How-to Tips for Writing a Technical Resume

Technical resumes are true to their name: detailed, specialized, including an entire section dedicated to your technical skills. They need to be done right if you're going to really highlight how important you are to the company you're applying at.

For the true techie, that sounds pretty easy. Here's where it gets more difficult: you have to convey your technical abilities without being so tech-pro that you confuse your potential employer. That's right, no jargon. An HR Manager will probably see your resume long before any tech savvy employee, so you have to translate your expertise into more simple terms without reducing the impact of how cool it is that you know what you do so well.

Technical Resume Tips

We'll highlight each section of what your technical resume should contain, but let's go over a few tips first. These are the things you can't miss - gloss over the sections that follow if you must, but you have to keep these tips in mind if nothing else.

1. Include a cover letter with every resume you send, and make sure that it reflects the specific companies that resume is being sent to. The first turn-off for a potential employer will be seeing a "form letter" covering your resume.

2. Try completing every "piece" of your resume separately. In a completely different file, folder, or notebook section. This will allow you to fine-tune each piece during your early drafts before you combine them.

3. Remember that your resume is like a personal ad. Your resume markets something important: YOU. Use action verbs wherever you can - call the employer to hire you because you simply are the greatest, most confident, and best asset they'll find anywhere. But don't overdo it.

4. Highlight your skills with "skill works" like diagnose, persuade, plan, control, reconcile, and publicize. Again, these help describe your technical skills on your resume, but they also do it in a way that makes the HR Lady pass your technical resume on up the food chain.

5. As you begin combining all the "sections" of your resume, make sure that you utilize the "Footer" of your word program. Your name and the page number should be located on every single page of your resume, just in case.

6. Unless you're applying for a job abroad, do not put a photo of yourself on the resume! This is totally not the professional "tech" look you're going for, I promise. There may be specific jobs internationally that require you scan a photograph of yourself for identification purposes, but even then it won't be on your resume.

7. Because a technical resume should adhere to strict guidelines, there are rules about the fonts that you use. Stick with a traditional typeface like Times New Roman, Arial, or Verdana. Stick with that font for everything on your resume. The standard font size to use is 11 point, but you can increase headers up to 12-14 points and, of course, bold them.

8. Keeping with guidelines, make sure your margins are set up right. Margins on all sides need to be set at 1" - at least. You can adjust this up to 2" based on the layout of your page. Giving this space creates a white space border that keeps your technical resume looking technically beautiful and uncluttered.

9. Once you've finalized your work, take a peek of it in the print preview of your software. Yes, it's a technical resume but the best tip I can give is to make sure it is also aesthetically pleasing. View the layout and spacing, and make adjustments as needed before printing.

10. Ready to print? Great! Just make sure you have the right supplies: a laser printer (or a company to professionally typeset for you), and quality bond paper in an antique white, tan, or light gray color. The quality (and little extra cost) pays off in big ways.

Keeping these tips in mind, remember that the real goal of technical resume writing is a fine balancing act. You have to describe your technical prowess without leaving potential employers scratching their heads over technical jargon. You can always sound technical without going overboard and freaking standard employers out with language that's hard to understand.