OK so I’ve been a manager off and on in information technology (especially software delivery) since 1990. I have hired a few employees, and more contract staff than I care to remember. I want to share some tips for getting your resume read and forwarded that work for me – they will get you a phone interview if you have the qualifications that I am looking for:
If you are looking for a role that has a leadership aspect: (technical architect, project manager, designer, manager, coordinator, scrum master, agile coach, product manager, etc. – if you are looking to move into a formal leadership role, then project that into your resume)
1) Make your resume tell me what kind of a job you are seeking. have a section devoted to how you want to add value on your next gig. Sometimes I call this “objective”. Objective focuses on the kind of roles you see yourself inhabiting, other times “summary” which focuses on your talent, skill, abilities and how you want to use that to add value to your employer. Hiring managers can quickly see whether there is synergy between their need and your direction. Let’s not waste each other’s time, shall we.
2) Clearly articulate the value that you added to your former/current employers. I like a Value, Action, Method format for bullets. Make sure that for each employer or job you put the biggest value at the top. (this tells me you know what is important, beyond just doing a job).
Example: <value> enabled 20% reduction in cost of admission processing <action> by delivering more efficient workflow and oversight <method> through implementation of BI dashboards in SSRS and BIZTalk workflow automation.
— don’t let your experience look like a job description. I see a lot of “responsible for this” or “participated in that” bullets. If you are hiring a QB for your football team, do you hire a QB who was responsible for calling plays, throwing passes and participated in running the offense? or do you hire one who scored 30 points per game, rushed for 100 yards, threw for 350 yards, had a 75% pass completion ratio over that last 3 seasons?
These tips apply to contributor roles as well: (developer, analysts, tester, sysadmin, network engineer, etc.) Continue Reading