Even though the academic field is vast with limitless angles and grounds, there are distinctions between its parts. For instance, science is very much different from arts and humanities; not only in its subject matter and methodology, but also in overall outlook, tone, and approach.
When that same principle is applied to resume writing, the difference between a traditional resume, such as resumes for marketing, sales, teaching, etc., positions, and a technical one becomes clearer.
A resume is a compact presentation of the skills and abilities of a person who is applying for a specific position in an organization. The rationale behind writing a resume is to present all the necessary information in a succinct form that will help recruiters either select or reject the candidate.
As we have shown in the opening paragraphs, even resumes for different industries differ from each other. So, applicants should know the differences before moving forward with their applications.
In this article, we will take a deep dive into;
- What Is A Technical Resume?
- How to Create An Impressive Technical Resume
- Tips for Improving Your Technical Resume
- Core Skills For Technical Resume
A Look At A Technical Resume
In simple terms, a technical resume is a summary of all the attributes and virtues of a person that will help them in acing their job in a technical capacity. As for many things in the writing and editing, it is easier said than done, especially when applicants have accumulated significant experience and do not know what to include in their resume and what to leave out.
According to experts, the best way to answer this question is to go through the job description that applicants want to apply for and check the core requirements. This will help them in keeping only the relevant information.
Another thing about resume writing is not only doing everything right but making it look perfect and better than others. As we know in many cases, hundreds of aspirants apply for a single position and almost all of them meet the core criteria. This is where the need to stand out from the crowd becomes acuter.
Fields that Require Technical Resumes
Following are the fields that require technical resumes for landing a job in a company:
- Engineering
- Information Technology
- Computer Science
- Programming & Coding
- Software Engineering
- Web Designing & Development
- Network & System Administration
- DevOps
Even in these fields and domains, the job requirements vary which means applicants need to compose or tweak their resumes accordingly.
How To Compose A Stand Out Technical Resume
There is no denying that hitting the right nails in the right place can help improve the odds for professionals to secure a job. Depending on the company and the requirements for a certain position, certain elements of a resume should be fine-tuned proportionately.
As for the basic or core elements, they run almost the same across both technical and traditional resumes.
In this section, we will take a hard look at;
- What comprises a technical resume
- How to make it better
Add Personal Information
First things first, the header of a technical resume should house all the relevant personal information about the applicant. This includes;
- First & Last Name
- Contact Details (Phone Number, Email)
- Location (State or Locality, If Applicable)
- Online Profiles (LinkedIn, Portfolio)
Include A Professional Summary
Many professionals believe that the days of adding professional statement or summary is over. But the truth is far from it. Recent studies have shown that applicants who add professional summaries to their resumes are twice as likely to receive a call back from employers.
The point of adding a professional summary is to highlight the professional journey, major milestones, and skills in a succinct yet comprehensive way.
List Hobbies & Interests
If someone goes through the templates of popular resumes of the last ten years, then he will find that hobbies and interests have still retained their position. When it comes to technical resume writing, this section should be added with great caution.
Hobbies and interests that are at least indirectly related to the profession. For instance, it would be great to highlight progress in coding and hacking games if a person is applying for a programming position.
Fine-Tuning of Resume
There are two major scenarios for aspirants while applying for a technical job; either they are applying to multiple positions or one dream position in their favorite company. In both cases, it is best to fine-tune resumes before sending them out.
Start with the skills and capabilities by matching them with the requirements highlighted in the job description. Then comes details that can make them better suited for the job than other candidates.
Ultimately, it is about writing a resume that can showcase what is visible and what is subtle about a candidate and his suitability for the position.
Showcase Work Experience
According to many renowned technical resume professionals, this is the most important section of a resume as it shows the recruiters whether an applicant is capable of shouldering the responsibility or not.
The best way to ensure a recruiter that is to rely on empirical data instead of stringing paragraphs to summarize the prior experience.
Tips For Technical Resume Writing
To further help aspirants in making their resumes better, here are some practical tips for technical resume writing.
Facts & Figures Over Descriptions
It is common in traditional resumes that applicants to highlight their experience, professional summary, and skills in only a descriptive way. This is often acceptable in the non-technical roles but they are never ideal.
While writing a technical resume, it is necessary to go through all the data that an aspirant wants to include in the resume and replenish it with facts and figures.
Following are some of the ways to highlight achievements more potently:
- Was instrumental in developing the new application that raised the customer satisfaction index by 20%
- Collaborated with teammates to improve the response time of stock trading applications by 35%
Keywords in Job Description
The best way to start writing a resume is by going through the job description over and over again. In this process, applicants must look for keywords that were stressed by the employers.
While writing the resume, applicants must incorporate those terms and keywords in the content to ensure they end up at the top of the food chain.
Add Niche Social Profiles
Social profiles have been complementing resumes for a long time. What could not be summed up in a page can be directed toward a live link where employers can find more about the candidate.
Keep in mind that profiles that are exclusively used for personal content should not be included in the technical resumes.
Highlight Academic Achievements
As with other jobs, technical roles often require a baseline formal education. It could be graduation or post-graduation in the relevant field. Applicants can highlight the following things to showcase their competence:
- Excellent College
- Competitive Program
- Honors & Achievements During College
Accolades & Awards
Aspirants should not shy away from making a space for their accolades and awards. This not only shows that the applicant is highly skilled but also dedicated to his profession.
This is a sure-fire way to stand out from the rest of the crowd so applicants should ensure they have listed all their achievements and milestones.
Only Relevant Headings & Sections
Many rely on technical resume templates that often come with more than necessary headings and subsections. Instead of stuffing information in these headings, applicants must remove these sections from their resumes.
When something does not apply to the position they are applying for, it is best to leave it behind so that relevant skills, educational background, and so on.
Vigorous Language & Active Voice
When choosing between active and passive voice, it is best to go with the former one. It shows confidence and leaves little room to mince words.
While highlighting skills, milestones, and achievements, aspirants should rely on vigorous language and active voice to convey the message.
Core Technical Skills For Technical Resume
What is the point of composing a technical resume if an applicant cannot showcase his abilities accordingly?
The best way to make sure nothing is left out in this part while highlighting the skills, applicants should follow the tiered scheme. It is about making three distinct levels and then placing skills and abilities in the relevant section.
For instance, for a programmer who knows a lot of certain programming languages, knows a little about some, and then learning some, he can compile all the information through these three tiers:
- Advanced
- Intermediate
- Beginner
This will also help them in staying afloat if companies use automated tools to shortlist candidates based on their relevant learning and acquired skills.
Concluding Remarks
The technical sector plateaued in terms of job creation during the last couple of years. But things are taking a turn for the better. In the coming years, the sector is expecting immense growth in Software Engineering, Computer Science, and IT sectors.
Professionals who are looking for a job in this sector must spend time and energy overhauling their resumes. It is still one of the few and most potent things to show to an employer to secure a job. This article has highlighted all the necessary things about technical writing in detail so aspirants can take valuable help from it.
