Technical Resume: Examples & Writing Tips for Tech Pros

Most tech jobs demand industry-specific technical skills, as well as soft skills like problem-solving and multi-tasking.

If you’re able to clearly demonstrate these skills and qualifications on your resume, you’ll have no problem getting interviews and eventually the job you want.

Before we dive into writing tips for tech professionals, here’s a list of technical industry resume samples if you’re looking for something that more directly applies to you:

Other Technical Resume Samples

1. List required technical resume skills near the top of your resume

For technical jobs, there are core competencies employers need to see on your resume for you to stand a chance. Prove that you’re proficient in industry software, technical hardware, and more by listing your relevant job skills.

Here’s a general list of technical skills you might want include in your resume skills section depending on your industry:

• Database software (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Access, MySQL, Oracle JDBC, Apache Hive)
• HTML
• Javascript
• Hardware support (circuit boards, chips, processors, routers, laptops, printers)
• Software support (apps, programming, website development)
• Multiple operating systems (Apple, Windows, Linux)
• Problem-solving
• Customer service skills

While technical jobs place more importance on your hard skills, be sure to include a few soft skills if you have space. Soft skills highlight your ability to work well with coworkers and customers, which makes you a more appealing candidate.

2. Open with a strong technical resume summary

Make the lives of hiring managers easier by starting off your resume with a resume summary that proves you’re qualified for the role.

A technical resume summary highlights your greatest technical strengths and qualifications in two to three sentences. Write one by listing two or three of your most impressive tech-related achievements, how many years of experience you have, and some of your key technical skills.

Here’s an example of a resume summary for a technical job:

Technical support representative with 5+ years of experience resolving user-end issues with hardware and software. Received an average 85% customer satisfaction rating to date, and managed installation and configuration of a new network system with a team of four. Seeking to utilize my background in technical support to secure management opportunities in information technology.

3. Include technical-related keywords in your resume

It’s not enough to just include the right technical skills on your resume. You also want to make sure you strategically use the correct industry-specific keywords.

Resume keywords can be found in a company’s job listing, or even on their website. Once you’ve located some of them, fit them into your resume’s experience section and skills section.

Using keywords from a company’s job ad makes your resume appear more suitable for the opening, and also helps you get past any Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which are used to disqualify unsuitable candidates.

Here’s a list of common keywords (note: they’re usually verbs and nouns used in the job listing) to use in your technical resume:

4. Add hard numbers to your achievements

If you aren’t adding numbers to your resumes, it’s time to start. Hard numbers show what value you can potentially bring to a company, which:

1. makes it easier for hiring managers to vet you
2. gives you more leverage if you want to negotiate your salary later.

Take some time to think through how you can quantify your experiences. How many tickets do you close in a day? Did you kickstart a new project, or launch a system that saved a company resources (whether that’s time or money)?

Example:

Implemented a new processing system, reducing turnaround time by 12%.