Your IT skills are exceptional, and your background aligns perfectly with the needs of your potential employer. Your education, coursework, and previous projects set you up well to handle the responsibility of the position in question, and your personality is certainly pleasant. So how can you make sure these details stand out on your resume? How can you use them to separate yourself from the crowd instead of just blending in? Try these tips.
1. Start by making a list. Write down your entire previous relevant job titles. Then take each title and create a list of the three most important, relevant accomplishments you completed during your tenure in each position. Make sure you choose accomplishments that are relevant to the job you want, not just the ones that sound the most impressive.
2. Summarize each of these accomplishments into a phrase less than two lines long, and ideally shorter than ten words. If you created a new program, launched a new application, write code, tested designs, or helped with documentation for a high profile project, try to summarize these accomplishments into short, hard hitting statements that still contain all the necessary details. (For example, do you complete them on your own or with a team? Did tight deadlines play a role in your moment of victory? Did the outcome of your work generate quantifiable benefits for the company?)
3. Now go back over each summary and focus on your verbs. A resume should never rely on weak verbs like “was”, “did”, “had”, and “is”. But don’t just make these verbs specific and leave it at that. Polish them carefully. Start by making sure every phrase uses verbs like “developed”, “created”, “launched”, “led”, “designed”, “optimized” and “built”.
4. Then go back over your phrases and see if you can make each verb even sharper, stronger, and clearer. Think carefully about what each verb suggests. For example, “contributed to” suggests that you participated in a group effort and acted as a member of a team. “Designed and built” suggests you took single-handed responsibility for multiple stages of a project. Choose verbs that are accurate, descriptive, and compelling.
Don’t let your resume become a yawn fest or a laundry list of the basic responsibilities you held during your previous jobs. Employers would rather hear about the specific tasks and accomplishments that set you apart from the competition and show your willingness to go beyond the call of duty. For more information and specific resume editing guidance, reach out the job search experts at Techneeds.