This of course led to layoffs, and hundreds of thousands of highly- qualified, once highly-sought-after high tech professionals now found themselves back in the job market. And that has been the problem. If ever there is a glut of overqualified candidates in any job market, it is in the IT/Technical/Telecom market.

Clearly, in such a tough job market, it’s essential that candidates find a way to stand out from the crowd and make their accomplishments and skills more dynamic to employers. We have various specialized techniques to achieve success for our IT clients, but there are several key issues that IT candidates can solve on their own.

* Don’t overdo the details! *

The number one problem we see from clients who send in their IT resumes is that they’ve put way too much information in. And the information they have put in is often redundant, or not that important.

IT professionals obviously tend to operate in project, contract and problem solving/solutions environments. Thus, their resumes tend to be nothing more than lists: they list every project they’ve ever done; they list ever software/hardware system/tool they’ve ever used; they tend not to list the tangible accomplishments that their work achieved.

If your resume is 4-5 pages, I don’t care what industry you’re in, you’re making a mistake. We often get 4-5 page IT resumes because people try to list everything they’ve done since the day they were born. Don’t get me wrong; showing comprehensive knowledge and experience is good. But remember, it’s not the quantity of information; it’s the quality that counts. Even if you have loads of experience, you need to organize it in an effective way.

Think about it from the reader’s point of view. What if you had two candidates who were equally qualified? One has a two-page resume that effectively and dynamically presents her qualifications in an organized and eye-catching way. The other resume is 5 pages long and is just a list of projects, often with the same information repeated on each project. Which resume do you think you’d read? Which do you think would make the better impact?

The key for IT resumes is to show you can get results. Think about it: everyone has training; everyone has certifications; most people have several years of various project experience. Listing skills is one thing. You should always put a comprehensive skill list at the top of your resume so they know what you’re qualified to do. But showing that you can get results is more important. A company wants to see that hiring you will make an impact on their bottom line or their efficiency of operations.

Here are some key tips for IT resumes:

- Show results. Things like “Reduced network downtime by 35%.” “Increased sales database efficiency by 21%, resulting in a 63% increase in sales.” If you don’t have tangible numbers to quote, summarizing major projects is good. “Migrated user call center to new location, setting up infrastructure and initiating service with 0% loss of service. Completed project on-time and under budget.”

- Don’t list every little thing. Don’t list the minutia like “Utilized spectrometers to realign X switches with Y routing tools.” Is it really important to list how you did it? Showing that you did it is more important. Don’t make the reader hunt for you achievements in a sea of technical name-dropping.

- If you have a solid skills list at the beginning of your resume, there is no need to list each and every hardware/software/language/tool/ system/protocol that you used, or are familiar with, every time, on every project. Believe me, it gets extremely redundant to read the same things on every job you list. The only exception to this is if the task you did matters to the job you’re applying for. Obviously, if you are applying for a job working with Cisco servers, you’ll want to show that you programmed in Cisco environments.

All and all, remember that you need to make your resume efficient, and eye-catching. If your resume can show you’re qualified, without coming to as many pages as long as War and Peace, then you’re doing a great deal to improve the likelihood that the resume will be read.

Owen Michaels is a Network Coordinators at ResumeWriters.com, the largest network of independently contracted resume writers on the internet. Owen manages a sub-network of Certified Professional Resume Writers for the company, who specialize in IT and tech-related resumes.

by Owen Michaels

Below is an excerpt from her resumé.

———————————
OBJECTIVE: Secure a position with a well established firm and utilize my knowledge and skills of Information Technology to allow the company, as well as myself to a productive working relationship.

EXPERIENCE:
8/2001 – Present Tempae University Athletic Department Moordock, LA
Tempae Athletic Fund Research Perform research for the Athletic Director of Tempae University. Compile recordings of alumni financial contributions. Assist in computer operations
6/1999 – 8/1999 Cat’s Whiskers, Pasadena, LA
Maintained a safe environment for patrons in security position. Monitored safety within the perimeter of the club.
5/1996 – 8/1996 MAR-SEP Aviation Supply, Los Angeles, CA
Developed Database and worked in telemarketing. Assistant to Vice President of Sales

EDUCATION
1997-2002 Tempae University Moordock, LA
B. S. Computer Information Systems, Minor: Business Major GPA 2.7
COURSE STUDIES Computer: C,C++, HTML, Internet Publishing, Database Admin, SDLC, Client/Server Dev, Word, Flash, FrontPage, Excel, System analyst+design, Windows 98/00, Sql, Networking. Business: Finance, Accounting, Management, Marketing

——————-

This is a fairly typical resumé of an applicant still making a start in an industry. If you’re in a similar situation, you need to understand how VITAL it is to not simply list out your skills and experiences and HOPE that an employer can somehow interpret it and magically work out what it is that you can do for them. To be blunt – they WON’T!

The thing you need to bear in mind that when you apply for a job, the best way to get the employer’s attention is to start talking ‘their language’ and to start focusing on THEM – not you. To help you understand this – here’s a simple test to see whether your application is too focused on YOU.

Count up the number of times you use the words ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’ in your application and the number of times you use the words ‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘yours’. If you don’t have 4-5 times as many ‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘yours’ than ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’s, then your application is focusing too much on you and not enough on the employer – and for that simple reason, it will look like everyone else’s application.

Obviously, this is something you don’t want. So having said that – let’s tackle this person’s objective statement. If you can get your objective right, you’ll have a good idea of how to handle the rest of your application and resumé. Try to learn from this example the kind of things you should be doing to your own objective or mission statement if you use one.

Their objective: “Secure a position with a well established firm and utilize my knowledge and skills of Information Technology to allow the company, as well as myself to a productive working relationship.”

The first thing you notice is that the objective is all focused on the applicant, and what THE APPLICANT wants to get out the job. The employer is already on to the next application.

What about customizing the resumé based on each application and giving an objective that will actually excite an employer?

I’ve come up with a very, very general objective (because obviously I can’t know what positions you’re applying for…) Even though it’s very general, make sure to note that it’s still focused on the employer and THEIR needs, not on you and your needs. Consequently even this very general objective will get more attention than any self-serving, me-focused objective that everyone writes.

If you can customize the objective based on the company you’re applying to, what the company does, how it does it, and the kind of position you’d like, then you’re really onto something.

Revised objective: I realize how vital motivated and happy staff are to the long-term success of your business. My passion is turning every one of my ‘staff’ into ‘customer service managers’ who feel more ownership of the business and actually take responsibility for solving the customer’s problems. So if you want to turn your customers into raving fans who tell their friends and family about your business, then I’m your next [position title].

Just to reiterate – I’m not suggesting you use this objective (unless you really like it of course.) I’m suggesting you study the way it shifts the focus from YOU to THEM. This is the key that will get you the job you want.

by Murray Gray

Dear Manager,

As you know, it is not hard to hire a Software Developer – it is hard to hire a good one. You don’t want just a person with several years of C++, Java or Internet development. Most importantly you need a Software Developer who can:

- Respect your clients because they are paying his salary after all

- Use his problem solving, analytical and communication skills to increase customer satisfaction

- Help other team members with their problems improving the quality of product
Save your time by ability to work independently;

- Save your company money being a self-motivated quick learner and training himself new cutting edge development tools

- Take responsibility by realizing the price of his mistakes as well as his achievements for the company
Show initiative and have new ideas increasing your company profits.

Where to find him? Fortunately, I can offer you a solution for this problem. As you can see from my attached resumé, I have an extensive experience in all stages of software life cycle where I used all these qualities along with technical skills such as C++, Java, HTML, SQL and other.

More than that: I handled multiple projects in a wide range of areas such as bank technologies, business, science, statistics and computer training, so I can bring my wealth of knowledge into your business.

Why I am interested in your company? As a new homeowner (only a year old!) I have learned a lot about Real Estate and Mortgages and I was fascinated with this subject. Working with my mortgage broker I had a chance to see your system at work and was really impressed with it. Your open architecture B2B Network sounds very appealing to me because I am interested in Internet technology very much. Frankly, it would be very exciting to be a part of your dynamic growing company, reach my full potential and contribute my knowledge and expertise to your success. I would like to discuss your goals and objectives and how I can help you with them. Please call me at (NNN) NNN-NNNN to arrange the interview. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

While not a bad cover letter, it just needs a little something extra to set it apart from other applicants.

As you can see above, the writer of the letter mentions they are a customer of the business and they had some good ideas for marketing. This is the ‘gem’ we wanted to bring to the top.

Here’s what we suggested they do instead:

I think I have some ideas that can help your software deliver a steady stream of “ready, willing and able to buy” customers to your clients’ businesses…
and I should know as I am one of your clients.

Dear Sir,

I have learned a lot about real estate mortgages having worked closely with my mortgage broker. In fact I had the chance to see your system at work and was very impressed with it… more than that – I am a home owner because of it.

Your Open Architecture B2B Network sounds very appealing to me as I have ideas and the skills that could skyrocket your strategy and help your brokers turn more inquiries into sales. If you are looking for a programmer with good ideas that shares your dreams and is a FAN of your product then I would love to meet with you to see how I can fit in.

My resumé lists the skills I can bring to your company. I would love a chance to talk to you to show you my ideas and the other things my resumé doesn’t cover. I am so excited by what you have done so far and hope we can meet soon.

Yours truly,

Hopefully, this applicant will now get the interview because the employer would be intrigued to hear their suggestions on how to improve the business.

If you’re thinking that this is too hard to do yourself, think back to how many times you’ve had thoughts like “this business really needs to ….”, or “this business would be perfect if only they would ….” about companies you’ve just done business with.

by Murray Gray

Solid networking skills.

But what sort of picture does that paint in your mind? Just someone with good networking skills… the same as all the other I.T. people applying for the job. What sort of picture does this next phrase paint?

Sleeves-rolled-up networking skills.

It paints the pictures of a hard-working, been-there-done-that, confident and experienced networking professional. But, and here’s the key, the ‘sleeves rolled up’ phrase says all the above in just 5 words not 12.

If you can use these sorts of everyday phrases to better describe your skills or experience, then do it. It makes your application (and therefore you) sound more down-to-earth and helps you say great things about your skills etc. without you sounding like an ego-maniac. For example:

I would love to be your new admin assistant. In my last job I was valued for my ability to take on more work, work under pressure and everyone would come to me to help them out with all sorts of tasks.

The picture that comes to my mind is this person is a “Go To” person. If you want or need something, this person has their finger on the pulse of the company and can get things done. An objective like this comes to mind:

Objective: To be the “Go to person” in your organization freeing up time and resources for other departments to increase sales and reduce costs. Using my ESP-like abilities to anticipate team and customer needs before they arise and sleeves-rolled-up clerical and admin abilities that allow me to do the work of 2 admin assistants.

See how simple English and some simple phrases can say GREAT things about you without coming right out and blatantly saying those things?

Making it easy for people to understand your skills:

One of the biggest problems I see in I.T., Engineering and other specialized or scientific applications is the applicants rattle off their qualifications, programming languages etc. and expect the poor H.R. person or employer to be able to decipher these things into something that ‘fits’ what they’re looking for.

Once again, some simple English can paint a better picture than a paragraph of gobbledeegook.

We can turn:

Microsoft MCSE and Novell NetWare CNE
Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Novell NetWare management experience
Into something more meaningful by giving the skill a description and then talking about it in plain English:

Networking: I’m a computer ‘therapist’. I make computers talk to each other even though they absolutely refused to do so in the past. My experience in Microsoft MCSE and Novell NetWare CNE will help you reduce downtime, improve communications for your people and your customers.

The example above still gives the employer the technical information that may be important to the job posting but wraps it up in some fancy packaging that says… I make computers TALK to each other.

Let me stay with the I.T. examples for a minute and create an image of a powerful web developer/programmer in an objective statement for a resume:

Objective: To create ‘kick butt’ applications and GUI’s that elegantly solve your company’s toughest IT problems and make them so easy to use, a 4-year old could use them. Using my extensive skills in:

‘Kick butt’ paints… powerful, and the ‘4 year-old’ paints… easy to use.

One important aspect to using this strategy is that it allows you to put something in your letter most other applicants won’t have… your PERSONALITY!

Here’s a winning letter that readers have adapted to really make them stand out from the crowd in countless different industries:

I am a dynamic figure, often seen analyzing networks and helping my colleagues. I have been known to remodel LANs on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient. I manage time very well.

On a business trip to Brazil, using only a Cisco 2500 and CAT5 wire, I once single-handedly wired ten small offices in the Amazon Basin . I like to trouble shoot IP problems and Frame Networks. When I’m bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. On Wednesdays, evenings, I repair electrical appliances free of charge for the elderly.

I am an abstract network artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless troubleshooter. I don’t perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail from my fellow workers. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. I use to bat .400 in Little League. Children and co-workers trust me.

I can hurl AUI connectors at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read the whole Cisco.com web page in one day and still had time to calculate the cost of a whole corporate network in US dollars. I know the exact location of every router in a network. I have performed a major data center move in 1993. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on business trip in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery.

I work hard, enjoy doing a job well, am loyal, am dedicated, and my bills are all paid.

I worked with doctors who have performed open-heart surgery, and I once shook President Ford’s hand, Lastly I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to work for you and support your network.

You won’t see too many cover letters like that which is exactly my point. This cover letter paints a picture of someone who is good at what they do, a little out of the ordinary and, more importantly, a FUN person… so it nearly always goes straight to the top of the INTERVIEW pile. Meanwhile all the other applications are fighting it out for interviews by trying to show how they have great skills and experience… and as you know, most of those skills and experiences are about the same.

A Word of Warning: Some readers have copied the above example and have forgotten they also need the personality to ‘back up’ the letter in an interview… I submit the example above to show you not to be afraid to put some of YOUR personality in your cover letters and resumes.

Using Numbers to paint a picture:

I’m going to cover this more in the Resume section but it’s worth noting here for your cover letter too.

It’s a good idea to give an employer a small taste of your resume in your cover letter. There are all sorts of ways of doing this you can bullet point some highlights of your skills or experiences, or talk about them the whole way through your letter. One of the easiest ways to give an employer an idea of how you ‘fit’ into their organization is to use some numbers to describe:

Some of your past achievements or results
The size of your company, department or work-load
The following example is for someone who had simply completed an internship and was now looking for full-time employment but lacked real experience. Here is her original paragraph showing an outline of her skills:

XXXXX
Internship Summer, 2001
PR/Marketing Intern…PressRelease writing…Research…Event Planning…Media Relations….Office Support.

Here’s how we turned that boring list of skills into something more powerful simply by adding some numbers and describing the pervious employer a bit more:

XXXXX
Internship Summer, 2001
With over 1 million members and revenues in excess of $500 million with an ad budget of $2.5 million, XXXXX ironically generates most of it’s marketing through Public Relations. As an intern there, I worked on:

PR/Marketing: wrote press releases and analysed marketing data to better target the media that gave us the best conversion rates of enquiries into sales.
Event Management: Organised large seminars and trade show displays as part of our customer acquisition process.
Media Relations: Worked with Print, Radio and TV to get Free publicity in the key market segments identified by our data analysis.

So with some simple numbers to describe the size of the company and more of a description of what she did in her internship, the applicant was able to paint a better picture of herself and landed a full time job after about 8 months of searching with no success.

In summary, use words, phrases and numbers that paint a better picture of who and what you are. This will make you stand out from the crowd and help get your application to the top of the list.

by Acland Brierty

SHAMELESS PLUG: Job Secrets Revealed will teach you how to read between the lines of any ‘situations vacant’ ad to work out how to best pitch your application, regardless of whether you meet their up-front skills or experience requirements.

I’m serious. I want you to do this because I want you to experience what an employer goes through when reading applications for any vacancies.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself that you’re not going to read anything 150 times, because you’ll be reading the SAME thing over and over again! And that’s exactly the point. Plus or minus 10%, most applications for a job are identical. Just the names and dates are a little different.

Essentially they all say the same things… “I’m good with people,” “I’m willing to learn.” Additionally, most applicants will have roughly the same skills because most people only apply for jobs they think have the skills to do.

How can I say this? At our office in Australia, we see hundreds of applications every week, and unfortunately, they all look the same – except for a few. And it’s these few that we call in for an interview.

Think about that. If you were an employer, do you want an employee that is simply one of the crowd or do you want someone that STANDS OUT from the crowd?

I could tell you right now how your application probably starts:

“I’m writing an application for the position advertised in….”

Or maybe you’re more creative…

“Your ad in Saturday’s paper really excited me….”

As we’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, the reason why your application probably looks like every other application is you learned how to write applications at school or college along with every other student. Now it’s time to consider a different approach – following are some examples of highly successful application openings which resulted in interviews.

“5 key areas where I can help you increase your sales.” (Salesperson for music store)

“I want you to imagine your customers loading their cars with plants by the bootfull… and what’s more they vow to come back for more.” (Assistant at a plant nursery)

“Genius for hire.” (Short-term programmer position)

The point here is you want to start your letters with a powerful opening that makes the employer sit up and take notice. Remember that an employer is only interested in what you can do for them.

You could be excused for thinking that these openings are over the top, but I can assure you that if you begin to use the language of your employer, your application will immediately become 150 times more exciting to an employer.

by Acland Brierty

Acland’s book, Job Secrets Revealed includes many before and after examples of applications and cover letters showing how readers have taken their me-too applications and made them instantly more exciting. You’ll be able to copy from them and use their phrasing when you have the book!

MISTAKE #1.

Employers get so many resumés and letters saying the same worn-out things and using the same tired old phrases, that it’s hard to see the difference between the applicants. Phrases like: “I’m good with people,” “I’m a good learner” and “I love a challenge” appear on nearly every application that’s ever been written, and simply makes you part of the crowd. Weed these clichéd phrases from your application and instead replace them with powerful reasons to hire you.

As you know, the job doesn’t always go to the person with the best skills – it usually goes to the person that sells themselves the best. It’s the difference between tunnel-vision and funnel-vision. A person with tunnel-vision writes short-sighted letters telling the employer what a good X they are, and how much experience they have.

To apply funnel vision, start at the small picture – “they need an X” and work toward the bigger picture – “they need an X to help make/save them money either directly or indirectly and to satisfy their customers’ needs.”

You be the judge. Imagine you’re an employer looking for a secretary for example. Would you employ someone who says they can type 90 words a minute, or someone who says they will:

“Be the perfect ambassador for the business, always smiling and cheerful both face-to-face and over the phone. Able to do multiple things at once and can take care of the mundane tasks to free the other staff to spend more time doing what they do best. A salesperson should be selling – not photocopying…”

A secretary with funnel vision will show an employer what THEY can do for THEM. A person with tunnel-vision will keep looking for work, or stay where they are.

MISTAKE #2.

Employers hate trying to decipher information in resumés to see if you can be matched to a position they’re trying to fill. An employer needs to see the benefits and results to them from the skills listed in your resumé. This can be hard to do without sounding like an egotist, but some of our readers who’ve gotten it right have received phone calls within hours of the employer receiving the application.

Here are two examples:

So you’re just a lawyer? Does that mean you have knowledge and insights into areas that will save me in legal complications later on and that you and your negotiation skills can actually prevent me from having to take people to court which will cost me thousands whether I win or lose?
So you’re just a helpdesk operator? Does that mean you can create information packs and training materials for me to make my products the easiest to use and understand on the market, and add even more value to each sale? Or that you can take over the technical training for any of your staff who are frightened of computers, thereby boosting the productivity, profits and satisfaction levels of my staff?

MISTAKE #3.

Long-winded resumés. The faster you get your message across the more they will like you. About two minutes is the maximum they spend reading an application – UNLESS you interest them.

Learn the secrets of good copywriting and your application and resumé will be as compelling as a John Grisham page-turner.

MISTAKE #4.

Employers always see applications that only talk about the APPLICANT and their skills, not how they will be of benefit to the company. Your application needs to talk the employer’s language. If the application simply talks about YOU, you’ve got it wrong.

The way to make sure you’ve got it RIGHT is to use the words “you” and “your” in your application more than the words “I” and “my”.

How much more? In fact, there’s a simple ratio that you can use which will skyrocket an employer’s interest in your application. (Hint: People like reading about themselves – so give your employer what he/she wants!)

MISTAKE #5.

Employers are sick of applicants that have little knowledge of the company they’re applying to. The more you know about a company, the easier it is to get the job.

In fact, the more you know about the company, the more you sound like someone who is there to help, rather than someone who’s simply looking for a job.

by Acland Brierty

Acland’s book, Job Secrets Revealed includes many before and after examples of applications and cover letters showing how readers have taken their me-too applications and made them instantly more exciting. You’ll be able to copy from them and use their phrasing when you have the book!