How To Write A Resume That Showcases Your IT Skills

The technology sector is booming, and an increasing number of IT professionals are re-thinking how to write a resume in order to show off their skills to best advantage. This growing market is thirsty for aptitude with a specific technology focus and savvy IT workers are benefiting from increasing competition for their expertise.

They’re not the only ones taking advantage of the digital revolution. Recruiters are also using technical advances to work more efficiently, using software solutions to find resumes that match particular criteria. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) allow busy human resources staff to quickly screen large numbers of resumes and find those that match specific preferences such as job-related skills, relevant work history and an applicant’s location.

If you’re not sure whether to prepare your resume to be ‘scanner-friendly’, it might be advisable to enquire of a prospective employer whether they use software to process applications that they receive. Whatever industry you’re working in, it’s also important to analyze the job advertisement and description carefully and use your resume to target the specific requirements of the position you’re applying to fill: focus on job specific information in your resume objective and edit out irrelevant personal information.

It’s possible to write a resume that’s suitable for scanning without sacrificing good presentation that will appeal to the human reader. Here are three main areas to consider:

1. Keywords: many systems will search your resume to find words which match selected criteria. Some resume writers like to include a keyword list near the top of their resume; others prefer to use keywords in descriptions throughout the document.

   Your own professional knowledge will often be the best guide to the appropriate keyword terms. You can also look in the job description to find work-related vocabulary. Other sources might include company brochures and reports, industry related articles from the media and professional forum groups.

2. Layout: give prominence to IT skills by including them near the beginning of your resume. Not only is this a good opportunity to build in keywords, but you can highlight the most important aspects of your training and certification. Consider using a dedicated skills summary or profile statement below the header section of your document.

   Don’t sacrifice legibility for the sake of cramming your information onto one sheet of paper. If you have substantial relevant data to include on your resume, use a second page. But avoid printing on both sides of a sheet — your second side may be missed!

3. Presentation: make the job of the scanning software easier. These simple guidelines will ensure that that your resume is easily deciphered:
   • Don’t use tables or columns in your layout. The scanner will probably try to read the whole page from left to right in a single pass.
   • Use a simple, sans-serif font such as Arial or Verdana in which characters do not touch each other.
   • Don’t rely on different font styles such as bold or italic text. Use capitals for titles and section headings.
   • If you have bulleted lists, use an asterisk or hyphen instead of the bullet point. Avoid hollow bullets — the system may try to read them as characters.
   • Set one inch margins for your document. Use single space for text in your main body, separating paragraphs with a double space.
   • Print your resume on bright white paper. This will ensure the cleanest possible reading of your data. Inkjet printed text can be easily smudged — a laser printed document or high definition photocopy may be better.

IT professionals are well placed to benefit from the burgeoning demand for high-tech expertise in a wide range of industries. Highlighting these skills in a resume helps to prove your potential value to an employer and strengthens the case for hiring you.