Creating Your Technical Résumé (CIS STUDENTS)
- Technical résumés may be one or two pages long. Employers want to see details about what you learned and how you applied the skills. They also want information about your work history, even if it was in a non-technical field.
- Objective statements are optional. They can help the employer determine which type of technical position(s) you seek. For the same reason, an objective statement can limit you. If you use an objective, keep it simple and straightforward. Example: Objective: Help Desk position or Objective: Entry-level Network Technician or Help Desk position
- Technical résumés always contain a section listing information technology skills (hardware, software, networking, Web, programming, etc.) For current students and recent graduates, it works well to place this first on the résumé.
- If you’ve done an internship, include it on the résumé, either in its own “Technical Internship” section or under your work history. Provide a detailed explanation of what you did. Your internship, even if unpaid, constitutes work experience.
- Include seven to ten years of your work history, even if it is unrelated. If you currently work in a technical field, put your work history near the beginning of the résumé. Otherwise, place it at the end after education and class projects. Emphasize skills that will transfer into your new position (i.e. communication skills, customer service, teamwork experience, writing, leadership).
- In the education section, describe your class projects (see page 10 for examples). Use verbs to start each phrase and give enough detail so the potential employer can picture what you accomplished. Since teamwork is an important part of today’s workplace, show your teamwork experience on class projects. Examples: Member of a Systems Analysis team that worked with a representative from the Maple Valley Clinic to outline system requirements for building a custom database. Or you can say, As part of a three-person team…or Served as team leader for….
- Show all of your technical experience, including such things as building or repairing computers for friends/relatives or creating Websites for friends or non-profit organizations. Unless you already have professional experience, it’s essential to demonstrate your skills through class projects and volunteer work.
- Ask yourself, How can I prove that I do good work? What evidence can I provide on my résumé? An example from a class might be: Received 4.0 in Visual Basic 6.0; coded final project in team atmosphere (60 hours a week for two weeks); one of three out of 30 students excused from taking the final due to extremely high point total.
- You can also demonstrate strengths by creating a “Testimonials” section at the end
of the résumé and quoting one or two comments from instructors or past supervisors.
Example: Sally has a knack for working with databases. She asks the right questions
to get the information needed and then works hard to bring about results.
John Jasper, Internship Supervisor - When applying for a Help Desk position, emphasize your interpersonal skills. If you have a customer service background, consider creating a separate section (after Technical Skills) to highlight your experience and talent for working with people.
Give the ASCII version of your résumé more visual appeal by creative use of capital letters, white space, asterisks, lines, and dashes.
Examples of Technical Skills Sections
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EXAMPLES OF CLASS PROJECTS
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