IT Resume Writing and Careers
Articles for IT professionals about IT resume writing, cover letter writing and careers in information technology
Creating an effective resume can be difficult for the inexperienced writer. But if you want to give it a try on your own anyway, here are a few resume writing tips and traps to consider. Stephen Van Vreede, MBA, ACRW, CPRW Founder of IT Tech Exec, Stephen holds an MBA from Villanova University, a Six [...]
Whether you are a technical executive (CIO, CTO, or tech firm CEO) already or a technical manager or director looking to advance into an executive role, there are 3 common and potentially fatal mistakes that are made when preparing a resume. Stephen Van Vreede, MBA, ACRW, CPRW Founder of IT Tech Exec, Stephen holds an [...]
It‘s a bit tempting in today’s competitive job market to stretch the truth on your resume. Times are tough and getting your foot in the door is a significant challenge. It’s easy to think that you can add technologies or projects that will get you through the keyword search. You figure that you’ve always interviewed [...]
Having a technical background, I know how easy it is to fall back on technical descriptions of my achievements. But unlike other industries, IT resumes have two entirely different readers. Each reader brings their own perspective, knowledge, and experiences to the task of finding highly skilled technical professionals to fill vacant positions.
What do you do when your title doesn’t accurately describe your role and responsibilities? Suppose you hired on to perform a particular set of activities but over time what you actually do has morphed into something entirely different. This is not at all uncommon in small departments where project demands don’t always fit the current [...]
Determining how you want to position yourself in your resume is the first step toward deciding what technology to include. As an IT professional, you may be hesitant to remove lagging tools and technologies for fear of losing an opportunity but it is this indecision that can impact your chances of finding just the right [...]
In the past, the purpose of a resume was to get a job interview. Beyond that, it was up to the applicant to sell themselves during the interview by describing their role and responsibilities for each of the positions they’d held. For the IT professional, the process was straight-forward and easy to understand; you listed [...]
Our contributing author and expert IT Resume Writer, Jennifer Hay, will be conducting a TeleSeminar on IT resume writing in October. To sign up, please visit http://itresumeservice.com/tele-classes.html
Resumes continue to take a beating even after the recession has ended. It is common for IT professionals to start their own consulting firms to mask lapses in employment and to put the best face on a series of short-term projects. It’s a necessary survival skill to show that you’ve kept your experience up-to-date in [...]
Statistically speaking, you have a 6-7 percent chance of finding a job through a job search engine. Article contributed by Jennifer Hay: With over 15 years of experience in IT and career counseling, Jennifer specializes in creating high-impact resumes, cover letters, and social networking profiles for Information Technology (IT) professionals. Jennifer’s credentials include an ACRW, [...]
Resources for finding an IT job are many—you just have to know what they are. So, what are some of the best job-finding resources that you can use—and where can you find them? Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services. Read [...]
Working in the IT field is actually a pretty good choice. Jobs are available, and finding one that you want, where you want it, is not too difficult. Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services. Read more about Erin at: http://exclusive-executive-resumes.com
There is one primary mandate to writing technical resumes that get the attention and interest of the reader. Article contributed by Jennifer Hay: With over 15 years of experience in IT and career counseling, Jennifer specializes in creating high-impact resumes, cover letters, and social networking profiles for Information Technology (IT) professionals. Jennifer’s credentials include an [...]
Now that you recognize the large number of undocumented technical positions available you must also consider that many of these positions exist outside of traditional IT departments. The Department of Labor not only underestimated the number of IT jobs available but you can rest assured that they also miscalculated the number of job seekers by [...]
Given all of the bad news for job seekers over the past several months, finding a bit of good news is refreshing. The good news is that the Department of Labor statistics significantly misrepresent the number of IT positions available in the U.S. According to Foote Partners, a recognized leader in forecasting the demand for [...]
Resumes are not designed as one size fits all. In fact, their purpose is to differentiate you from others and to grab the attention and interest of the reader. Resumes must do this while staying within generally acceptable rules for readability, language, and presentation. For technical resumes it can be a real challenge because they [...]
There are two types of clients, those who want to participate in the resume writing process and those who want to leave all the details to the resume writer. The degree of participation can vary but without a doubt, little or no input leads to a poorly branded document. The resume may look and sound [...]
Information technology may be the most popular field of study in the United States. This broad field encompasses a wide variety of computer technologies. Most commonly, students study a variety of programming languages as well as basic business courses to allow them to effectively assist businesses with their computing needs. Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, [...]
IT professionals have been having the same debate for years: are certifications important? And if they are, which ones are actually useful? This is an important question, considering the hefty price tags attached to most certifications. Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional [...]
When it comes to specializing in specific technologies in the field of IT, I will say up front that there is no right or wrong career move that is applicable to everyone. Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services. Read more [...]
One estimate for the numbers of jobs lost in the U.S. due to outsourcing has more than 3 million jobs eliminated between 2000 and 2015. If you take action, you can try to ensure that your IT job isn’t one of them. Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career [...]
The job market is hotly competitive right now, and IT jobs aren’t any exception. Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services. Read more about Erin at: http://exclusive-executive-resumes.com
Overall length of the technical resume is a highly debated topic. It is very difficult to generally recommend a specific length for a resume without knowing anything about an individual’s career.
You will often see a number of other sections within the IT or technical resume. Of course some of those sections are reserved for specific fields and professions.
In the Education Section of the technical resume, you have a number of options regarding the information that you may want present.
The following information provides tips for developing the job experience section in the technical resume.
The experience section in the technical resume is also commonly knows as the “body” of the resume. There are numerous styles and formatting options for the experience section, but in this guide, we will discuss common options and you can choose the style that best suits you.
The IT Skills or Technical Skills section is something that you may not see in non-IT resumes, but is almost absolutely necessary in the technical resume, with exception of executives or high level managers who may choose to leave this section out.
Below you find a few tips for developing a Summary introduction at the top of your Technical or IT Resume.
In this section we will go over the types of statements that can be used in the Technical and IT Resume Summary; provide examples of statements that can be used in the IT Resume Summary; and describe how the summary can be used to quickly grab the readers attention and help promote the reader to [...]
The most effective resume will quickly grab the readers attention. It is essential that you introduce yourself to the reader with a compelling introductory statement that encapsulates your experience.