Getting a job in the tech industry isn’t rocket science, especially when you have the skills for your dream job. However, having the skills is not enough; you have to convince the hiring manager that you are the best. And your tech resume is your best bet to prove your worth.
Recruiters first assess candidates via their CV before interviewing some of them. Likewise, you need a compelling CV to have a chance of advancing to the interview and possibly onboarding stage. This guide provides technical resume writing tips and an example to get you started.
Your contact details are an indispensable part of your technical CV, located in the header. Even with a strong skill set and commendable experience, you can’t go far if recruiters can’t contact you because you forgot a digit in your phone number or an alphabet in your email.
Try to spell your original name (not your nickname) correctly, starting with your last name, other names, and initials. Add a work email address and an active phone number. Then enter your location (state and country). You can also add your LinkedIn or GitHub URL.
2. Summarize your career goals
A summary of your career objective highlights your expertise over time. You want to pique the interest of recruiters at a glance, so two to three sentences describing the most intriguing highlights of your career should suffice.
Start with your current employment status (self-employed, volunteer, etc.). Continue by mentioning the position you are applying for and the name of the company. Go through the job description to identify a main problem and address it, indicating how your experience and skills make you the best candidate for the job.
There are several hard and soft skills to include on your resume. However, for your technical CV, you only need to describe the key skills relevant to the position you wish to occupy. Also, your list should contain a minimum of five and a maximum of 10 items.
It’s great to have a variety of skills and talents, but when applying for a technical position, select those mentioned in the job posting.
4. Show Career Trajectory
Showing your career trajectory involves explaining your work history. This section helps the recruiter better understand your level of experience. Using reverse chronological order, outline your previous positions and responsibilities, especially those relevant to the position for which you are applying.
Start with the most recent position, followed by positions held in the last five years. Most importantly, use action words (past tense) and numbers to describe your impact. However, don’t exaggerate the numbers and make sure you can defend them if necessary.
5. List degrees and other certifications
The tech industry may be about your skills and what you can do, but formal education is rarely relegated when recruiting for tech roles. Plus, having the necessary skills, degrees, and certifications increases your chances of getting the job. So, if you have all of these, flaunt them!
Start with your highest degree, the name of your school, and the length of your studies. Then add the relevant technical certifications and licenses; two to three are perfect.
6. Add relevant projects and achievements
Adding projects and accomplishments to your resume is a great way to quantify your success in the industry. They also build your credibility and help you stand out when recruiting. However, make sure your plans and accomplishments are related to the position you are applying for.
For example, including that you volunteered for a charity event isn’t necessarily relevant to your ReactJS Developer app, but it’s commendable. Instead, talk about projects you’ve done during an internship or hackathon. This can be an individual or team project, remote or on-site.
7. Customize your CV for each role
A generic CV puts off recruiters. To avoid this, take the time to understand what the role requires as well as the company’s goals and tailor your CV accordingly. Since most companies use the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to sort, filter, and screen candidates, it’s also important to optimize your resume using keywords from the opening job posting. at the end.
Make sure your career goal, key skills, work experience, and other details are in sync. This helps your resume content rank well in verification and shows the recruiter that you know your onion. You can also add hobbies and interests relevant to the role.
8. Ensure a professional format and layout
To ensure your resume is intuitive and enjoyable to read, try to use a professional format (acceptable font, font size, colors, and layout). If you want to create your resume in Google Docs or any other word processor, start by setting your document to portrait orientation and letter size, and adjust the margins to ½-1 on all sides.
Use Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or Georgia font. For colors, keep your text black and use a white background. You can highlight specific headers with solid colors like dark blue, brown, or dark gray. Also, the standard font size for a technical CV is 12 points for normal text and 14 points for highlighting important information such as your name.
9. Be clear and concise
Recruiters spend less than a minute reviewing a resume. Anything over that time will likely be thrown into the trash. So, to avoid this, keep your CV short, clear and simple.
Whether you want to use a one- or two-page resume, focus on the necessities, sell yourself, and avoid any form of storytelling. Above all, do not use acronyms. Write them down for clarity if you must. Also, avoid using slang.
10. Proofread your CV
One mistake can ruin your efforts and limit your chances of getting a job. Therefore, before sending this CV, check grammar, punctuation, spelling and cohesion. Read it several times and make sure there are no mistakes.
You can also give it to a friend or relative to review without prejudice. Then, use an AI-enabled platform like Grammarly to achieve 100% accuracy.
Technical Resume Sample
You are one resume away from your dream job
Now that you’ve followed these tips to the end, it’s time to craft that irresistible tech resume to land your dream job. You can use the example above for inspiration, but don’t copy it word for word.
Also, do not attach your photo; include your date of birth or marital status in your CV. These details can affect your selection process, as recruiters can become biased before they even give you a chance to prove yourself. On the other hand, you can search for legitimate websites to post your resume online to speed up your job search journey.
