7 Essentials of a Tech Resume

Updated October 6, 2023
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When it comes to formulating a resume, it is tempting to cut-copy-paste your resume and not do the hard work when what you need is just a Google search away. It is very easy to look up your profile and find tens of resumes online.

But you have to remember that your experience and professional goals are different than the person whose resume you have found on google. On top of that, how many other people do you think copied the same information?

The hiring managers could read the first two lines and know exactly what the rest of your resume is going to read like. Do you want a generic resume with no personality?

You obviously don’t. To help you avoid this mistake, we have compiled a list of 7 tips that will help you write a job-winning tech resume:

1. What is the right format for a tech resume?

These are the three most common resume formats that are being used in the industry right now:

  • Reverse Chronological Resume Format
  • Functional Resume Format
  • Combination or Hybrid Resume Format

Based on your professional situation, you can pick a resume format that most aligns with you.

For example:

  • If you’re a mid-level or senior-level tech professional, you can either go for the combination resume format or the reverse chronological resume format.
  • If you’re an entry-level professional in the tech industry, the combination resume format is your best bet as you don’t have a lot of work experience to talk about and this resume format helps you best present your skills.
  • If you’re a techie with career gaps or have a history of switching jobs too often, you should probably avoid the reverse chronological resume format as it focuses too much on the timeline of your work experience and exposes the gaps in your career.

We would encourage the use of the reverse-chronological or the combination resume format as they are both ATS-friendly, which gives your resume a higher chance of being shortlisted.

2. How to compose the perfect personal information section?

The personal information section only needs your contact details such as your Email ID, Phone Number, and Location.

This is the information a prospective employer will use to get in touch with you.

A mistyped personal information detail can land you in a world of trouble as your hiring manager will have no means of contacting you. So, pay special attention to this section.

Moreover, do not interpret the phrase ‘personal information’ too freely and divulge intimate details such as your Marital Status, Sexual Preference, Nationality, Religion, etc. These details may lead to biased hiring and in some countries, it is even illegal to mention these details on your resume.

3. What can you do to draft the ideal summary section?

A lot is riding on this section as it features at the front and center of your resume and is mostly the first thing the recruiter lays eyes on. It gives them a quick overview of your career and helps them decide if the rest of your application is worth going through.

If it is not up to the mark, your application goes straight down the drain. So, you must craft this section perfectly.

To make the summary sound assertive, start by mentioning the years of experience you have, following with your current or last designation. Keep it brief and simple by only focusing on your career highlights. Use numbers and performance figures to give weight to your claims.

Remember to wrap it in under 5 lines to achieve maximum effect.

4. How to effectively endorse your skills?

Daft a distinct section for your ‘Key Skills’. A tech profile could use two subsections for skills. One for your core skills and another for your technical skills.

You must go through the job description of your target job with a fine-toothed comb. Here you will find exactly what skills the recruiters are looking for. Mentioning these will up your chances of getting selected. However, only replicate the keywords that apply to you.

Here’s an example of what a skills on resume for a technical profile looks like:

Tech Resume

5. How to put your Professional Experience Section in the spotlight?

Follow the tips below in the order presented to fashion an ideal professional experience section:

  • Start by mentioning your designation, followed by the name of your former employer and their location. Write your dates of tenure using the months & year format.
  • Under this, give a one-line description of the company. If the company is not well known, try to include some figures about the number of employees or generated revenue to give your recruiters an idea of the size of their operation.
  • Now comes the juicy details. Write about your roles & responsibilities using brief, comprehensible bullet points. This makes the resume look neat and easy to navigate through, thus increasing the chances of your resume being evaluated in its entirety.
  • Use action verbs to begin each bullet point to assert confidence. Eg: Coordinated, Developed, Consolidated, Achieved, Integrated, etc. You can Google and find the action verbs that suit you best.
  • Recruiters love when candidates provide actual performance figures. Use numbers to dazzle your recruiter and solidify your place in the shortlist.
  • Use a technique called bucketing and bolding. Here you group similar points under unique subheadings and highlight important details by bolding them. This will draw the recruiters’ eyes towards the most important aspect of your application.

6. How important is the Education Section in a Tech Resume?

A technical profile demands that a candidate hold the necessary skills for the job. These skills come with education and you have to show the recruiter that you have what it will take to be a promising candidate.

This is why the education section holds a very important place in a tech resume.which is why it’s really important to learn how to write your own resume and show the necessary skills and knowledge that you have to possess for that particular job.

You could use a master’s degree to leverage higher pay, while an applicant with a lower educational background might not have that card to play while negotiating.

So, give a distinct section to your education and proudly mention it under it.

7. Should you leave the miscellaneous sections off your tech resume?

No! Sections like ‘Internships’ and ‘Certifications’ can add incredible value to your tech resume.

These sections are a testament to your passion and sincerity.

Mentioning certifications and internships shows the recruiter that you took time out of your daily life to gain more knowledge for your career.

Moreover, if it comes to narrowing down between multiple candidates with similar educational backgrounds and work trajectories, an applicant with something extra will hold an edge.

Conclusion

This article covers every major base for perfecting a tech resume. Following is a summary of the essentials of a tech resume:

  1. Use the reverse chronology resume format to draft your resume.
  2. The personal information is a section only meant for your contact details.
  3. The summary section needs to be brief and crisp. Wrap it up in under 5 lines.
  4. Make a distinct ‘Skills’ section to mention both your core and technical skills.
  5. Include performance figures while discussing past roles and responsibilities in the Professional Experience section.
  6. Write one-liner points while drafting your Professional Experience section for better readability.

Author Bio:- Aditya Sharma- A passionate entrepreneur and lover of all things tech, Aditya lives and breathes Hiration — an AI-powered online resume builder and platform to help professionals land their dreams jobs.

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