CV for a techie, don't want to look like a t**t
Discussion
I'm currently writing up my CV as I'm predicting a shoddy pay rise and little reward this year, and to be quite honest I'm struggling with it.
Here's my problem: I've worked in deeply technical role (IT - Platform Engineer) for my entire career (5 years at this point). I'm a competent developer in a number of languages, I've had exposure to a huge range of technologies and products and my role is basically:
"Take something new, learn how it works, work out how the company should use it, get the company to use it effectively."
Now I've reviewed a few technical CV's over these 5 years, and I think I know how it works...
The role description has a number of "tech keywords" like XML, VBScript, C#, etc.
The recruiter is not technical, and has no idea what anything means or what the customer wants.
The CV of a candidate comes in - so the recruiter filters for these words. If 80% are there, then the CV goes to the employer.
Problem is, CVs that are tailored to work with the method are complete gibberish. I've never actually managed to read one all the way through before gouging myself in the eye. We can all list random keywords, and it means nothing.
Then there's the fact that my major strength, whilst being deeply technical, is that I'm a thinker, a strategist and a relationship builder. My biggest achievements are ones where I've gone analysed a situation, come up with a new way of doing it, and revolutionised things. To reduce it to a list of the technologies involved would seriously sell me short.
So what do I do? My CV is currently reading more like an executive/managerial CV, which is what I want, but I'm scared of it never getting past the agent!
Does anyone have any advice for me? I was thinking of putting a table near the top somewhere called a "Technical Skills matrix", which will bear 80% of the keywords found in the job advert plus a few different ones for luck. I can then tailor this for each role. But I'll feel stupid putting that above everything else.
Here's my problem: I've worked in deeply technical role (IT - Platform Engineer) for my entire career (5 years at this point). I'm a competent developer in a number of languages, I've had exposure to a huge range of technologies and products and my role is basically:
"Take something new, learn how it works, work out how the company should use it, get the company to use it effectively."
Now I've reviewed a few technical CV's over these 5 years, and I think I know how it works...
The role description has a number of "tech keywords" like XML, VBScript, C#, etc.
The recruiter is not technical, and has no idea what anything means or what the customer wants.
The CV of a candidate comes in - so the recruiter filters for these words. If 80% are there, then the CV goes to the employer.
Problem is, CVs that are tailored to work with the method are complete gibberish. I've never actually managed to read one all the way through before gouging myself in the eye. We can all list random keywords, and it means nothing.
Then there's the fact that my major strength, whilst being deeply technical, is that I'm a thinker, a strategist and a relationship builder. My biggest achievements are ones where I've gone analysed a situation, come up with a new way of doing it, and revolutionised things. To reduce it to a list of the technologies involved would seriously sell me short.
So what do I do? My CV is currently reading more like an executive/managerial CV, which is what I want, but I'm scared of it never getting past the agent!
Does anyone have any advice for me? I was thinking of putting a table near the top somewhere called a "Technical Skills matrix", which will bear 80% of the keywords found in the job advert plus a few different ones for luck. I can then tailor this for each role. But I'll feel stupid putting that above everything else.
BMWBen said:
My biggest achievements are ones where I've gone analysed a situation, come up with a new way of doing it, and revolutionised things.
That goes first. Quantify the achievements though. "I made a revolutionary eCommerce system" means next to nothing. "Integrated an eCommerce solution into the current product set, allowing CompanyX to enter a market place that is now worth £1.5m/yr" etc (worded a bit nicer of course) is going to get the attention, especially as you're striving for a role where results matter. Make it all results-oriented and tangible.... everybody is a highly motivated team player, don't just glibly put that without qualifying it.Relevant skills go next, within the career history (so that I can see when you actually used specific skills). By "relevant skills" I mean don't list that you know how to use MS Word and Windows if you're going for a lead c# developer position... some stuff is obvious. And then list qualifications.
The above is assuming you've at least several years experience (i.e. that your qualifications are less important than your career history).
That's what I look for when I review CVs
The great thing about where you are right now is it sounds like you're looking around but not desperate to jump ship immediately. So you could always put together a CV that YOU are happy with, send it out for some positions that you're interested in, and see what sort of feedback you get from it.
Just my 2p.
matt28 said:
That goes first. Quantify the achievements though. "I made a revolutionary eCommerce system" means next to nothing. "Integrated an eCommerce solution into the current product set, allowing CompanyX to enter a market place that is now worth £1.5m/yr" etc (worded a bit nicer of course) is going to get the attention, especially as you're striving for a role where results matter. Make it all results-oriented and tangible.... everybody is a highly motivated team player, don't just glibly put that without qualifying it.
Relevant skills go next, within the career history (so that I can see when you actually used specific skills). By "relevant skills" I mean don't list that you know how to use MS Word and Windows if you're going for a lead c# developer position... some stuff is obvious. And then list qualifications.
The above is assuming you've at least several years experience (i.e. that your qualifications are less important than your career history).
That's what I look for when I review CVs
The great thing about where you are right now is it sounds like you're looking around but not desperate to jump ship immediately. So you could always put together a CV that YOU are happy with, send it out for some positions that you're interested in, and see what sort of feedback you get from it.
Just my 2p.
That's probably a good approach - you're right, I'm not desperate to leave, just feeling a little underpaid having started on a ad salary and worked my way into a senior technical position without my salary keeping pace! Relevant skills go next, within the career history (so that I can see when you actually used specific skills). By "relevant skills" I mean don't list that you know how to use MS Word and Windows if you're going for a lead c# developer position... some stuff is obvious. And then list qualifications.
The above is assuming you've at least several years experience (i.e. that your qualifications are less important than your career history).
That's what I look for when I review CVs
The great thing about where you are right now is it sounds like you're looking around but not desperate to jump ship immediately. So you could always put together a CV that YOU are happy with, send it out for some positions that you're interested in, and see what sort of feedback you get from it.
Just my 2p.
I guess I'll keep my "template” as the one that I'm happy with (without the shopping list of skills) and then add the keywords against the relevant parts of my experience depending on the role description.
I think you need to decide whether you want to be a techie or a manager.
Technical people that get "promoted" into management have to learn a completely new skill set, which is why many are so bad at it. In my experience, the best project managers I have worked with have little to no technical knowledge. Virtually no skills you will have built up as a techie are transferable to management.
All I'm saying is don't spend 10 years being a techie to become a manager, if you want to go that way do it now, look at management trainee positions etc. (can't really help any more than that cos i'm a techie)
Technical people that get "promoted" into management have to learn a completely new skill set, which is why many are so bad at it. In my experience, the best project managers I have worked with have little to no technical knowledge. Virtually no skills you will have built up as a techie are transferable to management.
All I'm saying is don't spend 10 years being a techie to become a manager, if you want to go that way do it now, look at management trainee positions etc. (can't really help any more than that cos i'm a techie)
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