Every job seeker knows that a Resume is his passport to get into a country “JOB INTERVIEW.” That is why your resume should be well-organized, clearly written, and formatted using the industry standards. Note that often before they get to a Hiring Manager’s desk resumes for IT positions may be filtered by a “middle man” – an administrative professional who sorts them based on format and skills matrix requirements or a Managed Service Provider company whose account managers select top 3-7 resumes out of large submittal pools. If during this first brief look at your resume, this person sees many different fonts, no clear format, and incoherent lists of duties simply copied from previous job descriptions, they may discard it and you will not receive a chance to interview.

Here are some tips you should bear in mind while updating your resume:

1. Begin your resume with a clear headline listing your generic job category and some specific sub-categories / skills.

2. Be specific and prioritize your areas of expertise by relevancy, tailoring the resume to position descriptions you’re applying for. Put your relevant skills on top of the list, so the recruiter can see immediately that you posses those specific requirements set by a client.

3. Be brief. HR managers and recruiters do not have a lot of time to read all the details. Do not simply copy a list of duties from your previous job description. Instead, use active verbs to show your actions, achievements, and contributions. Limit yourself to 4-5 bullet points for key duties and 4-5 bullet points in achievements. You can elaborate more on your duties during the interview, when asked.

4. Keep your resume at 1-2 pages, never longer.

5. Be concrete. Use numbers and measurable results — show how many people you supervised, how many projects you have accomplished, by how much you increased the profit, what specific applications you developed, how many people/group types you served in IT support, and how much money you saved your previous company.

6. Be honest. Surveys say that 41% of job applicants tend to lie in their resume. Do not be one of them; you are only going to hurt yourself when you find out that you are not able to discuss your past experience with confidence during the interview.

7. Mind your spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting. Every resume has to be professional, and there are resume templates you can always find online. In formatting your resume, show your ability to communicate clearly and respect your potential employer’s time. It’s the first impression that can pay off in major ways!