How to Write an IT Manager Resume: Advice from a Career Coach
With IT management as a growing field and in high demand, it’s no surprise that job opportunities are abundant. That said, finding a job as an IT manager doesn’t come as easy as it seems.
With so many companies searching for IT managers and so few qualified applicants to fill these roles, you must stand out from the rest of the crowd if you want to land your first IT management position.
To start, you should always include an IT manager resume objective at the top of your document. This will give the reader an idea of what they can expect after reading your resume. Here are some practical ways to strengthen your resume objective:
Don’t Make It Too Long
The length of your resume will largely depend on the position you are applying for. If you are applying for an entry-level position, consider adding several pages to your resume.
However, as you move up the career ladder, you may want to keep your resume under one page. In general, your resume should be 10-30% of the length of your cover letter.
Make sure you keep it to the right length, so you don’t lose the reader at any stage of the process. If the reader gets bored or feels like the document is too long, then they may simply move on to the next resume.
Show, Don’t Tell
Your resume should not be a collection of bullet points. Resumes are more like a story than a list of achievements. You should also avoid using too many big words as this will make you sound a lot more experienced than you actually are.
It’s a good idea to keep your resume simple and to the point. In your resume, you should focus on highlighting the key achievements and skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for. You can also include examples of how you have helped your team or customers solve their own specific challenges.
Be Clear and Concise
If you are trying to land a job as an IT manager, you need to focus on the key skills and experiences you have that are relevant to the role. Remember to keep your resume short and to the point. You can use a word count of 250-400 words in your resume, depending on the position.
If you are sending your resume via email, make sure you include a cover letter with your resume. This will help to explain any additional information you feel is relevant to the reader.
Don’t Be Afraid to Use Numbers
No matter how experienced you are, you shouldn’t hesitate to include numbers in your resume. If you are applying for a senior-level position, you should include a few numbers at the bottom of your resume.
This will show your potential employer how much money you are asking for and how much you are worth. You can also include a few numbers at the beginning of your resume to show how much work you did in the past or how important your role was to the company. This will help you to stand out from the crowd when it comes to landing your first IT manager role.
Sum up Your Key Skills and Experiences
Your resume should end with a summary of key skills and experiences that you feel are relevant to the position you are applying for. You can include a few sentences about how you have helped your team or clients solve their own challenges and what you have achieved in your previous roles.
When writing your resume summary, be sure to keep it short and sweet. You don’t want to be wordy or overly detailed. Keep your summary to a few key sentences that highlight the key skills and experiences you want the reader to know about.
Conclusion
Writing a resume can be difficult, especially when you are doing it for the first time. You’ve likely never considered what should go into a resume before, and you may have no idea how to write one.
As you continue your job search, however, it’s important to keep in mind what makes a resume successful. Your resume should be concise, clear, and concise. It should also be focused on the skills and experiences you have that are most relevant to the open positions you are applying to.
In order to land your first IT manager position, you must stand out from the crowd by strengthening your resume objective and showing employers what you can do for them, rather than telling them about yourself.