Tips for Writing IT Resumes

Robin Schlinger, CARW, CFRW, of Robin's Resumes, gave permission to share her response to another resume writer's question about writing IT resumes. Prior to becoming a resume writer, Robin was an engineer and a programmer.

I work with a lot of technical folks writing IT resumes, based on my
Engineering and Programming background. It can be difficult to write for some technical folks if you do not understand the technology — and sometimes it is better to find someone who has the experience.

However, based on my experience working with these folks, I have found the following tips that have worked for me.

The format of the resume and the amount of technical information to include depends on the level the client is targeting and the niche they are in. You need to know that before you attempt to write the resume. If the resume is for someone interested in management (a difficult transition sometimes for IT folks), I actually tone down much of the technical stuff for the managerial stuff, and the resume looks much like a traditional manager or executive resume. I will usually include a technical skills section at the end of the resume.

At a senior management or department management level, the IT manager will already have been assumed to have the technical skills and his or her soft skills are much more important. For these resumes, in many cases, I remove version numbers (from specific software applications) unless the client is selling their expertise in a particular product in a senior role (such as SAP business analysts).

If a person is at a lower level — up to the level of a Project Manager / Project Leader / Team Leader, I will concentrate on how what they did adds value. I start with a summary, then list the technical skills in great detail (very organized into sections like Hardware, Software, Programming Languages, etc. — you need to have some understanding of the technology and lingo here — the sections depend on the client's expertise) and then list each assignment the person has done. There can be some creativity here if the person has been a contractor forever. I also list achievements as in any other resume. For these folks, most are fixated on the version numbers and technical details — and you must include much of it in your resume — or they will not be happy with it.

For both managers and lower level folks, you need to highlight certifications as well in the resume. Degrees are also important.

In many cases the difficulty I find in writing IT resumes is the person is more into the details of what they do — rather than the value of what they do is to the prospective employer. I find the following questions help ascertain the value. I find most IT folks can answer these questions— and they do help in developing their resumes.

For each job answer, I ask them to answer this for the top jobs they did in the position. I ask this for most IT folks — except if they are already at the executive level).

Which job?

Name of Project:

Description of the Project:

Why was the project important:

Your challenge in doing the project:

What you did to accomplish the project:

Your results:

Your role (i.e. leader or team member):

Technologies used:

Project budget:

Dollar value of product (product sales) if applicable:

Number of users:

These are the typical questions I ask my clients, which really helps when doing IT resumes. It is very directed, which IT folks need. I have used other questionnaires for technical folks but I find the answers to the questions above get me 80-90% of the technical information I need.

Note: If the client cannot answer the dollar value questions or why the project was important, I immediately know they are not ready for management and I write a highly technical resume.

2003 Industry Survey Results

Profile of a Resume Writer
The average professional resume writer, according to this year's survey, is a female small business owner (61 percent are self-employed full-time; 23 percent part-time) who has been writing resumes 10 years, on average.

She works from home and meets with clients mostly in person, although she also works with some clients virtually. More likely than not, she is certified as a resume writer.

The typical resume writer charges $81.50 per hour -- but more important, she charges an average of $279 for a resume. Spending approximately 20 hours per week on client consultation, research, and writing, she writes an average of four resumes per week.

Our analysis of the industry finds that there are approximately 3,500 to 4,500 professional resume writers in the U.S. (Although there are approximately 6,000 firms nationwide offering resume writing services, this figure includes companies such as Kinkos and Copymax, both of which offer mostly resume typesetting).

Despite increasing awareness of the four major professional associations (Career Masters Institute, National Resume Writers' Association, Professional Resume Writing & Research Association, and the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches), it appears as if fewer than one-half of all resume writers belong to an association (although those who do belong to at least one association are very likely to belong to more than one).

Another interesting trend is the number of home-based resume writers who still meet with clients in person. The statistics remain virtually unchanged from the 2001 figures. At that time, only 13% of resume writers worked with clients by phone, fax, and Internet only -- in 2002, that increased to 15%; in 2003, it's 14%.

It seems the access to technology is being integrated into the client management process -- not replacing face-to-face interaction.

Key Statistics:
Where Do You Work From (more than one response allowed)
Work From Home – 75%
Work From "Business" Office – 30%
House Calls/Client Premises - 3%

Are You Certified as a Resume Writer?
Yes – 58%
No – 42%

Do You Use Questionnaires With Clients? (more than one response allowed)
Yes – 40%
No – 28%
Sometimes – 32%

Compare these results with the 2001 and 2002 industry survey results.

Resume Writers Digest 2007 Industry Survey

We have launched an online survey to collect data for the 2007 Resume Writers' Digest 2007 Industry survey. If you are not subscribed to the Resume Writers' Digest newsletter and would like to participate in the survey, please e-mail me at RWDigest@aol.com and I will send you the link.

Here are some results from our previous industry surveys:

2001 Industry Survey
An analysis of the industry in 2001 shows there are approximately 900 to 1300 professional resume writers, with up to 6,000 firms nationwide offering resume writing services (this includes companies such as Kinkos and Copymax, which offer mostly resume typesetting).

The average survey respondent is a self-employed sole proprietor who works full-time (35-50 hours per week) from a home office. She (the respondents were overwhelmingly female) has been in business for nearly nine years. Her top challenges are sales and marketing issues, working with difficult clients, managing her time effectively, handling the "craft" of resume writing, and, of course, wearing the many hats required of r small business owner.

Although there is a perception that resume writing is becoming "less local," just 13 percent of resume writers say they do business only by phone fax, and Internet. That's a lot of resume writers still meeting with clients in person.

There is a good mix of newbies and veterans. The length of time an individual has been a resume writer averages out to 8.9 years, although responses ranged from 8 months to 22 years.

Key statistic:
– Home-Based Writers - 72.9%
– Office-Based Writers - 27.1%

– Source: November/December 2001 Resume Writers' Digest

2002 Industry Survey
Who is the typical professional resume writer? According to the survey? She (the majority of survey respondents -- and members of the professional resume writing industry in general -- are female), is a self-employed individual who has been writing resumes for 10 years, on average. Most work from a home office (67%), while another 6.5% have both a home and business office-based practice. She averages 21 hours of resume writing per week (including client consultation, research and writing).

"Virtual" providers remain a rarity in the industry, with only 15 percent of respondents saying they work with clients exclusively by phone or Internet (a small increase from our 2001 survey results). Eighty-five percent of resume writers surveyed say they still work with at least some clients in person. Fifty-four percent of those who responded said they have achieved this credential.

One significant item to note this year is that we have upped our estimates on the number of professional resume writers. While some sources list up to 6,000 resume writing "firms," these numbers include copy shops which provide resume typesetting services. We believe a closer estimate is that there are between 3,500 and 4,400 resume writers in the United States.

What to charge clients is often a hot topic of debate among resume writers. The survey provides some interesting answers. The "average" resume sale among respondents was calculated to be $245.

Key Statistics:
Certified as a Resume Writer:
Yes – 54%
No – 46%

Type of Resume Writer:
Part-Time Self-Employed 31%
Full-Time Self-Employed – 56%

Source: January/February 2003 Resume Writers' Digest

I'll report on the 2003 and 2004 industry survey results in a future post.

Industry Reputation

A few bad apples are creating problems for legitimate resume writers who do business online. Yet another example of this is a scam warning posted on the Rip-off Report website.

A few months ago, I came across the "Best 10 Resume Writers" website, and it piqued my curiosity because I thought -- "Hey, I'm bound to know a few of these folks!" The site purports to offer "independent reviews of resume writers by Stanford Writing Institute." In reality, there is no such organization (and, as evidenced by similar sites, "Top Choice Resume Writers" and "Top 10 Resume Writers"), they exist only to promote the services of a true resume mill that also goes by several different names, including Resumeprowriters.com, ResumespoweredbyHeadhunters.com, and Resumeprimerwriters.com. With packages starting at $79 (including a $129 deal for executives!), you can imagine that quantity is more of an emphasis than quality.

There are unfortunate consequences associated with this practice. The first is that unwitting consumers might buy into the "slick" websites and low prices and believe that they are buying the services of a "professional resume writer." Bolstered by the apparent "objective" review of the affiliated company's services, the prospective client puts his career services documents into the hands of a firm who -- from the Rip-Off Report's reviewer -- handles its customer service and writing services off-shore. (Not that there's any issue with legitimate professional resume writing services conducting their services overseas, but the quality of the correspondence cited by the reviewer suggests that the offshore services being contracted are being sought out for their pricing, not their expertise.)

The second issue is that legitimate professional resume writers -- including highly experienced and credentialed practitioners -- are being used to help perpetuate the scam. For example, on the Best 10 Resume Writers site, you'll find a link to Maria Hebda's Career Solutions website. (She received a 71% approval rating, by the way, well below Resume Pro Writers' 96% rating.) Or our Australian colleague Jennifer Rushton, whose Keraijen Professional Services site only got a 55% rating, despite Jennifer being a four-time TORI award winner. Apparently, she was being punished for her turnaround time ("This was one of the slowest resume writing company online."). And they created a new adjective to describe the work of resume industry veteran Sue Montgomery, who received a 56% rating. ("The resumes produced by Resume Plus were very merchanical.") Of course, keep in mind that a site offering Resume Templates garnered a 52% rating ...

Other sites listed don't even appear to offer resume services (see this one for Progress Enterprise that redirects to Career Diagnostics) or claim credentials that can't be verified (Perfect Resumes and Cover Letters, a service of Business Advisors Press, claims PARW membership but there are no members in Oregon that match the information provided on the site.)

I'd love to hear from any of the resume writers listed -- including whether you can track an actual customer to these ratings (or if they just made up the reviews based on information on your website and what action, if any, you're taking to remove your name -- and reputation -- from being affiliated with these sites.