Writing an IT Developer CV
Brought to you by CV Writers in association with Guardian Jobs
How to write an IT Developer CV
Strong technical skills are a given within software development. However, there can still be a tendency within some IT developer CVs to over rely on languages or programming tools. For instance, sometimes these are unnecessarily listed for each individual project. It’s not the tools that are important – it’s what you do with them. And making this extra leap in describing the impact of your work is what helps a really good IT developer CV to stand out from the rest.
Who will read your CV?
Your CV needs to speak to different audiences. They will not all be developers. In a large organisation the first sift of CVs may be carried out by the HR team. A recruiter may also come from a sales background. Being able to speak to technical and non-technical audiences is an important part of the role of the developer and this begins with your CV.
Professional profile
Position yourself in line with the type of roles you are applying for in the first line of your profile. Then give the reader some insight into the personal qualities that make you a great developer. Be original and say something different. Try not to rely on recruitment clichés and align the qualities to the competencies required for a developer – for instance awareness of the bigger picture.
Key skills
A key skills section is where you should list your technical and programming skills. There is no need to rate yourself, simply list the skills you have. Rather than a long, exhaustive list, try to keep this short and focus on the skills you know are sought after by employers today rather than legacy skills that may no longer be in use.
Achievements
Try not to just focus on the programming skills used in a project, you want the reader to be able picture and visualise the initiatives you have worked on – and how you helped the project to achieve it’s intended outcomes. Use interesting facts and figures to illustrate what the project is about, it’s scale and scope, and most importantly…how your programming work helped achieve the outcomes.
Tailoring your IT Developer CV
Your CV will perform better the more closely aligned it is to the job applied for. So, don’t upload your CV to a job board and put your feet up. Pro-actively apply for roles and tailor your CV to the job description each time. Look for the key terms and phrases within the description and mirror these in your IT developer CV. This will help the CV get through ATS systems and also re-affirm to the human reader you have the requisite expertise.
This article is written by Neville Rose, Director of CV Writers.
In addition to a CV writing service they can help with LinkedIn profiles, cover letters and more. You can get things started with a Free CV review.
Key skills
A key skills section is where you should list your technical and programming skills. There is no need to rate yourself, simply list the skills you have. Rather than a long, exhaustive list, try to keep this short and focus on the skills you know are sought after by employers today rather than legacy skills that may no longer be in use.
Achievements
Try not to just focus on the programming skills used in a project, you want the reader to be able picture and visualise the initiatives you have worked on – and how you helped the project to achieve it’s intended outcomes. Use interesting facts and figures to illustrate what the project is about, it’s scale and scope, and most importantly…how your programming work helped achieve the outcomes.
Tailoring your IT Developer CV
Your CV will perform better the more closely aligned it is to the job applied for. So, don’t upload your CV to a job board and put your feet up. Pro-actively apply for roles and tailor your CV to the job description each time. Look for the key terms and phrases within the description and mirror these in your IT developer CV. This will help the CV get through ATS systems and also re-affirm to the human reader you have the requisite expertise.
This article is written by Neville Rose, Director of CV Writers.
In addition to a CV writing service they can help with LinkedIn profiles, cover letters and more. You can get things started with a Free CV review.
In addition to a CV writing service they can help with LinkedIn profiles, cover letters and more. You can get things started with a Free CV review.