Organize Your Technologies In Your IT Resume

IT recruiters trying to fill contract and short term positions love it when they see a list of technologies (operating systems, software/applications, languages, etc) listed, along with each position a person has held throughout their career. It helps them to quickly determine if someone is a good fit for their job listing since they are looking to match skills, not individuals.

If your goal is to obtain a short-term contract position, then this format will work well for you if you have the required technology. The recruiter will easily scan your resume and quickly decide if you should be interviewed.

Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2010–2014

Software Engineer

Designed a desktop virtualization product with blade servers to provide the experience of a dedicated, high performance desktop computer to customers using low-cost client hardware.

Developed a Windows Vista mirror display driver to reflect the server desktop to client machines, and a Windows service framework to accommodate the needs of Vista user account control.

Technologies used in this position:

Operating Systems: Windows 7; Linux

Languages: C++

System Technologies: Qt; Ice; Multi-threading; Factory and Resource Initialization in Acquisition Patterns; Windows API; Windows Device Driver Kit; COM

On the other hand, if you are looking for a full-time position, there are a few reasons this format might not be the best choice for you. First of all, it makes your resume considerably longer without adding additional value. Second, it is very focused on specific technology and it doesn’t represent your achievements independent of the tools you used. What happens when the technology changes? Third, it is easy for a recruiter to easily disqualify you if they don’t see a specific technology within your most recent jobs.

Recruiters and hiring managers wanting to fill full-time positions are looking at the whole individual and that person’s combined qualities including their capabilities, technical skills, and personal characteristics. Every organization contains a multitude of systems—hiring managers are looking for capable individuals, who will fit into a diverse environment.

Consolidating your technologies into one section on your resume makes great sense. It makes it easy to view the breadth and depth of technologies that you’ve used. Here is an example of how a technology section might be organized. There are no specific rules about category names so select the ones that naturally fit the tools that you’ve used.

Technology Profile

Operating Systems: Unix – SunOS, Linux i686/ppc64/x86_64, HP-UX, Mac OS, Windows 7, Windows XP

Software: MS Office, Access, Visio, Face Span, QuarkXPress, Script Debugger, dbx

Application Methodologies: Multi-Threaded Applications Programming, Client/Server, Formal Data Structures, Threads (Solaris/POSIX), Object-Oriented back-end systems, GUIs

Languages: Java, C, Visual Basic, VB .NET, C++, PowerBuilder, Unix Korn shell scripting, AppleScript, SQL, Toad, and SQL *Plus

Databases: Oracle, Sybase, Microsoft

Development Methodologies Agile (SCRUM), Waterfall, RAD

From your technology profile, select those tools that are most relevant to your job search and interweave them into your professional experience section. This highlights your most marketable tools and techniques without burdening the reader with too many technical details. It also shows how you use tools to resolve problems, create new capabilities, and streamline processes to benefit the business. Here are several examples of how easily this can be done.

Created pre-production environment to test version upgrades by cloning application server and Oracle database server, using VMware converter. Implemented rollback procedure in case of instability.

Streamlined process of provisioning repeaters, a time consuming process that inhibited the company’s ability to expand the network. Developed a VB.NET application that was enthusiastically received because it reduced set up time by nearly 95%.

Finally, before you post your resume, search your profile for all the technology that is no longer relevant in your current job search. Your resume is not an antiques show, so gracefully age your technologies. Including nearly forgotten technology will not help you get the job that you want but it might help you get a job that you don’t want.

Article Source http://www.internetbillboards.net/2015/06/19/organize-your-technologies-in-your-it-resume/