| urdles facing today’s new technology | | | | will be required by employers that may not have been |
| graduates are the same as with other industries. One | | | | taught in college. More and more companies are |
| of the largest hurdles for new grads in preparing a first | | | | looking for well-rounded employees who not only can |
| IT resume is the “no-experience” fence. | | | | do the technical tasks but who can work with the |
| A hi-tech grad may not have any formal experience | | | | public, work in a team, and generally get along in a |
| working with technology in a real-world situation. While | | | | positive manner. Emphasize your team-spirit, your |
| this hurdle is best handled long before you graduate by | | | | communication skills, and your enthusiasm to work |
| seeking part-time or full-time employment in technology | | | | hard. |
| or an internship, the fact remains that you may be | | | | “We look for skills but we also look for |
| coming out of college with literally no hands-on | | | | someone who can get along in the work |
| experience in your major. | | | | environment,” says Jeremy Hopwood, CEO of |
| Preparing an IT resume for a target career field in | | | | Tsaba Networks ( in Franklin, Tennessee. “If |
| which you have no “real” experience | | | | you have the right attitude to work in our team, we will |
| can be a challenge. It’s important when outlining | | | | provide you with the specialized training we |
| your IT resume to keep in mind what the hiring | | | | need.” |
| managers will be seeking when reading your resume. | | | | Lisa had worked throughout her college career in a |
| In the technical arena, Skills, Education, and Training are | | | | high-public-contact position providing Customer Service |
| high on the list of items for which hiring managers scan | | | | on technical sales of retail software and hardware. |
| the IT resume. | | | | This experience demonstrated that she possessed the |
| Lisa Lowe sought professional assistance on her | | | | ability to work well with people who needed technical |
| resume, realizing that she faced a significant problem | | | | assistance or who were in a contentious frame of |
| by not having an internship in a technical field under her | | | | mind. She had excellent communication skills, good |
| belt before graduation. Additionally, she realized the | | | | negotiation abilities, and a strong grasp of business |
| skills she had gained in college were slightly behind the | | | | operations. By bringing into her IT resume past work |
| fast-paced demand of today’s market and she | | | | history that demonstrates positive skills and work |
| needed to attain further training in some of the more | | | | habits, she is shown to be someone who is |
| modern technologies. These training goals were | | | | accustomed to a high stress work environment, who |
| mentioned in both the lead Summary and in the | | | | can work with people, and who is probably very |
| accompanying cover letter. | | | | trainable for the company’s specific needs. |
| By including a Skills category in the top half of the first | | | | If there is an internship or cooperative learning |
| page of her IT resume, Lisa’s resume | | | | experience, be sure to include that in the Experience |
| becomes much more “user-friendly” to | | | | category of your IT resume. Detail project parameters, |
| hiring managers. Lisa was fairly sure she didn’t | | | | discuss skills exercised, and outline context of the |
| want to start her career as a programmer, but was | | | | position in relation to the overall organizational operation. |
| interested in working with database technology. To | | | | Be sure to highlight what was achieved and what |
| emphasize this, her database-related skills were listed | | | | significant contributions were made. When composing |
| first and a mention of her preference was made in the | | | | the content of the resume, write descriptively to fully |
| Summary. By focusing on this direction with her career, | | | | cover the work done and the skills attained. |
| she was also de-emphasizing her lack of training in the | | | | “My internships and cooperatives were my |
| more modern programming languages such as Visual | | | | best selling point with my education coming |
| Basic and C. | | | | second,” states Robert Higgins, a civil engineer |
| Many times, resume books advise new grads to list | | | | with Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon in |
| coursework in the major to illustrate what the job | | | | Nashville, Tennessee. “I had worked full-time as |
| seeker did in school. While this might give an idea of | | | | an Engineering Technician throughout my entire college |
| your academic record, it does not help in making you | | | | career and it led directly to permanent employment. |
| or your IT resume stand out as someone whom the | | | | The experience was invaluable.” |
| company should interview. It also does not show how | | | | Other information that is helpful to have on a hi-tech |
| you have assimilated and applied the formal education. | | | | grad resume includes grade point average (if above |
| A Project Synopsis describing how you have applied | | | | 3.5), membership in professional organizations, |
| the skills might better serve to distinguish your IT | | | | scholarships and honors, volunteer work, and civic |
| resume from the resumes of other recent grads. For | | | | involvement. Information of this type on an IT resume |
| example, in Lisa’s resume, the Project Synopsis | | | | shows a well-rounded picture of what type of |
| was included in the Education section in the top half of | | | | employee the company would be gaining. |
| the first page and gives some “meat” | | | | Developing an interview-winning IT resume can be a |
| to her experience. | | | | challenge. Making the investment to market your |
| The Employment History section of a new grad | | | | college education professionally might be a wise |
| resume is often the most difficult section to compose, | | | | decision. We write IT resumes every day for some of |
| especially if you do not have an internship, cooperative, | | | | the fastest movers in the IT industries. Give us a call if |
| or related experience under your belt. Rather than | | | | you feel you are ready to advance your high tech |
| concentrating on what is not present in experience, try | | | | career. |
| to concentrate on what is present. Look for skills that | | | | |