Getting a job in the tech industry isn’t rocket science, especially when you have the skills for your dream position. However, having the skills is not enough; You have to convince the hiring manager that you are the best. And your tech resume is your best bet for proving your worth.
Recruiters assess candidates through their resumes before interviewing a select few. Likewise, you need a compelling resume to get past the interview stage and possibly even a chance at onboarding. This guide provides tech resume writing tips and a sample to help you get started.
1. Provide accurate contact information
Your contact information is an essential part of your tech resume located on the header. Even with a strong skill-set and commendable experience, you might not get very far if recruiters can’t contact you because you missed a digit in your phone number or an alphabet in your email.
Try to spell your original name (not your last name) correctly, starting with your last name, aliases, and initials. Add a professional email address and an active phone number. Then include your location—state and country. You can also add your LinkedIn or GitHub URL.
2. Summarize Your Career Objectives
A summary of your career objective highlights your expertise over time. You want to pique the interest of recruiters at a glance, so two to three sentences describing the most intriguing highlights of your career should suffice.
Start with your current employment status – self-employed, volunteer, etc. Proceed to mention the position you are interested in and the name of the company. Look over the job description to identify the primary pain point and explain how your experience and skills make you the best applicant for the role.
3. Outline technical skills related to the role
There are many hard and soft skills to include on your resume. However, for your tech resume, you only need to outline key competencies related to the position you want to occupy. In addition, your list should have a minimum of five and a maximum of 10 items.
It’s great to have a variety of skills and talents, but when applying for a technical role, choose the ones mentioned in the job advert.
4. Show career trajectory
Showcasing your career trajectory includes explaining your employment history. This section helps the recruiter better understand your level of experience. Using reverse-chronological order, review your previous positions and responsibilities, especially those that are relevant to the position for which you are applying.
Start with the most recent position, followed by roles held within the past five years. Most importantly, use verb words—in the past tense—and numbers to describe your effect. Don’t exaggerate the figures, though, and make sure you can defend them when necessary.
5. List Educational Qualification and other certificates
The tech industry may be all about your skills and what you can do, but formal education is rarely sidelined when hiring for technical roles. Plus, having the necessary skills, degrees, and certifications increases your chances of getting a job. So, if you’ve got all that, show them!
Start with your highest qualification, school name and study duration. Then add relevant technical certifications and licenses; Two to three is perfect.
6. Add Relevant Projects and Achievements
Adding projects and achievements to your resume is a great way to measure your success in the industry. They also enhance your credibility and help you stand out during recruitment. However, make sure that your projects and achievements are relevant to the role you are applying for.
For example, the fact that you’ve volunteered at a charitable event isn’t necessarily relevant to your ReactJS developer application, but it’s still admirable. Instead, talk about projects you completed during an internship or hackathon. This can be an individual or a team project, remote or on-site.
7. Customize Your Resume for Each Role
A generic resume turns off recruiters. To avoid this, take the time to understand what the role requires, along with the company’s goals, and tailor your resume accordingly. Since most companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to sort, filter, and select candidates, it is also important to optimize your resume using keywords from the beginning to the end of the job posting.
Make sure your career objective, key competencies, work experience and other details are in sync. This helps the content of your resume rank higher during revisions and shows the recruiter that you know your onions. You can also add hobbies and interests relevant to the role.
