How to create a catchy CV when you work in IT

First things first: format, photo and contact details 

Let's start with the general format of your CV. To make reading easier and faster, choose a CV format that reads linearly from top to bottom. This format will make it easier to digest and more pleasant to read. Conversely, CVs divided into two vertical sections make it harder to read and understand your profile.   

A photo of you is always more pleasant for the recruiter or the person reading your CV. It makes it more personal and livelier, and it feels less like reading the CV of an anonymous person or a robot.   

However, photo-free recruitme nt is becoming more and more common, and each company has different habits. 

Finally, if your CV is perfect in every way but your contact details are missing, it will not be very useful. So try to put them at the top of your CV, so that they are clearly visible. 

Your knowledge, skills and expertise  

As you know better than anyone, in IT, technological expertise is a fundamental prerequisite. That's why recruiters need to know your level of knowledge and experience on the technology in question.  

We therefore advise you to mention the technologies on which you have worked for each experience posted on your CV. You can also detail them in a dedicated section at the bottom of the assignments you have done so that they are all centralised.   

A real plus for recruiters is also to devote a section to the technologies and skills you master at the very top of your CV.   

Ideally, these skills are grouped by category and by order of skills: the more you master a technology, the higher up in your list it should appear.  

As far as your experience is concerned, use bullet points with keywords or logos of the technologies you master to describe the missions you are looking for or the sectors you want to join.   

Example: integration, support, API, cloud...   

We also recommend that you write a short summary of the context of each project you have done before the bullet points. This way, you help recruiters to better position your experience.  

Example: building an intranet for a construction company  

Another tip: by highlighting the job titles of your previous experiences, you allow recruiters to quickly see your level of expertise in the various positions related to the mission for which you are applying or for which you are a potential candidate.  

Finally, at the top of your CV, don't forget to post the position(s) you are looking for or that interests you. This allows recruiters to better understand your ambitions and expectations, and thus to know if you could be a good fit for the position.  

It’s important that you indicate all your recent trainings, because in IT, things go fast, and the technologies evolve quickly. So, it is important to reassure the recruiter on the fact that you’re at ease on the last versions or that you maintain your knowledge regularly, even without diploma formation. 

In summary: the more time you save the recruiter by giving them the key information in your profile at the beginning of their reading, the more you increase your chances of being contacted. 

Junior CVs  

You are considered a junior profile when you have between one and three years of experience. The main difficulty with this type of profile is that the competition in this IT sector is tougher than for more experienced profiles.  

Your job search process will therefore mainly involve applying to job offers. This is a situation that you can turn to your advantage, because you can adapt your CV to each offer.  

We have also observed that most companies need Junior profiles more than they realise.   

Our advice: convince recruiters that what you know how to do today can relieve senior staff of their daily tasks and that your youth is conducive to bringing a fresh perspective to a project and to learn from mentors in the field.   

Also show that you like the job you are applying for and that you take your progression seriously enough to give yourself the means to be proactive in your career.   

Today, companies that hire junior IT profiles do so for the qualities and soft skills they have put forward, not for the technical skills they have at a given moment.   

Work on your applications to show that you know how to develop your skills on your own! 

Confirmed or Senior CVs  

Senior and confirmed profiles are the most sought after by recruiters. If this is your case, we can only recommend that you use your CV as a means of negotiating your conditions and thus attract the attention of the most prestigious companies.  

Highlight the supervisory actions you have taken.  

You can mention the tech stack but it is more important to explain the business issues to justify the tech stack.  

Indeed, knowing how to explain a strategy and how to solve problems are qualities that recruiters look for. Mention your soft skills by selecting the ones that are the most sought after in IT. All recruiters will tell you this: hard skills can be learned, but it is less true for soft skills and they are what will make you stand out. 

Talk about agility, talk about DevOps, talk about your scope but also about the fact that your skills go beyond it.  

Do you have IT-related side activities, such as creating an application or developing video games? Another opportunity to score points with recruiters! Don’t forget to include any open-source contributions you might have made.   

If you belong to a tech community such as TogetherbyTech, you can also put it on your resume! 

No matter how much experience you have, remember that the CV is only a showcase for your skills and talents. Once you have caught the attention of recruiters, only you can prove your worth and sell yourself!  

Are you already employed but seeking for another opportunity? Check out our advice to change job without getting caught!