your candidacy. Skills are your asset, so place them when they are visible – at the top of your resume under the summary section.
   Quite often, perfectly qualified candidates list their skills at the bottom of the fourth page or don’t list technology skills at all, leaving the hiring person to guess their qualifications. By putting the skill set up in the document and dividing them into subsections (such as Programming languages, software, hardware, etc.) will communicate your strengths at a glance.
9. Tiniest details matter
   To a certain extent, your resume is the reflection of your personality. Most tech jobs require the utmost attention to detail. So, if a hiring manager spots grammar or punctuation errors in your QA engineer or project manager resume, they see it as a lack of thereof, or come to a conclusion that you don’t care about the role much.
   You never know what might turn the recruiter off, so take your time to make resume flawless. Run it through an online spell check and edit for style errors. Also, here are the popular mistakes in American resumes you need to avoid: https://resumeperk.com/blog/top-30-common-resume-mistakes-you-should-avoid. If writing isn’t really your cup of tea, give this assignment to a professional consultant resume. 

The advice above applies to most roles in the IT field and following them will enable you to create a resume which is better than 90% of your competitors. Below, you’ll also find some guidelines for resumes aiming for specific tech positions.

How to write a software engineer resume?

Software development is one of the fastest-growing jobs – it is projected to grow by 24% by 2026. A successful resume for this kind of position should list all technologies and programs you operate, as well as the projects you contributed to. Don’t forget to tailor your resume towards the company and the job posting by highlighting the exact traits and qualifications they seek in candidates. Include a link to your GitHub account so they could review your code.

Tips for a business analyst resume

IT business analyst serves as a bridge between the client and software engineers. In addition to a tech background, a business analyst should highlight their ability to explain tech concepts to non-technical audience, strong business acumen and analytical skills. Since the hard work of a good business analyst is often invisible for an outsider, draw the reader’s attention to your contribution by giving them facts of what you have optimized, solved and improved.

Creating a senior technical writer resume

Technical writing is one of the high-paid writers jobs that attracts not only people with tech background and education. A senior role assumes even more responsibility. In your resume, make sure to highlight your familiarity with creation of different documentation types (such as user manuals, software documentation, business proposals and more). Mention your research and communication skills – a good tech writer should extract and process large volumes of complex information in a wink. For a senior role, also include your experience in directing, managing and training a team of technical writers.

Need a quality boost for your IT resume? We can help

If you’re a talented engineer or IT manager looking to take your career to the next level, your resume must reflect your potential at its best. Not sure if your resume is perfect or simply want to maximize your chances to get noticed? Contact Resumeperk.com for an urgent resume assistant or to receive a sample technical resume. As one of the reliable and professional resume writing companies, we possess rich experience with creating technology resumes. A professional editor will fix all kinds of mistakes in your resume and present your IT skills most efficiently. Our prices will pleasantly surprise you – check out our resume packages and make sure!