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Resume Tips from the Experts
By Megan Fleming
Perfect skill set. What’s with the year-long gap in their career? This resume is full of typos.
Ever wonder what recruiters think when they read your resume? Well, we asked. So, before you write – or rewrite – your resume, take some advice from the people that just might be reading it:
Reply as Requested
Before you reply to a job posting, read the description carefully and make sure your skills and experience match the qualifications. If the company requires five years of C++ experience, you should have it. If they’re searching for candidates in a specific city, you should live nearby.
“Do look at the requirement you are applying to,” says Dani Woolwine, a recruiter at Columbia IS Consulting Group, an IT recruiting company in Connecticut. “One of the biggest problems we have is that people will just see a QA requirement and say, ‘I’ll just forward my resume.’ And they’re not qualified.”
Submit Smart
Candidates often overlook submissions processes, which help companies manage incoming resumes. Some companies require certain resume formats and others want reference request numbers included in reply emails. If you don't submit your resume as requested, you might be overlooked.
Sell Your Skills
Recruiters agree that a strong technical resume comes down to two words: skill set. Clearly define your skill set at the top of your resume, and you’ll have an advantage. “The managers don’t have a lot of time. They need to be able to look at a resume without reading it in depth to see what skills the person has,” says Jason Kreuser, corporate technical recruiter for Information Builders Inc. (IBI), a software development company.
Most people find that it’s challenging to boil down years of experience into a few pages. Start by creating a technical summary at the top of your resume to highlight your skills, then expand on them in the body of the resume.
Shailesh Bokil, director of recruiting and partner at CEI, an IT contracting and solutions business in Pittsburg, suggests breaking the technical summary into sections. “Don’t just lump the skills together into one paragraph,” says Bokil. “They should break up the technical summary section of the resume between hardware, operating systems, languages, databases, software, and things like that.” Remember to list the most current versions of software programs you’ve worked on.
How Many Pages?
One page? Two pages? Five? The one-page resume rule followed in many industries doesn’t apply to tech where candidates need more space to explain skill sets and job experience. Managers expect technical resumes to be three to five pages in length. “Don’t write seven-page resumes or one-page resumes!” says Gina Padilla, director of business development at Sharf, Woodward & Associates, Inc., a tech recruiting company in California. “Really look at the resume as a snapshot of yourself and figure out what message you want to give to anyone who is interested.”
Show, Don’t Tell
When writing about your work experience, show, don’t tell. Don’t resort to a laundry list of job functions; instead demonstrate how you helped your employer solve a problem or start a new process. “Talk about what you did as a contributor to the company. Talk about your accomplishments,” explains Padilla.
Don’t Forget Your “Soft Skills”
Your technical skills will get your foot in the door, but your “soft skills” -- the ability to communicate and work well with others -- will get you the job. “It’s important to summarize what you think your soft skills are – like communicating – as well as the actual hands-on skills,” explains Lou Schwartrz, vice president professional services at Conversion Services International (CSI), a company offering solutions for business intelligence and data warehouse space. Promote your soft skills in your resume by incorporating experiences where you led a team or where communication was important.
Mind the Gap
These days it's not uncommon to switch jobs or be “downsized.” The question is: how do you handle those “gaps” on your resume? Recruiters interviewed varied on their tolerance for resume gaps, but they agreed on one thing: you must be honest about your work record.
Gaps are fine according to Schwartz. “If there are gaps, they should explain the gaps,” he counsels. “The world is not like it was twenty years ago. People loose jobs, people take time off, people do change careers and then come back. It’s OK as long as you’ve kept up with the technology. If it looks like you’re trying to hide something, chances are that you are.”
However, resume gaps are a red flag for Dawn Dreyer, a contract recruiter for L3 Photonics where security clearance is required for most employees. “If there’s job-hopping, I’m not going to consider that person. We’re looking for stability in a person’s background,” says Dreyer.
Check and Double-check
When you’re satisfied with your resume, share it with a few trusted friends and colleagues. Have them review it for accuracy, readability, and typos.
Megan Fleming is a freelance writer who lives in New Mexico. |
