Resume Tips For Technical Grads
Author: Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC

The hurdles facing today's new technology graduates are the
same as with other industries. One of the largest hurdles for
new grads in preparing a first IT resume is the "no-experience"
fence. A hi-tech grad may not have any formal experience working
with technology in a real-world situation. While this hurdle is
best handled long before you graduate by seeking part-time or
full-time employment in technology or an internship, the fact
remains that you may be coming out of college with literally no
hands-on experience in your major.

Preparing an IT resume for a target career field in which you
have no "real" experience can be a challenge. It's important
when outlining your IT resume to keep in mind what the hiring
managers will be seeking when reading your resume. In the
technical arena, Skills, Education, and Training are high on
the list of items for which hiring managers scan the IT resume.


Lisa Lowe sought professional assistance on her resume,
realizing that she faced a significant problem by not having an
internship in a technical field under her belt before
graduation. Additionally, she realized the skills she had
gained in college were slightly behind the fast-paced demand of
today's market and she needed to attain further training in some
of the more modern technologies. These training goals were
mentioned in both the lead Summary and in the accompanying
cover letter.

By including a Skills category in the top half of the first
page of her IT resume, Lisa's resume becomes much more
"user-friendly" to hiring managers. Lisa was fairly sure she
didn't want to start her career as a programmer, but was
interested in working with database technology. To emphasize
this, her database-related skills were listed first and a
mention of her preference was made in the Summary. By focusing
on this direction with her career, she was also de-emphasizing
her lack of training in the more modern programming languages
such as Visual Basic and C.

Many times, resume books advise new grads to list coursework in
the major to illustrate what the job seeker did in school. While
this might give an idea of your academic record, it does not
help in making you or your IT resume stand out as someone whom
the company should interview. It also does not show how you
have assimilated and applied the formal education. A Project
Synopsis describing how you have applied the skills might
better serve to distinguish your IT resume from the resumes of
other recent grads. For example, in Lisa's resume, the Project
Synopsis was included in the Education section in the top half
of the first page and gives some "meat" to her experience.

The Employment History section of a new grad resume is often
the most difficult section to compose, especially if you do not
have an internship, cooperative, or related experience under
your belt. Rather than concentrating on what is not present in
experience, try to concentrate on what is present. Look for
skills that will be required by employers that may not have
been taught in college. More and more companies are looking for
well-rounded employees who not only can do the technical tasks
but who can work with the public, work in a team, and generally
get along in a positive manner. Emphasize your team-spirit, your
communication skills, and your enthusiasm to work hard.

"We look for skills but we also look for someone who can get
along in the work environment," says Jeremy Hopwood, CEO of
Tsaba Networks (www.tsaba.com) in Franklin, Tennessee. "If you
have the right attitude to work in our team, we will provide
you with the specialized training we need."

Lisa had worked throughout her college career in a
high-public-contact position providing Customer Service on
technical sales of retail software and hardware. This
experience demonstrated that she possessed the ability to work
well with people who needed technical assistance or who were in
a contentious frame of mind. She had excellent communication
skills, good negotiation abilities, and a strong grasp of
business operations. By bringing into her IT resume past work
history that demonstrates positive skills and work habits, she
is shown to be someone who is accustomed to a high stress work
environment, who can work with people, and who is probably very
trainable for the company's specific needs.

If there is an internship or cooperative learning experience,
be sure to include that in the Experience category of your IT
resume. Detail project parameters, discuss skills exercised,
and outline context of the position in relation to the overall
organizational operation. Be sure to highlight what was
achieved and what significant contributions were made. When
composing the content of the resume, write descriptively to
fully cover the work done and the skills attained.

"My internships and cooperatives were my best selling point
with my education coming second," states Robert Higgins, a
civil engineer with Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon in
Nashville, Tennessee. "I had worked full-time as an Engineering
Technician throughout my entire college career and it led
directly to permanent employment. The experience was
invaluable."

Other information that is helpful to have on a hi-tech grad
resume includes grade point average (if above 3.5), membership
in professional organizations, scholarships and honors,
volunteer work, and civic involvement. Information of this type
on an IT resume shows a well-rounded picture of what type of
employee the company would be gaining.

Developing an interview-winning IT resume can be a challenge.
Making the investment to market your college education
professionally might be a wise decision. We write IT resumes
every day for some of the fastest movers in the IT industries.
Give us a call if you feel you are ready to advance your high
tech career.


About The Author: Published in 25 career books, Alesia has been
cited by Jist Publications as one of the "best resume writers in
North America" and quoted as a Career Expert in the Wall Street
Journal. Serving as the Resume Expert for over 50+
organizations, she has numerous media appearances to her credit
and is a frequent keynote speaker. http://www.rezamaze.com