3 Resume Mistakes for IT Candidates to Avoid

Information technology professionals are some of the most frustrated job seekers I know.  They often find themselves in the position of being some of the brightest people in their companies, yet struggling to communicate exactly how their specialized knowledge contributes to the operations or bottom lines of their employers.  Here are three common mistakes I see on IT resumes:

Using way too much jargon

Technology candidates often assume that their resumes will be read by another IT professional, and they describe their previous work with tech-heavy terms. It’s important to realize that the initial screener of any resume is often a recruiter or human resources staff member.  Therefore, translating IT skills into general business terms and skills will help the reader grasp what you’re talking about.

Including every technology you’ve ever used

While some IT professionals do have degrees in computer science, the technology field is chock full of workers who taught themselves most of what they know.  For this reason, IT professionals are understandably proud of any professional certifications they’ve earned, often using their own time and money to do so.  However, many technology candidates fall into the trap of being so attached to their certifications that they refuse to remove them from their resumes long after the skills are relevant.  Being certified in Windows 95 is about as useful as knowing how to record a television show onto a Beta tape these days.

Assuming that your skills are obvious

To an IT professional, it’s incredibly obvious that anyone who has managed a network with 5 servers and 200 machines would know how to install anti-virus software.  However, someone working in human resources who happens to be hiring for their IT department is much less likely to know exactly what a network administrator does.  IT is one field where resume logic works a little differently; in this case, you do want to spell out many of the tasks associated with your role.  If you need help figuring out which information to include, ask a close friend or family member to try to describe your job to you—and then include anything on your resume that they don’t mention.

IT resumes follow a whole new set of rules that don’t always apply to other resumes. Make sure your IT resume is results-focused, speaks clearly about your skills, and has a targeted strategy – it’s very important to know your audience. We’re here to help if you decide you would like an IT resume writer to give your resume an overhaul this holiday season, visit Great Resumes Fast to learn more about our IT resume services.