ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » killer resumes http://www.it-career-coach.net How To Take Your Career To The Next Level Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:09:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Put Your Blinders On Before You Read This! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/10/01/put-your-blinders-on-before-you-read-this/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/10/01/put-your-blinders-on-before-you-read-this/#comments Sat, 01 Oct 2011 18:15:11 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3309

Put Your Blinders On Before You Read This!

Put Your Blinders On Before You Read This!

Blinders are useful in potentially distracting situations because they increase one’s ability to focus.

For example, blinders are useful for removing potentially distracting or scary scenes from a horse’s vision.

By preventing the horse from seeing everything in it’s peripheral vision, the rider can better control the horse’s focus or keep it on target.

So, what does “blinders on horses have to do with job descriptions”?

As you go about reading job descriptions and applying to jobs, you may become distracted, discouraged or even depressed by the skills or experience requirements posted on these job descriptions.

The posted requirements posted may overwhelm you, cause you considerable agitation or cause you to lose hope and count yourself out before you even apply for the job!

The solution? Put your job description blinders on …

#1: Give Yourself A Gut Check:

After reading a job description, ask yourself this singular, most important question: “do I have the ability to do this job?“

If the answer to this simple gut check is a yes; go ahead and e-mail your resume, regardless of the skills you seem to be lacking based on the job description!

A lot of the confusion with job descriptions stems from the fact that they are not written by technical folks or their managers but by Human Resources (HR) professionals, recruiters and staffing agencies.

I have had to help out HR professionals and recruiters with the wordings on job descriptions because they couldn’t understand the jobs, tools or careers they were hiring for, which in turn, impaired the clarity of the job description.

Even when technical folks (business analysts, computer programmers, project managers, etc.) write job descriptions, HR folks still extract sections from these, rewrite them based on their understanding before posting the final job description!

Unfortunately, the result is pain, confusion or discouragement for the professionals reading the job description.

#2: Put Your Job Description Blinders On:

So, to read or interpret job descriptions accurately, you must learn how to put filters on sentences, phrases or even entire paragraphs that serve only to discourage or distract you!

Here are some examples of misleading or inaccurate job descriptions:

  1. When a business analyst description specifies a Use Case Modeling tool as a required skill, put your job description blinders on!

    Why?

    Well, if you really understand Use Cases, you can create the document in any reasonable tool, even if you have to learn that Use Case modeling tool on the job.

    Information technology (IT) tools are generally designed to work for their users and not against them.

    So, if you really understand Use Cases, you can learn any new Use Case modeling tool in a reasonably short time and then write Use Case with that tool.

    If you are a qualified business analyst, apply for the job and confidently explain why your knowledge / skill in Use Cases is more important than the knowledge of one Use Case modeling tool versus another.

    What the employer really needs is your ability to write Use Cases and not the knowledge of a specific Use Case tool … that has little or no business value!

  2. When a programming job description specifies Visual Studio 2005 / 2008 / 2010 as a required skill instead of a specific programming language skill (C# or VB.NET), put your programming job description blinders on!

    Why?

    For all practical purposes, if you have good C# or VB.NET programming skills, you also have Visual Studio skills.

    Don’t obsess over the lack of a Visual Studio version posted on the job description because it was probably written by a non-technical person for whom the Visual Studio version number is a big deal!

On a final note, whenever you see a potentially distracting job description, put your blinders on, write up your resume to match the job description and then go ahead email your resume!

Can you think of any distracting, misleading or inaccurate requirements you have come across while reading job descriptions?

If you have, I will be glad to hear more about it …


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/10/01/put-your-blinders-on-before-you-read-this/feed/ 0 How to Tap Into Magical Hiring Powers http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/08/18/how-to-tap-into-magical-hiring-powers/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/08/18/how-to-tap-into-magical-hiring-powers/#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:28:09 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3269

Tapping Into Your Magical Hiring Powers

Tapping Into Your Magical Hiring Powers

As a Career Coach, I come across questions or discussions from job seekers “looking for recruiter who can get them a job“.

From the way these statements are worded, it seems that all it takes for the job seeker to get a job is finding a recruiter with magical hiring powers.

But, is it really true?

Do recruiters have hiring powers and how much of the success or failure of the job search depends on the recruiter’s magical hiring powers?

In this post, I will clarify the recruiter’s role and show you how to tap into the magical hiring powers available to job search candidates!

  1. Recruiters Are Gatekeepers

    Recruiters, staffing agencies or placement services simply screen and then forward resumes to employers / clients.

    A placement service will forward your resume to the client / employer if you have performed jobs in the past related to the job posting.

    If the employer is picky about resumes or complains about the quality / number of job candidates, the staffing / placement service will raise the requirements for submission.

    But keep in mind that recruiters do not exclusivity to job postings in a broad sense because you can always forward your resume to employers, have a staffing agency do it for you or do both.

  2. Recruiters Are Lie Detectors

    Generally speaking, many recruiters in the Information Technology (IT) industry do not have a technical background.

    They have not worked with or used the tools listed on your resume / job posting and cannot really say whether you are qualified or not.

    So, what they do is check your resume to see if it will pass a very basic, unsophisticated lie detector.

    Recruiters want to know such things like: where you have worked, what titles you held and whether you are eligible t work for the client.

    Note: when working with recruiters, take the extra step of convincing them that your resume and background is a good fit, because they may not be able to tell the difference!

  3. Can Staffing Agencies Claim Exclusivity?

    Generally, employers will use multiple staffing agencies and then use their own internal hiring team to narrow the pool of resumes down to a few candidates who would be interviewed or hired.

    An Employer may also decide to be discreet about the hiring process and use only one staffing agency.

    But even in this case, the staffing agency does not make a hiring decision. All the placement service can do for you is forward your resume to the employer.

  4. Who Makes Hiring Decisions?

    In all cases, it’s the employer’s internal hiring team / manager that makes the hiring decision and not the placement / staffing agency.

    Recruiters do not have magical hiring powers and you cannot base your job search on claims of exclusivity by a recruiter.

    Remember that the job search process is a democratic process and that you, the staffing agency and the employer all participate or play active roles in the process.

Discover Magic In A Law Of Numbers

One of the most important laws in the hiring process is the law of numbers.

This law says that “the more resumes you submit and job interviews you take, the greater your chances of getting hired!”

The law of numbers gives you magical hiring powers because the more recruiters, staffing or placement agencies you submit your resume to … the greater are your chances of getting hired.

So, my advice is, don’t look up to recruiters, staffing / placement agencies instead, look-up to yourself by tapping into your own magical hiring powers!


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/08/18/how-to-tap-into-magical-hiring-powers/feed/ 1 How To Transition Into A New Career http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/04/how-to-transition-into-a-new-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/04/how-to-transition-into-a-new-career/#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:50:41 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2951

Career Advice - Ask IT Career Coach

Career Advice - Ask IT Career Coach

[Ask IT Career Coach] is a Career Advice Column for Information Technology (IT) professionals looking for answers to their most challenging career situations.

This post answers the question of “how to transition into a new career“.

If you are making a career change and you don’t know how to effectively transition into another field, follow these simple steps to transition your career.

  1. Do what you love

    Discover what sort of career you will be passionate about before making a transition.

    Yo may transition because of a bigger salary, market demand, job security or interest level.

    Transitioning because of interest level or passion is the best reason.

  2. Get Hands-On Experience

    It will be hard to transition your career without getting some hands-on experience.

    Yes, you need to get this hands-on experience before you get the job … otherwise no one will believe that you are capable of doing the job

  3. Let Your Resume Sell You

    Your resume should reflect where you are going to and not where you are coming from.

    You need to get a hold of the resume of someone who is established in the career you are transitioning … and find a way to get matching skills, experience or portfolio.

  4. Don’t Follow The Crowd

    Do not transition to a career because others say it is hot.

    Transition into a career because you are willing to pay the price to succeed in that industry because without hard work or sacrifice, you are bound to fail.

  5. Be The Best

    Prepare to be the very best at your new career.

    If you fail, then you will be above average.

    Don’t plan to be average in your new career because you will under-estimate the effort you need to make and end up without a job.

    6. Follow these simple steps to transition into your new career.


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    ]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/04/how-to-transition-into-a-new-career/feed/ 6 Why Your Resume Gets Tossed http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/17/why-your-resume-gets-tossed/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/17/why-your-resume-gets-tossed/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:28:15 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2743

    Is Mindless Resume Submission Working?

    Is Mindless Resume Submission Working?


    Finding a job is just a numbers game, so submitting my resume to several job postings will get me hired … says a business analyst!

    This is the mindset of some IT job seekers who approach the business of finding a job as if it is purely a numbers game.

    But is a successful job search simply a numbers game or is there more to getting a job than that?

    Why Resumes Get Tossed

    1. Learn It First – Before you start submitting resumes, first learn how to do the job you are applying for.

      Getting the right knowledge and skills does more for your job search because it assures the attention of hiring managers.

      Yet some job seekers assume that they can get the attention of hiring managers by simply re-writing their resume without significantly improving their skills!

      In a real life example, a marketing and sales professional with no real world business analysis knowledge, skills or experience, just keeps rewriting or submitting resumes for business analyst jobs without taking the time to study or learn!

      There is danger when one conditions the mind to act reflexively without thinking.

      Applying for jobs is not meant to be a mindless task that one attempts like an unthinking robot.

      You be the judge of the job prospects of anyone who thinks that “finding a job is just a numbers game“.

    2. Which Comes First Learning Or Doing – learning has always been the forerunner to doing. You always have to learn a career before you can start performing the roles, responsibilities or duties belonging to the career.

      As a basic rule, everyone has to first learn a skill before they can start producing or working with the skill.

      In some careers, the practice of learning before doing is regulated and enforced by law.

      For example, you cannot become a Medical Doctor without going though Medical school and training. And you cannot just assume that you are a Medical Doctor and start submitting your resume for jobs without first learning, studying for and passing medical examinations.

      In information technology careers, the practice of learning before doing is not enforced by laws or exams or any set of IT schools because it is enforced by the Information Technology (IT) employer.

      Employers want to know that you’ve mastered the knowledge, skills and experience needed for the job before you are hired.

      And when you think of the rigorous credentialing, certification and licensing standards applied to other non information technology careers, you will agree that IT employers are not asking for much!

      The good news is that, it is not how you learn new skills, careers or work that matters (self study, books, coaching, training, college is ok) but that you learn it well … in a rigorous, thorough, step by step way!

    3. Learning Comes Before Finding A Job – employers don’t want to re-train new hires. In other words, job postings are written for those who will be productive from day one.

      What this means is that if you are looking for a new job, you need to take the time to learn or master the skills required for the job and not just shop your resume around.

      Posting your resume mindlessly without first learning the required skills is a black hole that either sucks up your time and energy or brands you in a negative light as thoughtless to employers.

    4. Take a Personal Inventory of your Skills – Do yourself a favor during this holiday season.

      Take a personal inventory of the skills required for your job. List all the skills required; (for example: UML, Use Cases, Requirements Management, SQL, Databases) and then rate yourself on a scale of one to ten on each skill.

      Finally, take the time to study, learn and improve on your weak areas because that is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself or your family!

    This post discusses why most resumes get tossed by hiring managers. If you have a question or need some help with your career, post it as a comment on this page and we will be glad to answer it for you!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/17/why-your-resume-gets-tossed/feed/ 6     How The Starving Artist Achieves Career Success Using Social Media http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/24/how-the-starving-artist-achieves-career-success-using-social-media/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/24/how-the-starving-artist-achieves-career-success-using-social-media/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:24:30 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2543

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756 – 1791

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756 – 1791


    Have you ever heard of “The Starving Artist”? It’s an often used cliché that describes talented, skilled or creative folks like writers, painters, musicians or others who starve while doing what they love.

    The idea behind the Starving Artist is “an individual who works for pennies and then dies broke doing what he or she loves”.

    Some of history’s renowned or talented artists like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Vivaldi and Van Gogh lived in poverty, misery or debt because their society didn’t care for or reward them.

    But wait a moment, do skilled, talented, creative folks like you and me, have to work for pennies all our lives … just because we want to do what we love or is that just another myth?

    Long Live the Media Age

    On the contrary, talented, skilled or educated folks run the world because the media age, the internet and social media has changed the way we do business forever.

    In the media age, anyone who’s skilled can making a living by leveraging the full power of Social Media Networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.

    In the era of the Starving Artists, the creative or common folk couldn’t afford to show, present or air their works to mass markets because that investment required the purse strings of a King, Queen or Financial Baron.

    However, in the Media Age, you can communicate your resume, your profile or your brand with the push of a button called “Publish”.

    Many professionals including those in academia use the “Publish or Perish” strategy in furthering their careers and now you can too!

    Publish or Perish, Which Do You Choose?

    Your career is bigger than your job, employment or paycheck because your career is the problem you’re solving or the value you’re creating at an intrinsic personal level.

    Don’t make the mistake of always looking for the next job or the next employer or the next hot career.

    Look inside of you and identify the core problems you’re willing to solve or values (goods, services, solutions) you’re willing to create for society on a long-term basis.

    Then use Social Media to communicate your new mission to the mass market.

    That is how to achieve career success using PULL techniques as introduced in the post “Become a Leader“.

    Here is how to get the job you want or stay employed using PULL rather than PUSH techniques:

    1. Become a Leader in your Industry: Identify with your Industry outside your 8AM to 5PM work day. Start solving a thorny business problem or creating a valuable idea, good or service that benefits others.

    2. Build your Brand: Create a message around the value you’re creating for everyone. Let your message transcend your day job. Build your identity around your core message and include that in your resume.

    3. Market your Brand: Distribute your brand using the full power of social media networks. Don’t wait till you need a job before you start marketing because you need to build your social network before you need it.

    Becoming a Leader is a powerful PULL technique that advances your career for the following reasons:

    1. Industry Recognition: Being constantly visible in your industry sends subtle reminders to hiring managers that you’re the best person for current or future employment needs.

    2. Better Positioning: Staying in constant contact with colleagues or decision managers using Social Media puts you in a better position compared to an unknown professional whose only contact is an application for a job.

    3. Power Networking: You own or belong to a social network, the members of the network are your friends and you care about their business or solve their problems. Your social networks are in your debt and are willing to return favors by getting you hired.

    Learning how to become a leader is important because it actively protects you from layoffs or downsizes and does more by actively promoting or advancing your career behind your back.

    Don’t be a “Starving Artist” … a professional whose only communication with hiring managers is when a job is posted.

    You can do better that a “starving artist” by building your own brand and your own network of potential employers using the power of Social Media.

    Leveraging the full power of social media protects you from becoming a starving artist, an un-employed professional whose career is at the mercy of the job market!

    So, what are you waiting for? Click here to get more information on How To Become a Leader” or learn how to get the recognition or type of employment (coaching, consulting or full-time) you deserve!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/24/how-the-starving-artist-achieves-career-success-using-social-media/feed/ 0     How Effective Are Resume Writers? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/29/how-effective-are-resume-writers/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/29/how-effective-are-resume-writers/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:01:27 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2117

    Miracle Worker?

    Miracle Worker?

    A Mainframe Programmer who “received zero (0) interest” after hiring someone to rewrite his resume for Microsoft.NET Jobs is wondering why his resume rewriting strategy is not working!

    So, the question is “are resume writers miracle workers or are there situations where hiring professionals to rewrite a resume will not help“?

    Why Would You Hire A Resume Writer?

    Let’s look at some of the reasons why you may want to hire a resume writer:

    1. Career Transitions: you are transitioning to a new career so you hire a resume writer to reposition your resume.

      While a resume rewrite can highlight significant achievements, skills or experience, it may not provide you with the additional skills or hands-on experience required for career transitions.

    2. Employment Gaps: you’re coming back to work after a stay-at-home period so you get your resume updated to cover-up or hide the stay at home period.

      You may be able to hide gaps in employment using a resume rewriting service but that may not help you the job if your stay-at-home period made your skills obsolete.

    3. Hands On Experience: the feedback you’re getting from interviews is that you lack sufficient hands-on experience, so you hire a resume writer to make your resume look better!

      A resume rewriting service is helpful for job postings where you actually have the years of experience required.

      If you don’t already have the required hands-on experience, then paying a service to rewrite your resume is a waste of your hard-earned money!

    Resume Writers Are Not Miracle Workers!

    Hiring someone to rewrite your resume when the feedback you are getting from your job interviews is that you lack the requisite skills or sufficient hands-on experience is a waste of money!

    This is true especially for Information Technology (IT) job postings which typically require cutting-edge skills and strong hands-on experience!

    Rewriting your resume without also acquiring the required hands-on experience and sharp skills, is simply throwing good money after a bad cause! Here is what works with or without a resume rewrite:

    1. Upgrade Your Skills, Get Strong Hands-ON Experience: Employers hire for cutting edge skills and strong hands-on experience. Your time and money will be better spent on “giving employers what they are looking for” in-addition to a resume rewrite :-)

      First Things First! If you’re looking for a Microsoft.NET Job, then first get a thorough knowledge, cutting-edge skills and strong hands-on programming experience in C#, ASP.NET, SQL Server, Visual Studio .NET and Microsoft .NET Framework before worrying about the state of your resume!

    2. Technical Interviews Are For Strong Candidates Only! Employers receive a lot of resumes and they can’t interview everyone, so they focus on the strongest job applicants.

      That means your resume won’t stand-up to that of your competition because you really don’t have the skills or experience or the insight that they poses!

      Even if you’re invited for a job interview you won’t be able to support the claims on your resume with real world examples, cases or situations where you used those skills on a project!

    3. Performance Driven Careers: Employers hire for specific skills like UML, Use Cases, Microsoft.NET ASP.NET, C# because they intend to put those skills to work.

      So, getting hired for skills that you don’t poses is setting yourself up for failure because you won’t be able to perform for your employer who ends up having to fire you!

    Depending on a resume rewrite to get you a job without first acquiring the required skills or hands-on experience is like asking your resume writer to perform a miracle!

    The path to your dream Microsoft .NET IT Job starts with acquiring cutting-edge programming skills and hands-on programming experience.

    You’re practically guaranteed an IT (Microsoft .NET) Job when you have both.


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/29/how-effective-are-resume-writers/feed/ 15     The Secret Path To Contract Programming http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/16/the-secret-path-to-contract-programming/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/16/the-secret-path-to-contract-programming/#comments Mon, 16 Jul 2007 08:00:38 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/16/the-secret-path-to-contract-programming/

    Who is a contract programmer?

    A contract programmer is a software developer who is paid an hourly rate for working on special software development projects for a period. Contract computer programmers are not paid salaries like full-time developers but hourly wages.

    Contract programmers tend to be very project focused because they are hired to solve specific problems or code specific features and as soon as that is done, they have to move on to another project or find a new client.

    Contract programmers are independent software developers who work with clients on a project-to-project basis. The relationship between a contract programmer and a client lasts as long as the client has a steady stream of work. What usually happens is that as soon as the client can’t find any work or the work starts dwindling down, the client initiates the process to end the relationship.

    Contract computer programmers are not supposed to form strong emotional bonds or ties to their clients unlike their full-time colleagues because the nature of their work is temporary. That is why contract programmers are sometimes called temporary workers.

    Contract programmers are specialists, experts and master craftsmen. When a client hires a contract computer programmer, the client expects to find a master programmer who will hit the ground running. This separates contract programmers from full-time software developers and the master craftsmen from the wannabe contract programmers.

    A contract programmer is expected to start churning out high quality code, fixing bugs, improving their clent’s software and generally justifing their high pay by solving important problems within a few hours or days of starting work. Unlike full-time software developers who may take 6 months to 1 year to prove themselves, contract programmers who haven’t mastered their art well-enough to make a difference are usually dropped like hot potatoes by their clients.

    Contract programmers may be W2 contract programmers or 1099 contract programmers. The difference lies with how their taxes are filed with the IRS.

    The W2 contract programmer is paid by a recruiting agency that is also responsible for withholding taxes and providing liability insurance. Many recruiting agencies will also provide medical, dental and 401K benefits.

    On the other hand, 1099 contract programmers, generally known as free-lancers, pay their taxes to the IRS and provide their own medical, dental and 401K insurance.

    A contract programmer has the liberty of working as a W2 contract programmer with one firm and a 1099 contract programmer with another firm.

    How long do contract programming projects last?

    Contract programming projects typically last from a month to 5 years. The trend is towards fewer months and higher billing rates. The typical duration is 3 months, 6 months or 1 year.

    How much do contract computer programmers bill?

    Contract programmers typically bill anywhere from $50 per hour to $200 per hour.

    What factors determine the contract programmer’s billing rate?

    The factors that determine a contract programmers billing rate include:

    1. Experience: The more experienced a contract programmer is, the more the contract programmer can charge

    2. Demand: Some computer programming skills are in high-demand while others are not. So contract programmers who master computer programming skills that are in high-demand can bill at a higher rate than others

    3. Client: The compensation provided for the same programming skills can vary widely by client with no other explanation other than one client having more money than the other

    Who should be a contract programmer?

    Contract programming makes sense for computer programmers who love to be independent or who do not want to climb the corporate ladder. It is also good for those individuals who want to make more money than is found in regular full-time software development. Finally, it works for those who can use their down-time in between projects to sharpen their computer programming skills, pursue other hobbies or take vacations.

    What is the future or outlook for contract programmers?

    The future is bright for contract programmers as more companies are trending towards out-sourcing their software development projects to temporary staffing firms or recruiting agencies that in turn out-source the programming work to contract programmers. Contract computer programmers are considered to be expert, highly-skilled craftsmen and their opinions and expertise are valued at client sites They are also paid significantly more money and do not have to stand inline or beg for a pay raise when they work for it.

    How do you become a contract programmer?

    The critical skills needed for a successful contract programming career are:

    1. Expert programming skills

    2. Well-crafted resume

    3. Effective job interviewing skills

    4. Aggressive Resume Marketing

    Read this previous post titled “The keys of a successful computer programmer career” to learn more about these keys.

    If you have these skills in abundance, you will do well in contract programming. If you don’t or will like to develop them, you should read “How to become a master contract programmer” or CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY IN A FEW MINUTES.


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/16/the-secret-path-to-contract-programming/feed/ 0     The Secret Art of Writing Highly Effective Killer Resumes for Computer Programming Jobs http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/08/27/the-secret-art-of-writing-highly-effective-killer-resumes-for-computer-programming-jobs/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/08/27/the-secret-art-of-writing-highly-effective-killer-resumes-for-computer-programming-jobs/#comments Sun, 27 Aug 2006 14:06:40 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/08/27/the-secret-art-of-writing-highly-effective-killer-resumes-for-computer-programming-jobs/

    Your resume drives your compensation, your marketability and the effectiveness of your job search. Without much ado, here are the rules of engagement for writing highly effective killer resumes for Information Technology jobs that gets you on the fast track to career nirvana.

    One page resumes are out!

    The rule of cramming your skills, experience and accomplishment on one page is dead. Include as much detail as necessary to secure an interview or a job offer. Your personal information is irrelevant!

    Skip the section on your hobbies including the references to martial arts, chess, marathon, etc. Nobody really cares. Just answer the question, can you do the job?

    Keywords are relevant!

    Keywords are the buzzwords that describe the current skills, technologies and processes that are popular in your industry. Your resume is dead without the right keywords or buzzwords. Some hiring managers use scanners that count how often desired keywords are mentioned, so your resume is dead if you don’t employ them effectively.

    Also, other recruiters who don’t use scanners look out for the jobs where you mention those keywords. Either way, your career is headed for the slow track if your resume does not use industry keywords effectively.

    Beware of Cover letters

    It is really a good resume that sells you if you are in contract programming. The cover letter is one more document that delays access to your resume. If you have a good relationship with your recruiter, make their jobs easier by skipping the cover letter. If you do not have a good relationship with a technical recruiter and you need a cover letter to sell you in addition to your resume, you had better not be in contract programming.

    Cover letters are traditional and are necessary if you are applying for full time positions or applying directly to hiring managers, otherwise, use a a few sentences to introduce your attached resume.

    Socialize your desired compensation

    Have you seen those jobs where you are advised not to apply without including your desired pay? Apply without your desired pay anyway. Yes, I know you would really want a six figure income but it is much better to discuss this with the recruiter than to add it to your resume, where it really adds no value.

    Besides, including your desired pay marks you as a newbie and from Negotiation 101 class we learn it puts you at a disadvantage when you finally negotiate your pay. The time to introduce your desired pay is after the recruiter or hiring manager has reviewed your resume and is all excited about interviewing or hiring you.

    Keep your references to yourself

    Don’t bother including your references or the ridiculous references available on demand line on your resume. Your references will be checked before or after an offer is extended to you. So, get on with your business of securing the job offer.

    Include multiple ways of contacting you

    The purpose of your resume is to market you, so, include as many ways of contacting you as possible. Include your email, mailing address, mobile phone, work phone, home phone and website address (tech or professional sites only) in the contact section of your resume and years from now, you will be getting calls from people who need your services.

    By including multiple ways of reaching you, you increase the chance that you will be discovered by recruiters or headhunters even when one or more of your contact details become obsolete.

    One resume does not fit all

    Your resume is a marketing document. So, customize it for each job or position you are interested in, especially if it differs significantly from what you are doing now. Hiring managers and recruiters are only interested in exact matches or near fits between the jobs they advertise and the resumes they receive.

    They literally want to see your resume mention the same skills and technologies they are advertising. So, if you want to get that interview, make sure you customize your resume for the position you are applying for.

    Prove your relevance with your resume

    If you are looking for a technical writing position, don’t just create a resume, showcase how relevant you are to the position you are applying for. See, recruiters and hiring managers want to hire the right person for each job, so make their jobs easier by beginning with this end in mind.

    If you are applying for a business analysis position, you should know within yourself if your resume makes a good case for you or not. Your resume must prove beyond a shadow of reasonable doubt that you can get the job done!

    It’s all about your experience

    Recruiters and hiring managers believe that your past performance is the best predictor of your future performance. They are only interested in you, if you have successfully solved problems similar to theirs. They want to see in your resume a trail of successes, not a trial of failures or an absence of both.

    So, describe not just the technology you use, but also the overall business processes, the problems you solved and the value you provided. Whatever you do, make sure you have relevant industry experience and showcase it on your resume.

    Focus your resume on where you are going

    Your resume should describe who you are now and who you want to be. It should make the connection between the positions you have had and the new position you want. If the credibility gap between what you have been doing and what you want is big, you will most likely be passed over.

    For example, if you have been a HTML developer and you are applying for a Java or C# job, the skills gap between HTML development and Java or C# development may kill your job search, however, if you position yourself as a web developer, you stand a better chance of getting hired. Likewise if your resume only highlights HTML web development and you show up at the interview talking about C# .NET development, your interviewing managers will ask you why you don’t already have C# .NET on your resume.

    Focus on your accomplishments not your responsibilities

    Your accomplishments describe what you do with you’re given. Accomplishments present you as results and goal oriented. Your responsibilities describe you as a passive player who only responds by chance. Responsibilities describe you as being task or process oriented.

    Hiring managers perceive the performance of responsibilities oriented candidates as being unpredictable and that of results oriented individuals as being a sure bet. So, do yourself a favor, become result oriented both on your resume and in real life.

    Do not include irrelevant past jobs

    You used to be a musician, a poet or a gunslinger in a past life, so what? Remove from your resume past jobs that you had to pass time or jobs you had when you were growing up or jobs that are not relevant to your job search! Let me spell it out, remove past jobs that have no skill and experience relevance to the position you are interested in.

    By leaving irrelevant past jobs on your resume, you prove that you still have a lot of baggage and that you are still clinging to your past. Remember, that your resume is primarily a marketing document and not a monument to your ego.

    Disclose your past employers

    Include the locations (city and state only) and the company names of the past employers listed on your resume. If you do not disclose your employers, recruiters or hiring managers may start wondering about what you are hiding and then start digging into your garbage. If you have nothing to hide, make their lives easier and disclose your past employers on your resume. If you have something to hide, keep your own counsel.

    List your past jobs in chronological order

    Recruiters and hiring managers expect to scan your job history in a chronological order from the most recent job to the last. Present the past jobs on your resume in that order.

    Is This Career Nirvana Or What?

    These are some of the secrets of writing highly effective killer resumes for Information Technology careers and jobs. Use them to fast track to career nirvana, ignore them at your own peril! Either way, you have been warned :-)

    To learn more about fast tracking your computer programmer career, visit this resource.


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