Few businesses or organizations can do without an IT guru these days. As an IT professional, you could be providing support for a large company or a small start-up.
No matter your preference, the opportunities are limitless, and whether you’re just starting or looking to move to the next level, you may feel overwhelmed with all the job choices and the best way to build your resume.
We’ve researched countless IT resumes and asked what employers are looking for in 2023 to come up with five IT resume samples for you to use as a guide when crafting your own resume. Plus, we have some tips to help you tailor your resume to the position you’re looking to land!
Why this resume works
- As an IT expert, you’re aware that numbers mean everything. They’re even more important on your IT resume.
- Numbers (aka metrics) are the easiest way to quantify your abilities and show employers you made a significant contribution to your workplace.
- There’s no doubt you’re adept in things like computer languages, software, infrastructure, and Internet security. But if you listed all your skills, you’d need a whole new page to fit them all!
- So although it’s a challenge, try to keep your resume’s skills section brief. We’d recommend listing only six to eight skills with most of them from the job description.
- Of course, don’t falsify any information. You don’t need to have every skill from the job description, so don’t feel you have to lie just to get the job
Why this resume works
- As you advance in your IT career, you earn more senior roles. So, you need to reflect your career progression by formatting your IT director resume accordingly.
- List your work history in reverse-chronological order (your most recent work experience at the top of your resume).
- Demonstrate increased responsibility, supervisory roles, and impressive metrics as you move from your oldest to your most recent position.
- Writing work experience bullet points is likely the trickiest part of writing a resume, but we have a tip to help employers notice your skills!
- Start each bullet point with an active, power verb like “directed” or “upgraded” rather than vague verbs like “assisted” or “helped.” Not only will this method reduce unnecessary words, but most importantly, it demonstrates your initiative, which is exactly what IT hiring personnel want to see.
Why this resume works
- If you feel discouraged trying to get your foot in the door, here’s an invaluable tip: Include a well-crafted resume career objective.
- Your objective is an opportunity to tell employers a number of things in a few sentences:
- Explain how your previous experience (whether a relevant internship or even volunteering) has provided you with the background to adapt to the position at hand.
- Showcase your abilities and what you can offer—reiterate that you have the skills ( found in the job description) the employer is specifically seeking.
- Emphasize that your qualities, characteristics, and skills are aligned with the company’s overall mission.
- Light on experience? There are a few tricks to ensure you have a professional-looking resume, and that you fill the whole page, including adjusting font size, tweaking your resume format, and choosing the right resume template.
- Most importantly, though, expound on your responsibilities in each work experience bullet point, and highlight your indirect and direct impact in your previous positions, even if you don’t think they’re relevant.
Why this resume works
- Your professional IT resume will impress if you rely on quantifiable data to demonstrate your previous impact.
- Think about past projects and roles that underscore your abilities, and quantify those actions with metrics.
- You might spend a little more time on your resume upfront, but trust us, you’ll thank yourself—and us later!
- As a support engineer, you rely on creativity and problem-solving skills to deliver. With that said, your resume can stand for a little pizzazz, too.
- Choosing a professional but creative style like one of our free Google Docs resume templates or Word interactive resume samples can set you apart from the competition; though we suggest avoiding cutesy fonts, too much color, and disorganized sections, you can instead try:
- Rearranging sections of your resume
- Adding color to section headings, and
- Increasing/decreasing margins and spacing to fill one page
Why this resume works
- Your experienced IT project manager resume would be incomplete without your education and certification(s).
- Most IT positions will require a bachelor’s, and project management definitely requires it!
- Some employers prefer you have your PMP certificate, and others will require it. There are lots of other certs out there, too, so be sure you’re certified, or at least taking steps to complete certification in the areas your dream job requires.
- You won’t have an opportunity to discuss how you’ve used all your resume skills in your skills section alone, but don’t worry! This is what your work history bullet points are for.
- We suggest weaving your skills throughout your work experience using bullet points for a powerful, easy-to-read snapshot of your impact.
- Another winning tip is to pepper your bullet points with active verbs and plenty of metrics that demo your very best work while connecting your resume story together.
