How will your IT resume set you apart from other candidates? Do you have an impressive list of technical skills? Perhaps you’ve worked with high profile clients and companies? Or is it your ability to communicate well with stakeholders, explaining complex ideas and systems to them?
Here’s our advice: Ensure these exemplary and relevant parts of your career are included in your IT resume. Here’s how to do it best.
IT resume do's
- Do be succinct. Aim for a document that is between two and three pages.
- Do use professional titles in your resume.
- Do customise your resume for each IT role you apply for.
- Do ensure your technical skills or proficiency with relevant software and systems experience i.e. HTML, CSS, JavaScript are cited clearly in your IT resume.
- Do show that you’re constantly learning, improving and updating your skills.
- Do detail any side projects or start-up work you’re doing.
- Do include links to your personal website, or those you’ve worked to build and maintain.
- Do show your passion for the work you do and for the industry.
- Do always run a thorough spelling and grammar check before submitting your resume.
IT resume don'ts
- Don’t use outdated or unprofessional contact details.
- Don’t use company-specific language or terminology. Avoid buzzwords. Stick to what is known and understood at an industry level.
- Don’t neglect the communication and people-based skills to highlight only the technical. Consider the other qualities that are useful in IT roles, and desirable from an employer’s perspective.
- Don’t exaggerate about your level of experience or competency. Refined technical skill is a critical part of IT roles, so it’s important you’re honest about what you can do, and what you can’t in your IT resume.
IT resume example
This IT resume example is strong because it employs good resume-writing techniques. The formatting and style is neat and easy to navigate, with key technical skills called out at the top of the document followed by current and previous roles presented chronologically. The IT resume sample doesn’t exceed two pages, the contact details are professional and easy to access and the candidate has included a link to their own website, an important way to show experience in and understanding of the IT industry.
The key skills list at the top of this IT resume example cite not only core software and programming abilities, but also soft skills, that is, the capacity to provide technical support and manage clients. These are qualities that will show this candidate as comprehensive and capable, and likely give them an edge over others.
This resume also exhibits the candidate as ambitious, inventive and as highly organised through the start-up she is involved in, and the subsequent achievements in this field. Side-projects are a key indicator of initiative and knowledge in the IT industry, and should definitely be included in your resume.
Writing an IT resume that impresses employers is within reach for all candidates, no matter where they are in their career journey. Just follow the above tips and use our IT resume template as a guide and you’ll be on track to success.
Take a look at our resume guide page for more advice on how to write a resume.
