By Surranna Sandy, BA, JCTC, JCDC, CEIP, CPRW,CRS-IT, CWPP, MBA'12
When writing a technical resume it is easy to lose sight of the overarching strategy that encompasses not only the client’s technical competencies, but also their leadership, initiative, creativity and personality attributes – the human aptitudes that will distinguish my client’s resume from the stack of other applications on an HR manager’s desk. Learning to navigate that fine line, between positioning an IT professional as an acutely technical candidate, yet one with the collaborative, energetic and sociable personality that would appeal to diverse stakeholders, team-members and clients, I feel is a true accomplishment. Over the years, I have developed a passion for writing technical resumes, as well as several winning techniques to ensure that these career documents effectively demonstrate a 360° perspective of the breadth and depth of my client’s skill.
The primary objective is to tell a compelling story of the client’s career history, their successes and the progressive accumulation of skill and knowledge that will set them apart as a top-tier talent. Next, it is imperative to present this content in concise, attention-getting and value-driven language that is not overpowered with technical jargon or unnecessary hyperbole. Most importantly, the resume should clearly articulate the client’s unique brand - their specific value-proposition and the forward-looking edge they can bring to an evolving technical environment. Finally, the writing should be encompassed in a readable and attractive format that works to enhance the overall presentation and professionalism of the resume.
It is critical to portray the distinctive worth my client’s knowledge and expertise will channel into the prospective employer’s organization. For example, for executive and managerial clients I highlight a solid balance of technical expertise with a clear focus on their business acumen: success building high-caliber teams; developing & deploying innovative strategies to reduce cost or improve efficiency; re-engineering business pipelines; managing budgets & projects; and staying on the crest of new technology trends to support their organization’s strategic initiatives. The goal for all of my managerial and executive resumes is to be clear, concise and creative, mitigating the jargon and acronym-overload with relevant and persuasive leadership success and business capabilities.
When working with highly technical clients, such as senior software developers, network architects and system/QA analysts, the challenge often becomes the client themselves. I frequently find myself negotiating with my client to moderate the avalanche of technical qualifications they insist on including. By educating my client on the importance of the aforementioned balance, I urge them to emphasize projects and competencies that incorporate tools and processes that are either industry staples or on the forefront of technical innovation. Instead of listing the A-to-Z of my client’s familiarity with technical tools, apps, languages, platforms, etc., we strategize to highlight those technologies that: a) do not date the client b) are relevant and up to date and c) the client excels with and enjoys, in order to comprehensively bolster their career trajectory and candidacy.
In order to unearth the golden career nuggets, I often use the PAR formula, encouraging my clients to disclose the Problem, Action, Result scenarios they have encountered. The process-oriented and analytical mindset of technical professionals often reacts well to this approach, and enables my client to authentically convey the quantifiable results they have produced over the course of their careers. By asking probing questions, such as: what was the scope of the projects you have worked on? What were your specific roles? What was the impact of the project on the organization? What were some of the challenges you resolve during this project? Did you have supervisory or leadership responsibility? What was the dollar value of the project? What were the technical solutions implemented, which technical skills used and what was your role in its implementation? What unique skills did you develop as a result of your participation in this project? The responses to these questions provide me with evidence-based stories to furnish the clients resume. For all clients, irrespective of their level, I try to bring out the ways that they added value to their past employers and teams by incorporate quantifiable results. By demonstrating their ability to reduce cost to the organization, or identify and implement a technical solution that improved productivity and efficiency while reducing man-hours, I am able to save my client’s candidacy from the trapping limitations of the techno-resume.
Writing a superior technical resume requires a great deal more than a list of the client’s technical acumen and their career history. IT resume writing requires strategic use of key accomplishments and nuanced creativity that showcases the client’s unique personal brand, helping them “stand out from the crowd.” By integrating a focus on adding value, improving productivity and reducing cost wherever possible, I position my clients as sought after talents that will deliver on all fronts: technical, business and human!
Surranna Sandy is the President of Surcorp Resume Solution. She holds the following certifications:
Certified Job & Career Transition Coach
Certified Job & Career Development Coach
Certified Employment Interview Professional
Certified Professional Resume Writer
Certified Resume Strategist - Information Technology
Certified Web Portfolio Practitioner
