Technological growth is skyrocketing at unprecedented rates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry brings a high median salary and shows much faster growth than average in the past five years. A result of lucrative pay and fast growth is a highly competitive job market. That means, when it comes to your resume, it’s important to stand out from the masses and effectively communicate your worth to a company in just a few short seconds.

As an exercise to get started, experts suggest that you give yourself a sixty-second pitch on why they should hire you, and work backwards from there. This makes sure that you will highlight your most desirable traits and skills and don’t waste room on fillers. Below we’ve outlined some concrete steps you can take to tailor your tech resume and make you stand out from the crowd.

1. Highlight both your Technical and Soft Skills

Hiring managers are looking to gain a comprehensive understanding of you very quickly. That is, they want to know not only how you are with computers but also how you’re going to interact with others on your team. Highlighting these interpersonal skills on your resume is of the utmost importance; hiring managers are looking for confirmation that you’ll be able to effectively understand the needs of your client and tailor your approach and program.

When it comes to your technical skills, it’s best to show and not tell. Include hyperlinks to your past projects that are relevant. Resume helper ResumeGo even highlights that you can use a professional platform such as StackOverflow which allows users to ask questions. This is an impressive addition to any resume, as it shows the hiring manager just how skilled you are and that you are able to field questions confidently.

When highlighting your technical skills, use numbers. Recruiters love to see quantitative representations of your experiences, so if you scaled views on a website exponentially, make sure that this comes across on your resume!

2. Structure Your Document Properly

The formatting structure is just as important as the content, as the hiring manager will begin to form an understanding of you within just seconds of glancing at your document. Formatting your document properly with subheadings conveys that you are organized and are able to convey information effectively. It’s also important to have your experiences outlined in chronological order so that there is a clear outlined path of growth. That’s why getting an ATS-friendly resume would be effective in the hiring we’re having now. Most companies rely heavily on systems that can help them pinpoint the right candidate and an ats resume would help.

You also want to be careful when switching between formats, for example if you’re converting from PDF to Word or vice versa. Switching between the two can cause formatting errors, so make sure you’re double and triple checking that everything is still lined up and formatted properly if you are exporting a Word document to a PDF.

3. Tailor Your Resume to Each Position (Yes, Every Time)

Each company and job description is going to be different, so resist the urge to send the same resume and cover letter to all. Before you begin editing your documents, take a close look at the job description and the company itself. Your resume should answer any questions as to how your experience is relevant and how you can be an asset to the company in this particular role.

4. Use Important Industry Keywords

When a recruiter is spending just a few seconds on your resume, you want to make sure that industry keywords jump out of them. These words could be along the lines of Java or Python, but you’ll want to be sure to tailor them to the specific job you’re applying for. You’ll also want to make sure that you use an active voice throughout, and that there is a strong element of consistency.

However, do not throw in keywords that you aren’t prepared to talk about. The worst thing that can happen in an interview is that an interviewer asks you to unpack your experiences with a particular program or skill and you are unable to do so. Only highlight keywords that you are ready and able to speak on. Keywords are also essential in getting through online keyword filters that companies use to sort through mass amounts of online applications. Using the proper industry words will make sure that your resume gets into the hands of a real person.

5. Proofread

It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to go through your resume and proofread everything that’s on it. In fact, not only should you be proofreading your resume, you should be having others critique and offer feedback on your resume as well.

Keep in mind that even the best writers out there need to proofread what they write and have editors to help as well. There will always be a few mistakes that are missed the first time around no matter how gifted a writer you are or how meticulous you were the first time around.

6. Include Everything In Your Arsenal

One mistake is to only list the skills you think are relevant to the job. While this makes sense for some industries, it’s worth simply including every software, application, and computer programming skills that is in your bag of tricks. Recruiters want to know that you are versatile – not just a one-trick pony who knows a few languages.

While you should include everything – just makes sure that you list the most relevant stuff first. This implies to the hiring managers that you are

Conclusion

The tech industry may be competitive, but that also means that there are widespread doors of opportunity. Crafting the perfect resume will get you into an interview where you will be able to showcase your skills and fit for the position on a more personal level. By considering how you can highlight personal and technical skills, adhering to proper structure and formatting, tailoring your document for each position, and using proper keywords, your resume will bring you one step closer to your dream tech job.