Resume for Fresh Information Technology (IT) Graduates

The job search can be challenging and frustrating at times, but it’s a necessary step in building a successful career in tech. Some students get offers straight out of university or coding bootcamps, but that’s not usually the case—most people need to search for a job after completing an education program. In this process, it’s essential to have an excellent resume and portfolio, but what about fresh information and technology graduates? 

If you’re a fresh information technology graduate looking for a job, it can be tough to compete with other people who have been in the industry for years. But that’s not as big of an issue as it sounds. After all, even these people had to start somewhere. In this article, we’ll go over some strategies for putting together an entry-level information technology (IT) resume to increase your chances of landing a great job.

Cover Letter

The cover letter is your chance to sell yourself to hiring managers, and it’s a great place to give them an idea of what you’re capable of. You shouldn’t sound like a salesperson in this part of your resume, but it’s essential to explain why you’d be a valuable asset to the company. You should always rework your cover letter for new applications, and it’s helpful to mention the company’s name too. That shows employers that you care about their company and you’re excited to apply for the position. Don’t ramble on too long about any one thing: a single page is usually sufficient. Be sure to use proper grammar in your cover letter, and proofread it more than once. Spelling needs to be correct if you want to look useful to hiring managers.

Education

As with virtually any resume, it’s essential to include your educational history, along with the degrees or certificates you’ve earned. College students should list their highest degrees, along with the schools they earned them from. Coding bootcamp graduates should also list their schools, along with the specific type of certificate (or certificates) they earned in the program. If you haven’t attended college or coding bootcamp, you should consider it to increase your skills, raise your income potential, and increase your chances of getting hired. It’s not necessary to include absolutely every kind of education you’ve ever received—just list the most relevant degrees and certificates you’ve earned.

Skills

This is where you highlight your skills and abilities on your resume. Don’t go into too much detail—instead, list your most important and relevant skills for the specific job you’re applying to. Don’t use the same exact resume for every job you apply for—change it up a little bit and read the job description carefully, as employers can smell a copy-and-paste resume from a mile away. This is the part of the document where you highlight the specific reasons why you’ll be valuable to a company, so be sure to list everything that will apply to this new position.

Work History

If you don’t have any work history in information and technology, don’t worry. Instead, list the most recent and longest-held jobs you’ve had. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to an employer that you’ll be reliable and loyal to the company. Employers want to know that you’re not likely to quit as soon as another opportunity arrives, and long work history with over a year at each job is always a good sign. If you have more than five years of experience at one company, that’s a great thing to list. Also, this is where you’ll include your reference information so hiring managers can call and see where you stand at a previous employer. If you had a bad experience at an earlier job, it’s not the end of the world, but consider also including the contact information of good employers. Also, it’s a good idea to give your previous employer a heads-up that somebody may call about you.