Those looking for IT jobs around the country are all experiencing the same problem and that is that they seem to be “unfindable” by IT recruiters.
The first mistake contributing to this is an IT professional believing that it is the recruiter’s job to find them when it is actually the IT pro’s job to make sure they are found. The more help the recruiters get in the search, the faster the IT professional is found.
Use The Internet
The Internet is a very valuable tool in your job search. Upload that resume’ and make sure it is a good one. Use specific keywords within it everywhere you decide to upload it online. You can pour over industry ads, read job descriptions, and study the industry trades to identify the wording that belongs on your resume’. The key to using these keywords is that you need to use them more than once on the resume’. This isn’t the same as repeating sentences on your resume’, which is something you don’t want to do.
Yes, this may seem a little ridiculous, but chances are you are going to be uploading various versions of your resume’ all around the Internet and there are some cases where the keywords will help a recruiter find you. If one person uses a specific keyword once and another uses it twice, the person who used it twice is more likely to rise to the top or be found in a keyword search by the recruiter.
Take it Easy on the Abbreviations and Descriptions
It can be tempting to abbreviate past job titles, but use the abbreviation and the full title too. This goes back to the keyword thing, but it also gets the attention of the recruiter when they are reading through the resume’.
Second, when it comes to your job descriptions, get to the point. If a recruiter sees that every job description on the resume’ is a mile long, they may not be in the mood to read it. If the resume’ hasn’t gotten their attention at the very start so that they want to read the entire thing, long job duty descriptions can play against you. If possible, place job duties in bullet form so that it is easier to read. Recruiters do like bullet points because they can read through them quickly.
Another aspect of job descriptions is when describing past information technology jobs that you have had, you do not have to explain every single problem you had to solve. Again, doing this contributes to very long descriptions. Pick one problem that required a lot of skill to solve and present it in a way that doesn’t say, “I solved this problem and I am so excited about it that I took myself out for ice cream after work.” As proud as you are, it is best to say it in the most formal way possible.
Pretend You Are The Recruiter
Another key to landing one of the lucrative IT positions available is to write your resume’ like you are the recruiter. Look at job boards and ask yourself what you would do? Search for resumes that individuals have uploaded online and determine which keywords you would plug in to get attention. What would you say differently from them that would make you stand out?
When your resume’ stands out through the use of keywords, a clean format, and answers to many of the questions that the recruiter may have about your experience, you are less likely to be skimmed over in the sea of IT career resumes.