Top 7 Resume Tips for Tech Jobs

1. List Your Technical and Coding Skills at the Top

Tech recruiters scour through thousands of resumes a year looking for top talent. To keep them interested, you need to catch their attention and show your relevant tech skills at the top of your resume. If you have a lot of experience, consider listing it by category.

For example, list the languages you're proficient in, such as Java, Python, and JavaScript. Note your fluency in HTML and CSS and list the tools, frameworks, and databases you have experience with.

Employers are also interested in your soft skills. These skills tell them a bit about how you work with others and who you are as a person. Some of the top soft coding skills include strong communication, problem-solving, attention to detail, and teamwork.

2. Highlight Personal Projects

If you're just starting and don't have much professional experience, personal projects can take their place. For example, you can build a web app or a user interface (UI) for an app to show your technical prowess.

Highlighting your projects demonstrates how you can use your listed skills and the results. These are especially helpful if you're a recent graduate, just entering the job market, or changing careers. Make sure to list your most impressive accomplishments first.

If you can, include the measurable impact with the experience. Quantifiable metrics catch a recruiter's attention. For example, if you upgraded a website for a friend's online business, cite the increasing number of new monthly visitors. You can place personal projects under skills or in their own category.

3. Link to Your Portfolio

Nothing excites a potential employer or hiring team more than looking through a candidate's portfolio. These work samples and projects validate your knowledge and let employers know you can do the job.

Include a link to your GitHub profile or a similar platform for project collection. Make sure your portfolio is up to date and the projects are relevant. Employers want to know you are passionate about your career and keep up with ever-changing technology, so let your enthusiasm shine through.

If you've just entered the field, you can include mock projects designed just for your portfolio. You can also link to your own website. Showcase projects that depict the type of work you're aiming for. For example, if you're a web developer looking to enter the healthcare industry, focus on developing projects in that arena while still demonstrating your diversity.

4. Add Any Technical Extracurriculars

Employers want passionate, motivated team members. Sharing your extracurricular activities in the tech field demonstrates that passion. Emphasize your involvement in coding and the tech community outside of work so employers know that the industry is an integral part of your life.

One activity that illustrates your involvement is attending hackathons where people come together to solve tech problems. You could also take online coding courses or learn a new programming language, which shows motivation and interest.

Coding or technology competitions and live-coding events are also growing in number. Some popular ones are TopCoder and Google's coding competitions. In addition, if you volunteered to help the local animal shelter set up a website or taught some coding classes at a summer camp, make sure to include those.

5. Link to Professional Profiles

As a tech-savvy individual, you probably created an online presence. Remember that tech recruiters may check it out, so make sure it's professional. It's also a good idea to include links to professional profiles, such as those found on LinkedIn, Indeed, and Handshake.

LinkedIn offers mini skills tests that you can take to prove you know what you're doing. It's a great place to display your abilities, past work, and projects. Make sure your LinkedIn page is up to date and aligns with the jobs you're applying for. It's also a good idea to make a custom URL, which you can do from your profile.

Hiring managers may also take a look at your Facebook page. Look at it from their perspective and make sure there's nothing that could reduce your chances of landing a job.

6. Focus on Skills Employees Are Looking For

Make sure to address the specific skills listed in the job posting. Sending out mass duplicate resumes can lead to little response and missed opportunities. Today, many companies use automated online application systems.

Computerized resume scanners filter through the hundreds, or thousands, of resumes that hiring managers and recruiters receive. They look for keywords and forward only the most relevant, qualified applicants.

You can get past these robots by making sure you're qualified for the role and listing the core skills they require on your resume. The keywords they look for include hard skills, such as languages and HTML proficiency.

Keep in mind that you need to tie the keywords into personal achievements. Recruiters easily recognize keyword stuffing. You can make your resume stand out more by listing your unique accomplishments.

7. Include Your Coding Bootcamp, if Applicable

If you've graduated from a coding bootcamp or completed online courses, include this information in your education section. Because coding bootcamps build job-ready skills, you can also add them to your work experience section.

Emphasize the experience and skills you gained. Most employers readily accept this type of education that demonstrates your motivation to learn and to continue to advance in your chosen field. Completing a rigorous bootcamp also shows your dedication and determination.

Instead of listing all the coding projects, highlight the projects and work that are relevant to the position. And don't forget to include them in your GitHub profile. If you earned applicable awards or received a certificate, make sure to attach these to your resume.