How to Get your Resume Noticed by IT Hiring Managers

It’s normal to overthink the content of your resume, especially when applying to a dream role where you want to rise above a pool of candidates. Remember that the purpose of a resume is simple - it’s a formal document that shows a person's career background and skills. Resumes are meant to be submitted with a cover letter, this allows resume length to be kept at a minimum.

Technical hiring managers serve as gatekeepers in the IT hiring process and are crucial for your career journey. Technical hiring managers oversee the selection and hiring of new talent. They follow a vetted process to source and screen talent with very specific and specialized skill sets. They determine which candidates are considered for the screening process that leads to the interview stage.

Chances are that your job experience, credentials, and education look very similar to other talented tech professionals on paper.

For some ideas about which IT jobs to apply for that are in-demand, click here.

How to Get Your Resume Noticed in IT‍

Add an “elevator pitch” to the top of your IT resume

Bullet points and lists are necessary to demonstrate your credentials, but they don’t tell a story. They don’t say anything about what makes you unique, your passions, or what you’re looking for in a professional career.

A stand-out tech resume will start with a proper and short intro, something resembling an “elevator pitch.” This is a great way to provide context for the list of experiences that follow. It is important to start with a powerful intro that will get the hiring manager hooked and intrigued to keep reading.

Make sure this intro blurb is brief and forward looking. State where you want your tech career to go that matches the rest of the information on your resume.

Numbers Speak for Themselves

Descriptive language and storytelling is a big part of standing out, but numbers and statistics can quantify your accomplishments in a factual way. Here is an example of how to play with wording. Here is an example - Instead of saying “Successfully launched websites across a variety of industries” try, “Successfully launched 10 websites within a year across 5 industries.” If you have statistics that speak of your achievements, make sure to list them.

Think Outside the Box (or your desk in this case)

You are more than your job. You are a dynamic individual that is made up of experiences both in and out of the office. Cultural fit plays a big part in hiring manager decisions - many of the variables that define you are interests beyond those in your career, use these to your advantage.

By including relevant and unique non-work experience (educational, volunteering, hobbies, etc.) in your resume, you add more dimensions to yourself as a candidate and provide more reasons for a hiring manager to want to know more and proceed with an interview. As cliche as this sounds - no one is you, and that is your superpower!

What do Hiring Managers Look for in a Resume?

Include key phrases from the Job Description on your resume

Avoid falling into the category of IT candidates that don’t tailor their resume to match the job description they are applying for. You need to modify, reorganize, or tailor it to match the job’s requirements or necessary skill sets.

Resume tailoring includes adding, moving, or deleting certain bullet points on your resume to match the essential attributes the employer is looking for. Remember that the majority of IT companies are using AI to screen resumes before they even get to the hand of hiring managers.

AI programs look for direct keyword matches between job listings and resumes. This is the surest way to get your resume noticed.

Need more help getting your IT resume out there?

The intense focus on Candidate Experience (CX) at Advantis is centered within our purpose: Connecting PEOPLE to opportunity. If you are ready to get your resume noticed by top companies, contact us today. Whether you are looking for a permanent position,  temporary, or contract-based work in the tech industry, Advantis Global can help!