Ways to Make Your Resume Stand Out in the Tech Market

By September 1, 2018 May 8th, 2019 Tech Careers

If you’re looking for a job in the tech world, you have reason to be optimistic. It’s a vibrant sector of the economy that is projected to grow even more for years to come.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that all you need to do to get hired is show up. In a field where the median salary of over $87,000 is double the median salary for all other occupations, you can expect competition.

Your resume is your first step toward employment, so you need to make sure it stands out. Here’s how…

Self-Assessment

A good place to start is to do some self-assessment. Do you have a clear picture of the job that you want in the IT world? Do you have the training and experience to do that job exceptionally well? Can you, to the best of your ability, build a resume to fit that job?

To the extent that you have clarity on these points, you are then able to tailor the narrative of your resume. It’s best for both you and the employer if the position you are seeking is one that you are truly qualified to fill. Also, with this information in mind, you will be less inclined to fill your resume with details because they “sound good” but be more transparent on the page – this will lead to the job you truly want!

Understand Your Audience

Every company in the tech world has its own brand, its own mission, its special sphere of expertise. Before you write a resume for a position at a company, find out as much as you can about the enterprise.

Visit the company’s website and read promotional materials or press stories. Look for keywords, concepts, and phrases that the company uses to describe itself and its objectives.

Drop those ideas into your resume – not as “fluff,” but where appropriate and applicable to describe your goals, experience, and accomplishments.

Constructing Your Resume

Here are the essential pieces of a resume:

  • The Header: Your name, phone number, email address and the city where you are currently located.
  • Professional Summary: A brief summary of your achievements and IT skills. Bullet points are acceptable. You can mention the job you’re seeking and how you are qualified. Don’t forget to align what you’re saying with what you’ve learned about the company.
  • Skills List: Here you can go more in-depth about your IT skills, including what software engineering programs you’ve worked with, the systems you are an expert at, or your proficiency in web languages, such as Javascript and HTML, etc. Stick to the skills that are most relevant to the specific job you are seeking.
  • Experience: What’s important to say here is not that you had a job somewhere (though that does matter), but what you accomplished while working there. For example, if you introduced a new technology that helped improve productivity, say so. If you successfully designed and launched a website that is highly operational, talk about that. You need to communicate more than the fact that you showed up for work. You need to show that you made a difference.
  • Education: The more experience you have, the less detail you may need to include about your education. However, training and degrees that match the position you’re seeking are still important.
  • Personal Details: Include these if they are relevant to the position. For example, if you teach students how to write code in your free time, that may be relevant.
  • Awards and Certifications: If you have accomplishments along this line, they can help you stand out from other applicants.

Finishing Touches

Once you have the material organized, don’t forget to do a spell check. Make sure the formatting is consistent throughout, including the font size. Most important, the page should look clean. If aesthetic page layout isn’t your forte, get a second pair of eyes to look it over.

Contact Us to Help You Find an IT Career!

At Adaptive Solutions Group, we spend every day helping qualified workers connect with the employers who need them. As complicated and overwhelming as the job search process can seem at times, it is simply a matter of matchmaking.

A resume that communicates that you are the right match for a specific IT job is your first step toward employment in the job of your dreams.