Working in tech has multiple advantages, including a flexible schedule, rapid professional growth, meaningful work, and lucrative salaries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer and IT occupations is projected to grow by 15% by 2031.
However, to get a job with a large organization or a small startup, you need a technical resume that sells your strengths as a candidate. A good software engineer resume needs to emphasize technical qualifications, your ability to work in a team, and complete projects timely, among other skills.
In today’s article, we will explain how to describe your skills and experience to employers persuasively and get more interviews.
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9 tips to write an irresistible technical resume
Choose the appropriate resume format
Before you start writing, choose the appropriate resume format depending on your experience:
A chronological resume
- Lists your work experience in reverse chronological order starting with the most recent job
- Shows career progression over time
- Is best for experienced tech professionals with stable careers, or students with relevant education and internships.
A functional resume
- Focuses on education and skills which are listed at the top of the resume
- Professional experience is listed briefly, with only job titles and company names
- Is best for career switchers or students with no professional experience.
Keep the resume to 1-2 pages
Hiring managers spend less than a minute reviewing each resume. For this reason, it is best to keep your resume to one page if you are a recent graduate, and use two pages if you have 5+ years of experience.
Remove outdated or irrelevant information to make your resume more focused, and shorten job descriptions. Remember that the purpose of a resume is to secure you an interview, not to list your entire career history.
Tailor your resume using keywords
Most companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter the incoming resumes. To pass the filters, your resume should be optimized with relevant keywords. As a rule, you can find the keywords in the job posting that lists all required skills and qualifications.
You need to optimize all sections of your resume with keywords written in the same form as in the job posting. If this sounds challenging, an expert from a technical resume writing service writer tech (such as CheapResumeServices) can adapt your resume for a specific job to help you pass the selection.
Make your Professional Experience section highly focused
When describing your professional experience, only include relevant jobs. If you have no relevant experience yet, you can describe any jobs or volunteer projects you had. Here’s how to list your experience persuasively:
- List your jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent one
- Include the company name, industry, a short description of the project and technologies used to give a better idea of your experience
- Add dates of employment in the Month/Year format
- List 6-8 responsibilities for each job, using a format of a bulleted list. If your job description is much longer, consider removing obvious or irrelevant job duties.
If you have recently graduated with no experience, think about projects and university experience. Maybe, you participated in a university organization, worked on your projects with peers or engaged in other social activities. You can list such an experience on your resume as well.
List accomplishments with figures
Adding accomplishments is a proven way to get the hiring managers interested. List them next to your professional responsibilities, and use figures to specify your impact. Add at least one achievement for each job to show your ability to deliver specific results. Here are the examples of accomplishments for a tech resume:
- Spearheaded the development of a new website design, resulting in a 30% increase in user clicks
- Streamlined the website performance, which improved page loading speed by 22%.
Include your technical skills
Tech professionals are often hired for a specific project where certain technical skills are required. So, your resume should include programming languages you know and other hard skills, as well as soft skills.
Create a separate Skills section, including 12-16 most relevant skills. If you have an extensive skillset, consider listing your skills by categories: programming skills, management skills, etc.
Here are some examples of good skills for a tech resume:
Technical skills: Software development, project management, technical writing, cloud computing, troubleshooting, Windows 10
Programming languages: Python, Django, JavaScript, HTML5/CSS, Ruby on Rails
Make sure that your list of skills is up-to-date, and remove skills you no longer use, such as Windows 98.
List education and certifications
A formal degree in Computer Science is not necessary for many tech employers. Yet, advanced training, courses, and certifications will always be a plus for your resume. Some examples of in-demand tech certifications include:
- Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect, and more.
Add links to your portfolio
Add the link to your GitHub account or other resources where technical recruiters can see your projects. Put the link at the end of the Contacts section. If you have no paid experience yet, you can add projects you worked on while in college or as a volunteer. Show the employer your practical skills, and make it clear what technologies, programming languages, and frameworks you know.
Add a matching cover letter
According to the statistics, 48% of giant tech companies require a cover letter. Even if you apply to a smaller company, a strong cover letter can give you a competitive edge over other candidates. When writing a letter, include specific facts from your career bio and major accomplishments, and explain how your skills can benefit the potential employer. Here’s what to include in your letter:
- Greet the hiring manager by name
- Mention where you learned from a job
- List your skills, experience, and achievements, adding figures where possible
- Show why you are interested in a role
- End with a call to action.
Proofread before sending
Tech professionals should be highly attentive to details, and mistakes or typos in your resume can spoil this impression. Moreover, 49% of hiring managers will reject a resume that contains typos, poor grammar, or incorrect punctuation. So, check the document carefully before sending it. You may use an online spell checker such as Grammarly, but after that, proofread the document manually.
Make sure that the document is visually pleasing and has a logical structure. Use the color elements carefully, since the resume is a professional document.
Writing an impressive tech resume takes time and effort, but it is manageable if you follow the above guide. If you still have questions or hesitate about what to include, be sure to contact a resume consultant. An experienced resume writer who has composed hundreds of resumes for the tech industry will surely help you create a stellar resume that impresses the recruiters.
