In my line of work, IT recruiting, I see A LOT of resumes (I’m talking over a hundred a week), so I can really appreciate a well formatted resume. What I like in a resume is a clear well-structured layout that lets me quickly see all the information I need to make a decision.

Below I’ve posted an IT resume template to give you an idea of what recruiters like myself are looking for:

A few more resume writing tips to remember:

Keyword Dumping is a No-No

An important thing you want to do when creating a resume is to optimize it for certain keywords that will make you searchable for recruiters, on job boards, Linked In, etc. However there is a limit on the amount of keywords you should add.

One of the fastest ways to get your resume in the top of the “don’t hire” pile is by keyword dumping. Some people think that by listing every keyword they can fit on a page they will get a job, since th

eir resume will be easier to find in Google. While you might be more searchable, when a possible employer sees that you’ve just dumped a bunch of words onto your resume without backing each one with a description of your related work experience, you are just going to annoy whoever is reading your resume and they will simply assume you do not have the proper qualifications.

Let Your Accomplishments Shine

List all of your accomplishments in reverse chronological order. Everything you highlight will set you apart from other applicants for the job. If you tie your accomplishments with your job experience it tends to make a bigger impact.

Highlight Specific Skill Sets

When writing your job description and employment experience you’ll want to list your technical skills, communication skills, organizational skills, management skills, and other abilities that you demonstrated in your role, including anything you contributed that went over and above your role requirements.

Have I missed any other resume writing tips?