Finding a Job in Tech: What No One Told You About Resumes

Whether you’re leaving school, changing careers, or jumping back in the job market, writing a resume can feel pressured and stressful. There’s lots of conflicting advice and arbitrary choices to make, and often no feedback to steer you in the right direction. The most important things are never discussed, and we end up agonizing over minutiae like font size or word choice. Luckily, writing a good resume is easier than it seems. We’ll go through some of the most important concepts here (and feel free to comment at the end if you have specific questions!).

Note: Every profession has its own quirks; while I hope this is helpful to everyone in writing a resume, it is primarily directed towards people applying for jobs in the tech industry, not academia or other specific industries.

1. It’s All About the Money

And that’s not necessarily bad. The first thing to understand about any company you’re applying to is that you are there to produce value. No company can succeed if it can’t make money, even if there are loftier goals. Working with this constraint doesn’t mean you should be greedy, just a realist. Showing you understand this on your resume sends a signal to your prospective employers that you understand the reality of a working relationship, and are interested in contributing to the success of the business.

…okay, how do I do that?

There’s a couple ways. The most important involves how you list your duties or accomplishments at past jobs/internships/teams/projects. It doesn’t matter whether it was just a part-time job or volunteer gig. What matters is how you describe the work you did. Keep it short, be specific about your actions, and connect each one to a clear source of value- i.e. saving money or earning money. Try thinking in terms of cause and effect- what duty did you perform, and what positive effect did it have?
Let’s look at some examples:
“Wrote weekly posts about products for company blog” -> “Created customer-facing content, increasing SEO and company visibility”
“Analyzed data to create sustainability plan for adoption by Computer Science Department” -> “Developed data-driven sustainability initiative, reducing department energy use and waste generation.”
“Integrated Redis caching for the existing API” -> “Decreased average query retrieval times by implementing results caching.”

Now the main take-away here isn’t the changes in wording- it should be clear, but that’s not make-or-break. What we’re doing here is painting a picture: showing that we understand how our actions contributed to increasing company value. You didn’t just write blog posts, you increased company visibility. This tells the employer that you don’t just understand the how, but also the why- and this understanding is fundamental to how tasks are performed at a business.
Remember, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience, this doesn’t need to be about literal dollar amounts- no one is expecting a new-grad to have made millions. It’s about demonstrating your understanding of how your contributions were important.

“Projects or extra-curricular activities can actually be very relevant in communicating things about you, like work ethic or passion for your field.”

A couple final tips before moving on:
-Keep it short. You don’t need to list every task you performed at every job. If you have “Carpenter” on your resume, it goes without saying that you “used tools to attach wood together”, etc etc. Focus on the actions that made you stand out- “Implemented new inventory methods, saving thousands in monthly lumber costs.” A good general rule is a maximum of 3 bullet points per job.
-Think from the employer’s perspective: does this past experience demonstrate how this person can contribute to your company?

2. Show, Don’t Tell

This one is always harder than it sounds, but it’s better for someone to look at your resume and draw their own conclusions. If you tell them you’re ‘hard-working’, it won’t mean much. Anyone can say that. But if you have a large list of projects you’ve completed, or experience in a demanding field, just describe those features and let them speak to your work ethic for you.
Sometimes it’s tempting to be verbose in order to feel like we’ve done ourselves justice, and although it’s good to put your best foot forward, less is often more. Anyone looking to hire you has probably been in your position before, and just wants the relevant facts.

“You don’t need to lay your entire life out on your resume, it’s just to get a foot in the door.”

Another good technique here is to branch out a bit. While you don’t usually need to include every job you’ve ever had (keep it relevant), including a section about projects can be critical. The goal is to show who you are- dedicated, passionate, reliable, whatever characteristics make you suited for the role. If you’re a programmer who loves sports, find a project that incorporates both. If you’re a writer who loves hiking, write a blog about your experiences in the woods. Finding projects to do is a whole other topic (post coming soon), but the point is not to make the next million-dollar app in your spare time- it’s just to connect two (or more) interests in your life. It’s a chance for you to show what your personal interests and values are, and that you have the discipline and follow-through to accomplish things for their own sake.
The same rules apply for the projects section, however- keep it succinct. You don’t need to lay your entire life out on your resume, it’s just to get a foot in the door. In fact, leaving some details out can actually be a great technique for interviewing: put things on your resume that are interesting and you want to be asked about. Interviewers love to have material that they can ask you about. It helps break the ice and gives you a chance to discuss your relevant skills or qualities. Use the resume as bait.

3. Tailor It — But Don’t Overdo It

The sad reality is that many larger companies do use automated systems that look for keywords and specific formatting. Complying with these can be a thankless, faceless task for everyone involved, so if you know you’re dealing with this sort of system, find out as much information as you can. Carefully read all instructions provided, and incorporate as many keywords from the job description as you can. Then cross your fingers.
Whether you’re going through an algorithm or directly to a person, the real test is when a person gets eyes on your resume. The guiding principle in tailoring a resume to an application is “relevance” — but this is often misinterpreted.

There’s no harm at all in aiming high, but it shouldn’t require you to add ‘fluff.’

Relevance is not a synonym for detail. There’s no need to list every single thing you did at your most relevant job, or every class you took that might relate. Instead, learn about the job and company you are applying to- is there any information about how they hire or what they prefer to see on resumes? As we discussed before, projects or extra-curricular activities can actually be very relevant in communicating things about you, like work ethic or passion for your field.
Sometimes, especially if you’re early in your professional life, your resume might feel empty. Resist the temptation to fill it with irrelevant detail- this paints a picture of desperation, not seasoned experience. The best solution is to simply do more — find volunteer opportunities, contribute to clubs or organizations, work on personal projects, etc. A resume is only ever as good as the person it describes, so if you think you might need more content, then perhaps you should consider other options. There’s no harm at all in aiming high, but it shouldn’t require you to add ‘fluff.’ Fluff is nearly always perceived negatively anyway. Go with your gut- if something feels superfluous as you write it, it probably is.

In closing, remember…

You are more than your resume. It doesn’t need to describe your entire life history or all the things you stand for. It just needs to interest someone enough that they call you back…and the best way to do that is by showing them that you understand how to contribute value to an employer, and that you understand and value yourself as well.