ULTIMATE GUIDE

RESUME WRITING FOR IT PROFESSIONALS

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE ON WRITING EFFECTIVE IT RESUMES

AN EFFECTIVE IT RESUME IS THE FIRST STEP

towards demonstrating yourself as a viable employee.
It shows your background, establishes your persona,
and when done well becomes a spotlight that helps
you stand out from hundreds of other applicants.
Sitting down to write (or revise) your resume, however,
can seem daunting. You have your basic biography,
but in most cases rattling off a catalog of everything
youve ever done just isnt feasibleor desirable.
So what goes in and what stays out? How, amidst
all this chatter about bullet points, stressing
accomplishments, and describing your work history,
do you actually write a resume?
Well, unfortunately there is no magic formula.
Resumes, like candidates, are intensely personal, full
of tics, idiosyncrasies, and individual stories. What
enhances one resume might damage another. While
no unswerving blueprints exist, however, there are
common elements. This resume guide will help you
make informed decisions about:

Understanding profitable skill sets in the IT
Industry

Assessing your background

Locating a target job

Critically reading a job posting

Researching a target company

Pulling it all together

INSIDE
1. UNDERSTANDING
PROFITABLE SKILL SETS IN
THE IT INDUSTRY
2. ASSESSING YOUR
BACKGROUND
3. LOCATING A TARGET JOB
4. CRITICALLY READING
A JOB POSTING
5. RESEARCHING A TARGET
COMPANY
6. PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Even though well be discussing
writing a resume as a series of discrete
steps, it probably wont work like
that in practice. Writing is a recursive
processit goes in fits and starts, as
steps overlap and spark new ideas.
Every step you take, and word you
write, shifts and impacts every other
decision, so there will be some back
and forth. Consider these sections
as different aspects youll need to
address, rather than rigid process
instructions.

ULTIMATE GUIDE
RESUME WRITING FOR IT PROFESSIONALS

1. UNDERSTANDING
PROFITABLE SKILL SETS IN
THE IT INDUSTRY
One of the initial steps is recognizing what will catch a
potential employers eye. Every job has its own
requirements and expectations (more on that later),
but there are nevertheless some reoccurring features.
These can be classified as hard skills and soft skills.
Here are things you might see popping up repeatedly
as hard skill traits for IT positions:

Operating Systems (Unix/Linux)

Desktop Operating Systems (Macs, the
various iterations of Windows)

Programming Languages (Java, C++, Perl)

Network Administration (design, capacity
planning, management)

Systems Analysis and Systems Design

Database Management or Design

HTML, XML, or other Web-based
programming skills

Hardware and Accessories (printers, docking

stations, PC cards, etc.)

Workstation and Desktop Administration

Virtualization (server virtualization, desktop

virtualization, application virtualization, cloud
computing, etc.)

Mobile application development

Securities, Data Protection, and
Fault Tolerance

Any industry specific technical skills

(ex. Computational chemistry programs;
sales force, accounting, or stock tracking

software; logistics support, etc.)

Proprietary applications

do more but may not have deep

understanding of any one technology.
Specialists on the other hand, are
valuable to larger organizations looking
for experts specializing in specific
technologies. Understanding the
distinction between generalists and
specialists will help you define your
technical skill set and identify the
organizations you should be
applying to.

Many companies, depending on size and focus,

wont be looking for someone who can do all these
thingstheyll look for someone who can do some
combination of these things very well. Smaller
businesses will usually look for generalists IT
professionals with a broad set of skills who can

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Beyond technical skills, (which you should think of as

the baseline of competency for an IT position),
companies look for employees who can demonstrate
so-called soft skillsless concrete but no less
crucial. Here are the major types:
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
A solid leader does many things well. Hiring
managers want someone who can motivate others,
resolve differences (whether of opinion or personality),
anticipate issues before they arise, and weave the
goals of one department into the larger fabric of the
companyamong many other things.
WRITING/COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Business is a world of constant documentation.
Incoming employees, even highly technical ones, are
often taken aback by the amount of writing. On a
call-center job, you write nightly reports about volume
and trends, as well as accounts of individual calls.
Teams and individuals write status reports. You
could write field reports about client consultations
or conferences, and incident reports to document
security breaches. Lower level employees write
proposals seeking approval for projects or equipment,
and managers write memos to dictate policy and
document standard operating procedures. And dont
even get me started on process instructions.
TEACHING AND TRAINING SKILLS
Even though youre the technology expert, youll
still train people to use the technology. Sometimes,
this will be simple (say, setting up a secure network
password) and sometimes more complicated (like,
say, using the database you built so lovingly). The
training may be on a one-off basis, or in the context
of training multiple end-users in a classroom setting.

One step above multi-tasking is

project management, where you
oversee a multidimensional project,
often involving overlapping stepsor
multiple employees working at the
same timeand coordinate them all
to achieve a common goal. Especially
for higher level IT jobs, project
management is a crucial skill set.
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Most technical jobs arent done in
isolation. You solve other peoples
computer problems, answer their
questions, and harness technology to
meet their objectives. Since technology
enhances peoples lives, you better
make sure that (as an expert in
technology) people dont find you too
frustrating. Playing nice in the sandbox
is just as important as an adult as it is
when youre a child.

DONT
LIST SKILLS IN WHICH
YOU MAY NOT BE
PROFICIENT.
DO
BE HONEST ABOUT THE
SKILLS YOU POSSESS.
LIST THOSE SKILLS THAT
YOUR SUPERIORS HAVE
RECOGNIZED.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

A common industry buzzword is multi-tasking
handling more than one project or task at once. Its
a challenging skill set because it involves heavy
prioritization, time-management, and organization.

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When you read job postings, or consider what

you might bring to a position, be mindful of these
common traits, and try to present your material (and
anticipate a companys needs) accordingly.

2. ASSESSING YOUR
BACKGROUND
Equally as important as knowing what employers
want, is knowing what you have to offer and how to
present this information. It is common to think of all
ways of describing something on a resume as being
equal. That is simply not the case.
Ideally, a resume will profile the most noteworthy
parts of your backgroundthings separating you
from other people doing the same job. As you
consider your resume, keep the following questions in
mind. Doing so will help you generate clear, specific
resume material.
1. DESCRIBE ANY TIMES YOUVE
BEEN SINGLED OUT FOR RECOGNITION.
This can be in a formal settingreceiving employee
of the month, for example, or earning a specific
compliment during an annual review. It can also
be more casual, like getting a gift card from a
manager as an attaboy for working overtime to
meet a deadline. What, specifically, earned you the
recognition? What did you receive?

DONT
LIST EVERY JOB OR
EXPERIENCE IN YOUR
BACKGROUND IN THE
SAME LEVEL OF DETAIL.
DO
SELECT SPECIFIC
MOMENTS AND
EXPERIENCES THAT
HIGHLIGHT YOUR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

2. DESCRIBE ANY SPECIFIC IDEAS

OR PROPOSALS IMPLEMENTED AT
YOUR PREVIOUS JOBS.
The ability to innovate, and
communicate innovation, is highly
prized. If any specific ideas of yours
made it through the approval process,
include them on your resume. What
specific thing did you propose that
made the company better?

3. DESCRIBE TIMES YOU WERE

GIVEN SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY.
Think about moments a manger picked
you to head up a project, or take on
an opportunity, when they could have
selected other people. What was the
nature of the task? What did it involve?

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organizations? Are your certifications

and knowledge current? How do you
ensure this? What might make the
immediacy of this knowledge valuable
to an employer?
Each of these prompts will help you
isolate strong resume material that can
demonstrate the kind of personality
traits hiring managers often seek,
including: reliability, respect for
others, professionalism, confidence,
innovation, and openness to new ideas.

4. DESCRIBE TIMES YOU CONTRIBUTED

SOMETHING TANGIBLE AND MEASURABLE TO
THE COMPANYS SUCCESS.
Companies love quantifying accomplishments. Did
you increase network efficiency? Or boost overall
office productivitylike faster response time to
customer inquiries or order processing? Did your
work increase profits, sales, web traffic, or market
share? If so, by how much? Did you increase the
companys industry profilelike by securing a
publication or speaking at a conference? Think about
how success is measured in your industry. How do
you measure up?

Going through each position in your

background with these prompts in mind
will help you pick out material that will
shine on your resume, and give you a
better sense of what jobs to target.

3. LOCATING A
TARGET JOB
Now its time to see what the job field
has to offer. This can be intimidating.
When searching, youll find
lots of things that dont quite
match your education, expertise, or

5. DESCRIBE ANY MAJOR PROJECTS IN WHICH

YOU WERE INVOLVED.
What did you contribute to them, and what did
they contribute to the company? How were they
received? Try to avoid vague terms like assisted,
helped, contributed to, and similar terms. Chart the
nature of your involvement as specifically as you can.
6. DESCRIBE HOW YOU STAY INFORMED ABOUT
EMERGING DIMENSIONS OF YOUR FIELD.
Do you attend conferences, subscribe to major
publications, or maintain membership in trade

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experience. When you toss in anxiety about all the

other people looking for the same kind of job, it is
easy to be discouragedand perfectly natural.
If you know where to look, however, and can accept
the unavoidable, needle-in-a-haystack feeling, there
are fine opportunities to be found. There are two ways
to conduct a job search: passively and actively.
When you look passively, you post a resume to a
web-site or database and wait for people to come
to you. Theres nothing inherently wrong with this
strategy. You have to recognize, though, that many
hiring managers are so overwhelmed with candidates
actively applying that there is little need (or inclination)
to farm the databases.
When someone is staring at a list of four hundred
resumes, the last thing they often want is more.
A better job search strategy is to aggressively seek
out and apply to postings. People place job ads in all
sorts of venues: college career centers, local or
university job fairs, company web-sites, social
networks, and trade publications among them.
The most common way to find job postings, though,
is to troll the online databases. In addition to massive,
full-service job portals like Monster or CareerBuilder,
try sites that focus on IT jobs specifically, like the
following:
www.dice.com
www.computerjobs.com
www.itjobs.com
www.justtechjobs.com
www.devbistro.com
www.icrunchdata.com
www.prgjobs.com

There are others as well. Many others.

Thousands of others. In fact, just like
you probably wont use all databases
and web resources at your disposal,
most companies wont use all of them
either.
Consequently, theres sometimes a
vast difference between search results
at the various sites, so strike a
balance between combing through the
massive sites and the specialty ones.
Dont go too crazy with submitting
applications, by the way, or apply too
hastily. Really scout the positions
for something that matches your skill
sets, and try not to wink at the first
pretty job that comes along. It may
seem counterintuitive, but youll be
much more successful if you effectively
target, say, ten jobs that fit you well,
than if you apply to a hundred jobs
haphazardly.
For more details about some of the
sites mentioned above, as well as
profiles of a few others, check out
our blog post listing the 7 Best Job
Sites for IT Professionals.

DONT
APPLY FOR EVERY
JOB THAT CROSSES
YOUR PATH
DO
SEEK OUT THE
JOBS THAT ARE A
CLEAR FIT WITH
YOUR SKILLS,
BACKGROUND AND
INTERESTS.
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4. CRITICALLY READING A
JOB POSTING
The first step to critically reading a job posting,
naturally, is actually reading a job posting. Dont just
dash through the headlines in your enthusiasm;
examine the desired and necessary traits, minimum
experience, and required certifications or GPA
standards. If a company is serious enough to mention
those criteria, they probably mean them. If you see
something that would reasonably disqualify you, its
best to move on to another posting.
If you find something that seems like a good match,
give it a closer look. Weve already covered the basic
skill sets that companies often emphasize. While all
of them are important to some extent, their relative
degree of importance will be a function of the job in
question. To assess what traits are most specifically
in play, you need to learn how to critically read a job
posting.
Start by carefully examining what is being requested.
Dont just look at the traits describedconsider
their organization and emphasis. It is a reasonable
assumption that the most important traits will be
addressed first, or be given the most focused
attention. Sometimes, a welldeveloped job posting
will emphasize specific duties, making a big deal
about security or problem solving. Sometimes the
most important traits are mentioned more than once.
If any of the above occurs, make sure that your
resume follows suit, and reflects the relative emphasis
of the job posting itself.

DONT
CREATE A TIERED
SKIM A JOB POSTING AND
SYSTEM WITH THE LEAST
ASSUME IT WILL BE A
VALUABLE PERK ON THE
GOOD MATCH.
BOTTOM AND WORK
YOUR WAY TO THE TOP.
DO
LOOK CRITICALLY AT THE
POSTING. SEE WHERE
YOUR SKILLS LINE UP
WITH THE SPECIFIC
SKILLS THE EMPLOYER IS
SEEKING.

most important traits are mentioned

more than once. If any of the above
occurs, make sure that your resume
follows suit, and reflects the relative
emphasis of the job posting itself.
You can also look carefully at how a
company describes itself in this, their
first impression. A company that leads
by calling itself a daring innovator will

You can also look carefully at how a company

describes itself in this, their first impression. A
company assumption that the most important traits
will be addressed first, or be given the most focused
attention. Sometimes, a well developed job posting
will emphasize specific duties, making a big deal
about security or problem solving. Sometimes the

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Such details are not arbitrary

preferencestheyre actually part of
the screening process, designed to
weed out anyone who (a) doesnt follow
instructions, or (b) is carpet-bombing
the industry by sending a resume to
anyone willing to read it. In either case,
such resumes rarely make it out of the
initial stages of candidate selection.
If they make a specific request, be sure
you oblige.

probably respond to your emphasizing accounts of

any revised processes or fresh technologies, or how
they might be used. If they describe themselves as a
dynamic and fast paced development team theyve
already communicated three ideas: constant change,
and the importance of deadlines and group goals.
Companies only get a finite amount of space to pitch
themselves, so what they emphasize is frequently
important.

For some insight into how inappropriate

responses to a posting are typically
received (hint: not well) check
out this article by TrainSignals CEO
Scott Skinger, which discusses some of
these tips from a business
owners perspective: IT Job Tips: How
to get into the YES Folder.

When you incorporate these dimensions, by the way,

make sure and back up your claims with specific
examples, in addition to dropping in key words
Parroting the companys language back to them, and
leaving it at that, often comes across as flimsy.
Caution: it isnt at all uncommon for employers to
get a little sneaky when they write their job postings.
Many employers will specify a certain person
to whom applications should be addressed, for
example, or request a specific resume section or
piece of content. Others will request that applicants
include specific keywords or tags for their searchable
database.

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5. Researching a target
company
Now that youve got some idea about your
background as a candidate, know the jobs available
to you, and know how to evaluate a job posting,
the next step is to research your target company.
In addition to looking for cue words in the job
posting, here are some ways you can learn who
youre talking to:
Review Your Familiarity
Unless youre applying for every job that comes
along, theres probably a reason you picked one
company over another. When did you first hear about
them? Jogging your memory can help you determine
how to tactfully approach the company, blending their
interests with yours.

DONT
ASSUME YOU KNOW ABOUT
A COMPANY WITHOUT DOING
RESEARCH ON THEM.
DO
RESEARCH THE COMPANY
TO LEARN ABOUT ITS VISION,
SIZE, GROWTH, CULTURE
AND THE TYPE OF WORK
THEY PROVIDE TO THEIR
CUSTOMERS.

Look at Mission or Vision Statements

Every company, large or small, tries
to craft an identity for themselves,
a brand. A corporate identity can
often provide clues into what kind of
employee theyre looking for. Many
companies post mission statements on
their website. Showing familiarity with
these corporate ideals can help you
craft your own persona, and determine
how your individual job fits into the
companys larger picture. For a sample
mission statement, take a look at
ShareSquared.
Research the Companys Place in
the Industry
Just like its important to know how
your potential position fits into the
company, its important to understand
how the company itself fits into the
industry culture. Are they a major
player with elite status, or are they a
respectable start-up? Do they aspire
to marketplace dominance, or are they
content with serving a small-scale
market and doing so well?

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This kind of research is especially important if youre

applying for a job at a company that isnt IT specific
like, say, a company that makes diving equipment
who needs an IT person. Most such companies want
a techie, yes, but they also want someone who can
understand their larger industry--or at minimum show
theyre willing to understand it.
As you research, here are things to look for:

Talks or presentations at conferences
or webinars.

Interviews with employees/owners.

Company profiles, whether self-produced,

third-party, or social network (i.e. LinkedIn

profiles).

Press Releases, which will tell you about
recent innovations

Product or service reviews
Most of this information will be available online. For
more focused research, try running an internet search
with any of the above keywords plus the company
name. You can also research major players in the
company, like whoever calls the bigger picture shots,
so who you know youll be working with. It isnt
necessary to become a full-fledged expert at the
resume stagethough if youre especially interested
in the position, or have advanced to the interview
process, I wouldnt discourage it. The only essential
step is that you show any familiarity at all.
When you work this information into your cover letter
or resume, by the way, try to do so with some tact.
Connect the things that you discover with your own
identity as a candidate, or design the bullet points on
your resume to implicitly match areas of repeated
company interest. Try to be more subtle than simply
dropping in key words or phrases, though.
If you do this well, the benefits can be immense. Most
applicants write a one-size-fits-all cover letter that
does little to incorporate specifics; these applications
are frequently ignored. Put more positively, showing
the kind of familiarity described above is a great way

to get noticed for positive reasons. In

an age of information and networking,
most companies work hard at telling
people about themselvesmake sure
they know that youre listening.

6. pulling it all
together
After youve gone through these steps,
youll have a much better sense of who
youre talking to, and what you have
to say. Now apply the insights youve
developed to your resumes. Notice,
by the way, the use of the plural in
that last sentence: resumes. There is
such magnificent diversity of positions,
backgrounds, companies, and needs
that it is almost impossible for one
resume to capture them all fully.
For more information about presenting
your resume (now that you have
a firmer grip on your material and
objectives) we invite you to check out
the following pages, from TrainSignals
IT Resumes 101 series:
IT Resume Basics Learn about the
different sections of an IT resume and
how you can avoid getting bumped
from the pile during your job search.

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Crafting Your Education Section See what should

(and shouldnt) go into the Education section of your
resume, how to incorporate your IT certifications, and
where your Education section should live on your
resume.
Tips for a Perfect Technical Skills Section Optimize
the Technical section of your resume with these 4 tips
that cover accuracy, formatting, and more.
How to Optimize Your Work History Section
Want to set yourself apart from the competition?
See how specific details added to your Work History
section can help tell a story and show off your
expertise.
Language Skills, Volunteer Experience,
Publications...Get the info on how to incorporate
additional sections and valuable information to
your IT resume including language skills, volunteer
experience, publications, presentations, professional
affiliations and more.

DONT
THINK ABOUT YOUR JOB
SEARCH FROM JUST YOUR
OWN NEEDS AND WANTS.
DONT SEND THE SAME
RESUME TO ALL EMPLOYERS.
DO
APPROACH YOUR JOB
SEEKING FROM THE
EMPLOYERS POINT OF
VIEW. ASK YOURSELF, WHAT
VALUE CAN I BRING TO THIS
COMPANY TO HELP THEM
FULFILL THEIR MISSION?
CUSTOMIZE YOUR RESUME
TO ADDRESS THE SPECIFIFC
QUALITITES AND SKILLS
THEYRE SEEKING

And for even more information, as it becomes available, you can always visit our IT Career Help Section at
www.trainsignaltraining.com/it-career-help, which updates frequently with content about resumes, cover
letters, interview techniques, and job search strategiesas well as all manner of other IT related information.
We hope to see you regularly.
In the meantime, we wish you the best of luck with your job search!

About the author

Alan Ackmann teaches Business and Technical Writing at DePaul University in
Chicago, Illinois. His creative work has appeared in a variety of literary journals,
including Ontario Review and McSweeneys. In addition to teaching and writing,
he edits resumes on a freelance basis.
About Train Signal
TrainSignal, Inc (www.TrainSignal.com) is the leader in video training for IT Professionals. Their training products
cover Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, Citrix and VMware. Courses are available via online streaming and in offline
viewing for training on the go. With videos that cover both real-world and certification topics, TrainSignal has
something for everyone.

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