When you’re in the market for an IT job, you need to understand current IT hiring trends and what is expected from employers. You could be the most qualified IT candidate, but if you haven’t updated your resume or prepared for your interview, then it will be more difficult to get your foot in the door and land secure a position. Below, we’ll cover IT job hiring tips, including resume and interview preparation best practices that address the latest trends.
1. Your Resume
Emphasize Your Skills and Accomplishments
Your work experience is one of the most essential parts of your resume – it’s where IT hiring managers will look almost immediately to see if you have the experience and expertise to succeed in their open position. Some candidates make the mistake of simply listing their skills and including a list of tasks they did for each job. However, it’s not enough to merely list a skill or task that you do and assume the hiring manager will know what you can truly do or that you use that skillset frequently.
Instead, you should highlight your key skills and accomplishments for each position, focusing on quantifiable results. For example, if you successfully applied Python during a project, include details about when and how you used it, with the results achieved.
Here is a concrete example you might find in the work experience section of an IT resume:
Designed and deployed a Python-based software application that could analyze large datasets, reducing data processing time by 33 percent and increasing data accuracy by 48 percent.
Highlight Relevant Certifications
Again, don’t assume the hiring manager will know whether you have a certification or specific skill – always include those features in your resume, especially when they are pertinent to the job and included as requirements in the job description. For example, if you’re applying for an AWS role and you have an AWS architect certification, list it!
Even if it’s not required for the job, certifications look good on a resume if they’re at all relevant. They show employers that you went the extra mile to earn a certification. If the IT job hiring team has narrowed it down to two candidates and all else is equal, an employer will likely choose the candidate who put forth the effort to get a certification.
Include Your Education
Some make the mistake of thinking that the only thing that matters to employers is work experience. Most jobs require some level of a degree and, at a minimum, a high school diploma or equivalent. That’s why you need to include an education section on your resume, listing your degree titles and the issuing institution.
Include Role Type
It’s helpful to IT hiring teams for you to clarify the role type of each position you’ve held. Was it a contract, full-time, or part-time role? Holding several permanent roles in a short period may cause questions from a hiring manager, but if you’re a contractor, then it’s often expected. Therefore, it’s an important distinction to make on your resume.
Stick to One or Two Pages
Hiring managers generally only spend a few moments looking at a resume. The goal of your resume is not to tell your entire professional story. It’s to provide enough recent and relevant insights to show that you’re a viable candidate for the job. Identify and include your most notable achievements and skills relevant to the job, and keep your resume to one or two pages.
2. Avoid These Resume Mistakes
Keep Your Resume Simple
Regarding resume templates and formatting, the best rule of thumb is to keep it simple. Though submitting a creative resume might be tempting and even make you think it will give you an edge, that may not always be the case.
Keep your resume format traditional, with standard sections, fonts, and spacing. A reverse-chronological or hybrid resume format tends to work the best.
Don’t Go Too Far Back
If you’re a recent or inexperienced hire, then you might need to list your high school and college jobs as long as they’re relevant. However, if you’re an experienced hire, then stick to your most recent 10 to 15 years of experience and forgo anything before that. If you have at least ten years of experience, then you likely don’t need to include your college or high school jobs to add value. In fact, it could distract from the recent and more relevant experience that matters most to employers.
Learn How to Create a Winning Resumé
3. Interview Preparation
Brush Up on Your Skills
If you’re applying for a job that requires skills you haven’t used in a while, ensure you’re current on those skills. For example, if you’re applying for a job that uses Python and you know you’re efficient in it, yet you haven’t used Python in two years, take a training course or get a certification so you can honestly say you’re current with it.
Have Questions Ready to Ask the Interviewer
Almost anywhere you look in terms of how to prepare for an interview, you’ll find guidance to have at least three questions ready to ask the interviewer. You might have rocked the rest of the interview, but if you don’t ask questions about the potential employment, it may come off as a lack of interest to the employer.
Even if they seem basic, questions are crucial. Whether it’s a question on the job specifics, about the company, or even how many days a week you’ll work in the office for a hybrid/remote job – if it’s not covered during the interview, it’s fair game to ask.
Practice Answers Out Loud
It’s easy to be caught off guard when you haven’t tried out your answers out loud. Practice answers to common interview questions with a friend or, at a minimum, by yourself.
Be Yourself
It’s common to get nervous before an interview, but don’t hide behind a false persona or put on a facade to try to impress anyone. The interviewer wants to get to know you as you, so be yourself. Take a few deep breaths before the interview, and walk in with your head held high. You landed the interview with the details on your resume, so you’re one step ahead of the game already!
Check Out More Interview Preparation Tips
4. Follow Up After the Interview
Send Thank You Notes
Sending a thank you note following an interview shows professionalism and courtesy. Keep it short and to the point while remaining professional and focused on the interview and next steps.
We encourage our candidates to let us review thank you notes before sending them to the employer to ensure the messages capture the right energy and language to leave a positive impression.
5. Stay Current On IT Hiring Trends
When you’re considering or actively seeking a new job, it’s good to keep a pulse on hiring trends in the industry,
The hiring process for IT positions can vary based on the time of year, as well as the level of the role. The average time-to-fill is around three weeks. In some instances, a role might be filled in as little as ten days, while for others, it can take up to two months. Due to vacations, filling positions during the summer and the end-of-year holidays can take a bit longer.
It’s difficult to predict whether hiring will slow down or speed up. An election year often impacts hiring, especially when it’s close to the election. However, knowing whether that will be positive or negative is difficult until we’re in the heart of it.
AI is a hot topic. Regarding IT hiring trends, AI positions or positions involving AI-focused duties and responsibilities are on the rise, as is machine learning. We’re also seeing an increase in resumes – 50 to 70 percent – that include AI skillsets, and candidates often want to know if AI is involved in the technical roles they’re seeking.
Another area of focus is cybersecurity. With the uptick of cyber and security breaches with larger companies, cybersecurity roles are increasing.
Land Your Next IT Job With Daley And Associates!
There’s a lot to consider as you assemble your resume and prepare for interviews to help you secure your next IT job. Working with a repeatable recruiting firm, such as Daley And Associates, can help guide you through all the IT job hiring steps required to ensure a successful application and job search process while keeping you abreast of IT hiring trends. Ready to land your next IT job? Our recruiting services can help you identify and land IT jobs that are the right fit for you. Contact us today for more information!
