Technology resume gaffes to avoid

Most resumes only get seconds of attention, so how to make yours stand out? Follow these handy tips.

Comments

If you're still concerned about the length of your resume, consider creating a one- or two-page resume with additional pages serving as an appendix or addendum. I have done that for many researchers and academicians. The first few pages focused on their backgrounds, while their publications and presentations were presented as an appendix.

Not providing accomplishments

A vast majority of technology resumes focus about 80 percent on duties and only 20 percent (if at all) on accomplishments. With so many technology professionals claiming proficiency and experience in similar technologies, how is the employer to differentiate between two qualified candidates? Powerful resumes are accomplishment-driven. Let me clarify this concept with the help of an example:

Description of duties: Responsible for writing inventory management programs in C++.
Description of accomplishments: Utilized C++ to create cost-effective inventory management application that allowed inventory managers to track (in near real time) about 40 million units across 12 warehouses, accelerated inventory audit accuracy 20 percent, and cut costs by $1.5 million. Wrote program within half the expected time.

Using generic objectives

"Seeking a CIO position with an organization that provides mutually beneficial opportunities." If that's your idea of an objective, don't bother using one. Of the 5,000-plus resumes I've written, I may have used an objective for maybe a handful of candidates. In place of objectives, I often use what many experts call "branding statements" or "headers."

In the case of a project manager, for example, I would create a statement like the following:

Award-winning project manager who has led 30+ multimillion-dollar projects from start to finish.

19+ years' extensive experience in project management. Worked on complex projects while managing cross-functional international teams of 300 individuals. Drove projects to completion an average 10 percent under budget and 30 days ahead of schedule.