How to Rise Above a Sea of Other Candidates
Before you can receive a job offer, before you even get an interview, you first need to get your resume noticed. The technical hiring managers who serve as the gatekeepers for your career journey must sift through scores or hundreds of resumes and cover letters to determine which candidates are worthy of a closer inspection. If your Curriculum vitae (CV) looks like the one above it in the pile, the one below it, and all of the other ones, it will quickly make its way to the circular file (or “Delete” key).
If you want to have any chance of making it to the next stage in the screening process, your resume needs to be something special. It must distinguish you from all of the other faceless yet talented tech professionals trying to score the same gig. Your credentials, education, experience, and job history are what they are, but how you describe them and how you present yourself on a resume and, when applicable, your cover letter lies within your hands right now.
Here are four ways to get your resume noticed and get yourself closer to your dream tech job.
To Get Your Resume Noticed, Start at the Top
All of those bullet points in your resume are important. The bullet sections are where you convey the nuts and bolts of your talents, skills, and experience. But bullet points and laundry lists don’t tell a story. They don’t say anything about who you are, what you’re looking for professionally, or what makes you unique.
A good tech resume will start with the paper equivalent of the “elevator pitch.” That is, a brief statement that provides a frame and context for all of the details that follow. Just like an article or blog post, your resume should start with a powerful “hook” that will intrigue the hiring manager and persuade them to keep reading.
Craft a brief, forward-looking narrative about who you are and where you want your tech career to go that complements the backward-looking descriptions of your qualifications and work experience.
Tailor Your Resume to the Job Description
Too many tech job seekers take a “set it and forget it” approach to their resume. They prepare a single resume that they robotically send out in response to every tech job listing, never modifying, reorganizing, or tailoring it to match the specifics of a job’s requirements or desired skill sets.
Think of your existing resume as a foundation for multiple resumes, each of which should include or emphasize the specific qualities, experience, skills, and talents described in each individual job description. Resume tailoring could mean adding or deleting certain bullet points, or moving them to more prominent positions on your resume to match what the employer believes to be the essential attributes for the job.
Additionally, many tech companies are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to screen resumes before the hiring manager even sees them. AI programs look for matches between keywords and descriptors in the job listings and these same terms in responsive resumes. By including these critical terms where appropriate in your resume, you decrease the chances of a robot deciding that you’re not worth the hiring manager’s time.
Numbers Can Speak Louder than Words
Yes, you need good descriptive language and active verbs to tell a compelling tale of your experience and accomplishments. But what is more impressive: “Met project deadlines most of the time,” or, “Met 95% of all project deadlines”?
Numbers and statistics that quantify the extent of your awesomeness take things out of the realm of self-flattery and into the world of cold, hard facts. If you have statistics that can tell the tale of your achievements, use them.
Think Outside the Desk
You have lots of work experience relevant to the position. You’ve described in great detail your information technology achievements, your tech projects, and your work skills. But you are more than your job. Many of the components that define you as a person are experiences, accomplishments, and interests beyond those in your career.
By including relevant and impressive non-work experience in your resume – such as educational pursuits or volunteer activities – you can paint a more vibrant picture of yourself as a candidate and provide more reasons for a reviewer to give you a second look.
Get Your Resume Noticed by the Best Tech Companies. Contact GTN Technical Staffing Today
Whether you are looking for a permanent position, temporary, or contract-based work in the tech industry, GTN Technical Staffing can help you get your resume noticed.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you find and nail your desired job.
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