3 Mistakes You’re Making on Your Tech Resume [and How to Fix Them]

Rewriting your resume is all fun and games until you send it out and you never hear back. The sad part is, you think of this rejection as an indicator that you’re not tech material.

But you are! You have what it takes to land your next tech job. You just need a better strategy.

A good strategy to land a job in tech is marketing. Yes, you read that right. While you might not be marketing a product per se, all you’re doing with a resume is marketing your expertise, problem-solving, and skills. 

This means your resume has to effectively convey what it would mean to hire you. If your resume is not getting you any callbacks – it means it’s not showcasing your

value.

There are a couple of mistakes you might be making, that continue pushing your resume into

the black hole of resumes. Continue reading to find out the mistakes and how to fix them, to stop hearing crickets.

1. The Generalist Mistake 

This is one of the most common mistakes, especially for first-time techies. You think you might

be playing it safe but you’re doing yourself a disservice by appearing as a generalist. Here’s how it works:

Having a generalist resume means you’re trying to target several different roles at a time. So it includes a combination of directly transferable experience and non-applicable experience. So when your resume gets reviewed by an ETS (Employee Tracking Systems) or a recruiter – it doesn’t make a compelling case

for your experience as it relates to that specific role.

Here’s how to go from generalist to a compelling resume that gets recruiters going: “Where is the phone?”

  1. Do your research and find a few roles you feel qualified for.
  2. Now pick ONE.
  3. Analyze the job description for the one role you chose.
  4. Now head back to your resume and check how transferable or applicable each of the statements in your resume is.
  5. The idea is to keep your most transferable and applicable experience and get rid of everything else.

Writing a specific resume makes it compelling. Also, it immediately conveys your best experience to the role and leaves out the fluff.

2. The Data Mistake

An effective resume will not only advocate for you but showcase your problem-solving

skills. Remember all jobs listed out there are looking for someone who will come solve a specific problem. So, one of the major attributes of your resume must be problem-solving.

The best way to showcase problem-solving is by using numbers (or any other data). It’s easier to paint a picture with numbers than it is with words.

If you’re being shy about your problem-solving skills – it’s time to change that. This one area will make all the difference.

Here’s how you can add more data. For each of the statements on your resume, do this:

1. Eliminate fluff words you don’t need.

2. Make sure each statement showcases how you solved a problem.

3. Add percentages when you talk about increases or decreases.

4. Add numbers when you talk about people, teams, or projects.

5. Lastly if you cannot find data of improvement you made – you can try to add platforms you’ve used.

3. The Logistics Mistake

When it comes to tech, simple is always better. Unfortunately, having a pretty formatted resume and fancy words won’t get you the job.

There are a few rules to stick by when it comes to tech resumes. Ultimately the content is the most important, but these few tips can help you give a boost to your tech resume:

  1. If you have from 3- 6 years’ experience, keep your resume one page long.
  2. From 6 – 10 years, 2 pages maximum.
  3. Keep 3-4 bullet points per each experience entry.
  4. Opt for shorter sentences.
  5. Include an email and phone number (exclude address, city, etc)
  6. Have a specific section for certifications and other skill sets.

Conclusion

When revising or rewriting your resume keep in mind the true importance of a resume. A resume is one of your best marketing tools and its job is to advocate for you. I always like to make a reference to a package. In this package you’re selling, you want to include your best, most transferable experience – get picky.

If you have been sending resumes left and right, and still hearing crickets. It might be time to switch up your strategy. I created a FREE training to teach you how to land your dream job in tech using LinkedIn. Click here to gain immediate access.