Which IT skills make your resume stand out from the rest?
Deciding to go into Information Technology, whether it’s your first job, or you are looking to change fields, is one of the best career decisions that you can make. The tech industry has some of the highest salaries, and the need for skilled professionals has never been higher. Earning a certificate in IT should be a top priority for all those looking to choose one of the many career paths that this sector has to offer.
That said, there are a lot of things that go into a professional resume. Aside from the resume skills section of your resume, you also have the experience section, interests, educational background and more. Nevertheless, it’s your professional skills and professional experience that matters the most. To the best of your ability, you should look for a job that matches the skills you have, and you should highlight these skills throughout your resume.
MyComputerCareer provides rigorous Information Technology courses that may help you earn up to 13 highly valuable IT Certifications to put on your resume and get you on your way to becoming a tech professional. Contact us today for more information!
Let’s take a look at what skills you need to have in your CV to launch your career.
Hard Skills
Your hard or technical skills will be the backbone of your resume. After all, they testify to both your knowledge and experience. They will be the key skills that employers and hiring managers seek out first. Yet, in the world of Information Technology, there are plenty of technical skills to choose from. The good part is that all of them are in high demand.
A piece of good career advice, however, is to have multiple skillsets, which means it’s advisable that you specialize in different fields and skills hiring managers are searching for. As long as these are relevant to the job, you will stand a much higher chance of getting hired and promoted. That said, here are some of the must-have skills for your resume.
- Cybersecurity
- Networking
- Cloud Computing
- App Development and Programming
- Data Management and Analytics
- Systems Architecture
- Project Management Skills
- A.I. and Machine Learning
- Help Desk and Tech Support
Basically, the more niche and specialized your technical skills are, the higher will be the demand for them. Nevertheless, even something seemingly as basic as tech support is seeing a spike in demand, as more and more organizations are bringing help desk professionals in-house so they can diagnose and fix issues faster and easier. What’s more, these entry-level positions are perfect starting points for different career paths in tech.
MyComputerCareer provides rigorous Information Technology courses that may help you earn up to 13 highly valuable IT Certifications and get you on your way to becoming a tech professional. Contact us today for more information!
Soft Skills
Also known as interpersonal skills, soft skills are growing in popularity and need in the IT sector. The main differences between hard skills and soft skills are in regard to their purpose. While hard skills help you with the technical aspect of your job, soft skills help to manage and/or collaborate with people. As A.I. takes over many repetitive tasks, tech professionals who are able to master these interpersonal abilities will stand a far better chance of being hired and promoted.
In fact, surveys indicate that soft skills play an almost equally important role during the hiring and promotion process as hard skills. Companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have all mentioned these abilities as key skills and indicators of people’s career potential. Be it time management skills, problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, teamwork skills, verbal communication, leadership skills, creativity, or critical thinking, among others, these are all soft skills employers seek in their job applicants.
Some important soft skills that are in-demand for IT jobs and should be in your resume skills section include:
- Communication Skills – Both written and verbal communication are essential in today’s evermore connected tech departments.
- Creativity – Tech professionals use a lot of imagination and creativity when doing their jobs. Problem-solving skills are part of the job description, but so are forward-thinking, strategizing open-mindedness, and analytical skills.
- Flexibility – Setbacks or unexpected changes will also be frequent companions for tech professionals. As such, they will need to master resilience, quick thinking, adaptability, fast learning, attention to detail, and other such skills throughout their career.
- Leadership Skills – Your ability to delegate tasks and have a constant focus on the end goal are essential tools for a project manager. Almost every job above an entry-level position will require some degree of leadership skills, such as collaboration, time management, decision making, integrity, and team building. Some sales skills won’t hurt either. These are all required skills for those looking to build a career in tech.
Transferable Skills
Some often forgotten professional skills are those acquired in different industries. Because they are seemingly not job-related skills, many job seekers omit to mention them. Nevertheless, they are important and should, at the very least, be introduced in your additional skills section. Basically, transferable skills represent the experience you acquired in other fields but can also be used in your new career path.
Take, for instance, military vets looking to transition to civilian life. The skills and titles gained during their military service often translate to civilian job roles and capabilities. What’s more, military vets are also generally known for their self-discipline, loyalty, work ethic, as well as their technical and communication skills. Many also know one or more foreign languages, as well. It would be a shame for someone in this position not to take advantage of what their past experience has taught them.
Transferable skills, however, often require a functional or combination resume. Instead of the traditional chronological resume, where you would list your past experience in reverse order, functional resumes highlight your skills and capabilities first. These CVs are great for those who are early in their career, have internship-based experience, have large gaps in-between jobs, or are changing their careers. Here are some combination resume templates to get you started.
Takeaway
The skills listed here will all help you land a job in IT Together with MyComputerCareer, you can make all of your career dreams happen in only a matter of months. We provide online and on-campus courses, as well as job placement services, as well as a cover letter and resume tips to help you on your way. As a military-friendly organization, we also help veterans transition to civilian life in Information Technology. Check out some of our success stories and contact us today!