Resume Tips

Build a stronger technical resume by learning:
Goals, Things to Avoid, and Things to Do

Goals of a technical resume:

  1. To get read by the decision-maker (or at all).

  2. To present all the necessary technical skills and experience (preferably in a minimum amount of time).

  3. To generate the necessary excitement and interest to get an interview.

The tips below are meant to increase your odds of accomplishing the above goals.  They are meant to be very restrictive when combined.  Relaxing any one requirement will not likely mean resume suicide but why chance it when you may sacrifice the perfect opportunity for the sake of a small creative freedom.

back to top

Things to avoid :

Avoid Reason to Avoid
Exaggeration / false claims just don't do it
Proprietary text format, fonts/font size, frames they may not email, scan or fax well
Proprietary file formats they may not email or scan well
Emailing Viruses with email obvious detractor for job consideration
Visible changes from old resume versions (an often overlooked trap to avoid) only present the information you mean to
Too many pages more than three pages is overkill
Too much/little white space on 
the page		 renders the resume unreadable
Too many technology buzzwords no one believes it (regardless of the truth)
Including any private/personal information no right to ask - don't volunteer
Functional only work experience sets off warning bells with readers

back to top

Things to Do :

Your resume should be laid out chronologically from most recent work experience to oldest.

Within each work experience, three things need to be presented:

  1. Overall technical environment.

  2. What you specifically did and what technology tools you specifically used.

  3. Why is was done that way and what was accomplished.

Fonts and font size, text formatting, frames Times New Roman 10 or 12 pt min; discrete use of bold, italic; frames should be avoided as they don't parse well into most applicant tracking systems
File formats use MS Word,  *.rtf or *.txt
Check attachments to email for viruses scan attachments before sending, consider pasting resume text into body of email
Changes from old resumes in Word :Tools menu, Track Changes, delete
# of pages if you need more pages, use two or three
Balance white space of the page use 3/4" page margins minimum
Technology buzzwords group only those substantiated in the body
Personal / private information leave it off the resume
Work experience presentation chronological from newest to oldest

back to top