1. Introductory statement: This section is often recommended to help shape the hiring manager’s frame of mind by introducing yourself with an interesting statement that captures your experience.
Tip: Consider omitting this section on your resume. This section can go either way, but the potential negatives far outweigh the positives. In fact, we’ve seen great candidates hurt in the running by their introductory statements, where they would have been safe had they left it off.
Pitfall: Avoid language that is either too broad or too over the top in your introductory statement if you do decide to include it on your resume.
2. Summary of qualifications: This section provides a detailed summary of your experience and/or training. It typically consists of 3-5 clear, concise statements.
Tip: Focus on your functional strengths, and then include personal strengths if you have room. Use bulleted statements to make your summary easy to read.
Pitfall: Avoid missing the mark with a summary that is too general. All key strengths listed should correspond to candidate requirements stated in the job description. Remember hiring managers are biased in their initial filtering
3. IT skills section: This section outlines your technical expertise, and is often broken down into 5 categories of skill sets (depending upon the position): 1) Operating systems, 2) Hardware, 3) Software, 4) Networking, and 5) Programming Languages.
Tip: List only the skills at which you are an expert. Anticipate that you’ll be asked about any of the skills you list, and be expected to talk intelligently about them in detail.
Pitfall: Avoid including a laundry list of skills. This section should focus on the skills that are most relevant to the position at hand, which should include the skills stated in the criteria.
4. Experience section: This section, the heart of your resume, documents your professional experience in detail. Hiring managers want to know what you did and what you accomplished in past jobs, and will glean your potential for success from it. For easy reading, list each position in reverse-chronological order and include the following:
- Heading: Name of company, location of company, job title, and dates of employment
- Statements of responsibility: Your particular responsibilities in relation to the project and business objective
- Statements of accomplishment: Your successes (quantified, if possible) in past positions demonstrated through “action-result” statements
Tip: Include an exhaustive history of your professional experience. Ignore recommendations to only include the past 10 or 20 years on your resume, or only your IT-related experience (if applicable). Do, however, include more detail for positions closer in time. Hiring managers are skeptical. A resume that lists “project manager” as the first position with no record of employment the 10 years after obtaining a degree will certainly raise a red flag.
Pitfall: Avoid trying to cover up any employment gaps in your resume. If you have them, being honest is always your best bet. Expect hiring managers to dig deep, and if you hid any gaps, they’ll be uncovered. We’ve seen resumes that foolishly manipulated dates or utilized unique formatting. This screams dishonesty.
5. Education and other sections: This section outlines your education, training, and other relevant non-professional experience (professional affiliations, volunteer work, hobbies etc.).
Regarding your education, hiring mangers want to know the basics: 1) the name of the degree or certification, 2) the institution where you received the degree or training, and 3) the date you received the degree, certification or training. Honors and Cum Laude should also be included (if applicable).
For IT professionals that have graduated within the last five years, you may want to include your GPA (if B average or above) along with relevant course work to supplement your experience.
Tip: Do include relevant non-professional experience that is interesting and accomplishment-based (and doesn’t convey a particular leaning). These can make a favorable impression on the hiring manager, and can later serve as great ice breakers during the interview. Be smart about what you include on your resume; think about it from the hiring manager’s point of view.
Pitfall: Avoid being vague about whether you received a degree or not, and the type of degree received as well. If you have, state the degree and utilize verbs that explicitly convey so (e.g. completed, graduated, etc.). If you haven’t, be honest. Using ambiguous words (e.g. attended) are misleading, and hiring mangers will hone in on this.
Our last point, but certainly not least: PROOF, PROOF, PROOF. Your resume should be flawless. Don’t let spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes sabotage your chances to get the job. This screams careless – no matter how impressive your resume is – and hiring managers won’t take them lightly. Remember they just might be looking for an excuse to not hire you.