Writing a great CV when you work in IT is a slightly different process, but here we look at 5 Top CV Tips for IT Professionals. If you still need some help after reading the tips below, take a look at our Free CV templates to guide you towards writing an unbeatable IT CV.
The Importance of the CV
It is your first contact point with any recruiter/employer, which means that it has to be relevant and tailored to your profession as accurately as possible. Your CV has to be a clear representation of the experience, achievements and skills that you have acquired in your educational and working life.
There is nothing better for a potential employer/ HR Manager than coming across a CV of a candidate for a role that they know they will be perfect for.
In addition, there is nothing more frustrating than physically speaking with a candidate who they know is perfect for the role, but from looking at their CV, would think you were talking to a different person because the CV doesn’t say any of that!
Particularly in the area of IT recruitment, jobseekers must understand that the majority of candidates within the application process are not always from the same technical background or discipline; therefore it is important for contractors and permanent employees alike to make their CVs as concise and clear as possible. In this regard, the CV should make sense to everyone, from the individuals in HR to the IT managers.
CV Tips for IT Professionals
Here are 5 steps you should follow for each project detailed on your CV;
- Detail the number of full lifecycle (end-to-end) implementations in each project, the amount that were end to end or part completion, was it a single country rollout and across how many sites?
- Was your role technical, functional or both? This is important information within IT recruitment; it shows where your key experience and expertise lie within the lifecycle of a project or implementation and will highlight to employers the relevance of your technical experience in relation to the role that you are applying for? Where did you sit in the team? Were you a team leader, project/programme manager, consultant? Who did you report to? Highlight to employers the amount of interaction you had with your team and with members of the hierarchy, allowing them to make judgement on your ability to fill a junior or senior position.
- Do you have experience of working with offshore or offsite teams? Where were the teams located? What was the responsibility of the teams in relation to the project as a whole? The frequency of contact between the offshore/site team with you personally and the team as a whole? Did you travel to these sites? The benefit of detailing these experiences is to show employers that you have the skills to interact technically with team members in different regions or countries. It will also show employers the size and scope of the whole project and the significance you and your team played in the implementation.
- Detail the size and scope of the implementation/rollout;was the implementation one site, one country, European-wide, global? What was the purpose of the project? Did it meet it’s deliverables from a personal, team and project-wide viewpoint?How much was the project worth?Similar to point 3, detailing this information on the project will convey the size and scale of the project and the experience you have working on projects of a particular size and importance. Detail the specifics; what version of SAP/Oracle/JD Edwards etc? Did you focus on development/technical areas or more configuration/functional areas?
- Remember to use job titles that are more common when appropriate, or at least explain them so that they correctly represent your role on the project.
These tips are designed to improve the appeal of your CV to potential employers; providing hard evidence and statistical information on your technical capability.
It is important to remember that the skills and the experience you have gained is what sets you apart from others on the job market.
Therefore, it is paramount that you include all the key information that employers are looking for. Following these steps will clear the mist, allowing candidates (through CVs) to appeal more to employers by bringing light to your achievements and experience to date in the world of IT.
