The tech industry is undoubtedly one of the largest employers in the market offering a variety of high-paying roles, from UX designers to data scientists. As the competition for these high-tech jobs rises, the process of selection gets tougher with more emphasis being laid on professionalism at every step of the selection process. Like many others, I also applied for a number of jobs in the tech industry, but the only response I used to get was a system-generated automated email (relatable, isn’t it?).
But what was the reason behind this?
The answer is- my resume. And the same goes with lots of other job seekers as well. I figured out that I need to get my resume ready for the job even before prepping up myself. And it worked for me. Here I share with you a few tips that will make your resume ready for tech companies and get you through the very crucial first step of the draining interview process:
The first thing I changed in my resume was its format. I figured out that the template was outdated and monotonic. I looked through some and that helped me with the right format to highlight my work experience and technical skills. You may also choose from a wide range of modern, traditional, or professional resume templates that suit your credentials and experience. Any template that you opt for should have the following points in an elaborate layout:
- Name and contact details
- Personal summary and objective
- Work experience with the respective period
- Educational qualifications
- Key skills
2. Experience at the top
I find this as the “rule of thumb” to create an impressive and effective resume. While writing a resume, keep in mind that the recruiter will take only a few seconds to scrutinize the document. To be specific, on average, a reading one resume. So, it is important to present the more important things in the beginning to grab the immediate attention of the recruiters. For a fresh job seeker, it is the scholastic experience and training that should dominate the resume, whereas for a seasoned professional, the work experience at different organizations, rewards, professional milestones, and key projects should take the center place in the resume. Showcasing the career along with technical skills would give them an idea of the value you can bring to the organization.
3. Highlight the key skills
Your technical know-how of different software and applications will be an added advantage to get you through the first step of the recruitment process at a tech company. The recruiter expects you to come onboard with certain technical skills such as coding or data analytics that will help provide the desired results in the organization. If you possess some of these talents, make sure you put them up in your resume in an effective way. For instance, mentioning HTML and JavaScript for web developing roles, R and Python for data science, and SQL or SAS for programming would shine bright in your resume. Besides, soft skills such as communication skills, team-leading, creative skills also add up to your overall personality reflected in the resume. Make sure to back up your soft skills with your professional experience. For example, mention a project where you led a team of four to accomplish a certain objective or a report that you presented to an external assessment team.
4. Showcase your accomplishments
Your achievements are reflective of your potential as an ideal employee for the organization. For instance, if you achieved a milestone of bringing record visitors to the site of a previous organization in a short period, make sure you put some light on the achievement. If your web design got awarded for its creativity and advanced algorithm, mention the same in your resume. I believe, the more accomplishments we highlight, the further we move ahead in the race. But just making a mere mention is not sufficient. An achievement should be backed up with evidence. Provide relevant figures, dates, statistics, or even certifications to strengthen your case as an achiever. If you ask me, I boast about my victories confidently and briefly mention how I won them. Every single triumph comes after painstaking hard work, so it is of utmost importance to showcase those victories with a sense of pride. And all this will add up to another victory to your charts by winning you the first step of the selection process.
5. Finally, Edit!
Edit ruthlessly! Ensure you go through every word and sentence carefully to avoid language errors, grammatical mistakes, and typos. If possible, get someone else to go through the whole document. A fresh pair of eyes can help catch grammar gaffes and overlooked errors. You can also leverage online language editing tools to ensure the document is free from any sort of errors. Do not let these small errors cause you your dream job. I hope these tips help you build a tech resume that resonates with your potential recruiters.