Land Your Dream Tech Job: Resume & Interview Secrets Revealed

If you’re looking to advance your career in the tech industry, you’re in good company.

Tech professionals are in high demand and with so much talent competing for the best jobs, a standard resume won’t do it. What are recruiters looking for in a tech resume, and what’s the best way to approach interviews?

For tech newbies who have recently graduated from a tech bootcamp, your resume is also a chance to show off your transferable skills — and demonstrate how you’ll apply them in your new role.

If you’re unsure of where to start, you’re not alone. Today, we’re sharing tips to help you curate a great resume and scale interviews. Let’s get into it!

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How To Build a Good Tech Resume

Creating a tech resume as a newbie can be a task. In the absence of years of experience in the field, your resume is your one shot to convince recruiters you’re the right fit for their company. It must quickly and efficiently communicate what you bring to the table.

• Tailor it to specific applications: When recruiters scan a resume, they look for the specific keywords listed in the job description. To boost your chances of standing out, tweak your resume for each application and make sure these keywords are highlighted.
• Highlight proficiency with tools: In today’s remote tech landscape, proficiency with certain tools is a distinct advantage. You’ll want to highlight tools related to your job description on your resume, and your proficiency with more common remote working tools like Jira, HubSpot, Asana, and so on.
• Don’t over-design: For new designers especially, it’s tempting to want the design of the document the star of the show. While a tech resume can certainly include creative elements, above all else it should be easy and quick to read — by both humans and AI software.

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What to include in your tech resume

Your resume should include eight key sections:

1. Name and contact information: You don’t need to include an address unless the role you’re applying for is location-specific.
2. Personal summary: This is 1–2 sentences summarizing who you are as a tech professional. This can include your title, the sector you’re currently working in (or are looking to work in), key skills and credentials, and an overview of your experience.
3. Relevant links: Here’s where you link out to your website, portfolio, and any professional networking profiles.
4. Relevant education: Highlight your university education, bootcamp programs, or relevant courses and classes.
5. Tools: As mentioned earlier, highlighting your proficiency in the tools used by the team or company you’re applying for is a great way to boost your chances of getting noticed. For example, if you’re a Figma guru — highlight it.
6. Skills: This is arguably the most crucial part of your resume, and what recruiters want to know about. Hard skills refer to the technical skills needed to perform the role’s basic duties. For a UI designer, this might be wireframing or animation. For a web developer, this might be documentation or specific coding languages. Soft skills refer to the interpersonal skills that make someone a great employee, such as effective communication, project management, leadership skills, and so on.
7. Work experience: If you don’t have any but you’re a bootcamp graduate, emphasize the skills you learned on the projects you worked on for your portfolio. You can also highlight work experience from your previous career if it’s relevant to the role.
8. Other cool things about you: Your tech resume doesn’t need to be devoid of your personality; it’s a good chance to tell your potential employers some cool (but relevant) facts. Do you speak other languages, or run a blog? Include any noteworthy features that make you stand out from the competition.

If you get through to the interview stage, the hiring manager will use your resume as a reference point for the questions they ask. It’s crucial to highlight skills and experiences that you’d be comfortable expanding on in a conversation.

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INTERVIEW TIPS TO LAND YOUR DREAM JOB

Interviews can feel intimidating, but keep in mind that the interviewer or hiring manager needs the position filled just as much as you need the job. If this is your first interview, remember, you wouldn’t have been asked to come in for an interview if the company didn’t see potential in your resume — so be confident.

1. Do Your Research

First and foremost, you should research the company. Visit their website and learn as much as you can about the company. Read each page and take notes, you may even come up with some questions to ask during the interview. This will allow you to understand the company culture. Learn what they’re interested in so that you can build a rapport during your interview. You’ll impress the interviewer by telling them what you’ve learned about their company and industry.

2. Be Confident

After you’ve done your research, you should feel more confident about the interview process. Even if you’re still a little nervous, you can always “Fake it until you make it”. Your body language will tell the interviewer a lot about you. Having a smile on your face and appearing friendly and personable is a huge bonus to good interviewers. Confidence and a positive attitude can take you a long way during your job search.

3. Don’t Sell Yourself Short

This step is so important for landing your dream job! Even if you feel under-qualified, don’t let the interviewer know that. Use your skills to your advantage. Are you a good communicator? Do you have experience with working in teams or leading others? These interpersonal skills or soft skills are essential for most jobs. Use any previous job experience when answering the questions. Even if it’s in an entirely different field, chances are, you can transfer the skills you’ve learned to a variety of job fields

4. Be Early

First impressions are everything, so arrive at least ten to fifteen minutes early. Arriving early will show the hiring managers that you are not only punctual but have an interest in the job. Also, if you arrive early, this will give you time to compose yourself beforehand.

5. Ask Questions

Lastly, ask good questions! At the end of your interview, the interviewers will ask you if you have any questions. The answer to this is always, “Yes!” If you have no questions, it will make you seem unprepared. Make eye contact and ask any of these questions:

• What does a typical day in this role look like?
• Is there an opportunity for advancement?
• What hours will I be expected to work?
• When will I hear back about my application?

Things You Should Know

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