One of the most frequent errors I see on these resumes is that they are narrowly focused on technical detail rather than business value. Understand that most resumes uploaded onto company websites (or Monster/Careerbuilder/Dice) will initially be reviewed by a person, often an HR recruiter rather than a technical manager. So when you write, write for the HR person, often someone with a college education and broad functional (business) knowledge.
If you provide only technical language, the reader won’t understand the value of what you do, and that’s essential in helping a recruiter identify whether or not you can solve business problems. It isn’t enough to write that you worked on this and that process for the XYZ project. You must share what the XYZ project entails in terms of function(s) impacted, deliverables and results. If you can express results in terms of increased sales and profit, process improvements that deliver cost savings or improved decision support, so much the better.
Be clear, concise and credible. Speak in plain language and save the “techno speak” for the subject matter expert you will ultimately interview with. Let the initial reader know that you understand your current employer’s business, your role in it and how you to add value, whether by cooperating and getting along with all your team members, being able to communicate complex technical topics to business users, completing your work on time and on budget, or designing a new piece of software that will generate millions in revenue when sold to customers.
I’ve written hundreds of IT resumes using this strategy, and no one has ever complained that the resume was too basic and didn’t have enough technical detail. Job One is getting past the screener.
Ellie Vargo, MRW, CCMC
ev@noteworthyresume.com