Looking to transition into a technical career but feeling like your previous roles don’t translate? Don’t worry—a tech-focused resume can help bridge the gap. Whether you’ve been working for years serving customers in a retail environment or in a warehouse assembling equipment, any experience can be used to craft a resume tailored to tech.
A tech-focused resume showcases the technical and non-technical skills and experience you already have that are transferable to a technical role, helping you stand out in applications. You don’t need experience working in a technical role—any experience can be used to craft a resume tailored to tech.
There are many ways to tailor your resume to the tech industry you’re entering.
Here are a few tips to help you get started:
Under your experience section, name technologies you’ve used and how they’ve impacted your work. Think more than computers! Technology can be software, machinery, vehicles, phones, tablets, equipment and tools. Add the names of any software to your skills section as well. It may feel repetitive, but the more technical keywords used throughout your resume, the better.
Think of job descriptions as cheat sheets. Take a look at a few job descriptions for a role you want to apply to, and pull out various soft skills (these are non-technical, personality traits) that you possess. Go back to your experience section in your resume and tie in how you’ve used those skills to be successful or impactful in your roles where applicable. This is how you can add relevant experience to tailor your resume.
Let’s say you have been working at Subway as a Sandwich Maker. Here’s a bullet point you may want to add to your resume: “Creates sandwiches for customers daily.” If, for example, you’re applying to an IT role, you want to showcase any usage of technology like a POS system. If you’ve fixed any technical issues on the job, you want to highlight that as well. Here are two tech-focused bullets you can write instead:
“Utilizes Toast POS System to streamline checkout experience for over 100 customers daily”
“Troubleshoots technical issues on POS System and credit card machines, resolving accurately and efficiently to maintain store operations”
You’ll also want to highlight transferable soft skills like customer service, conflict resolution, or empathy. Here’s one way to do so:
“Resolves all customer concerns with care and empathy, ensuring every customer has a positive experience”
You can also make your education section more tech-focused by adding any ongoing technical skill development you’re in the process of completing.
Learners who have watched YouTube videos to learn new technical skills have written, “Actively learning Python and JavaScript through independent study.” Other learners who are studying to take the A+ Certification have written, “Ongoing skill development in hardware, software and firmware knowledge to prepare for the CompTIA A+ Certification; anticipated completion Nov 2023.”
Remember, always write for the technical role you want, not the roles you’ve had. With a little tweaking and some tech-focused language, you’ll be on your way to standing out in the tech industry. You’ve got this!
Are you looking to transition to a career in tech? Take the first step by checking out Merit America’s programs! You’ll benefit from peer support and best-in-class coaching while earning industry-recognized credentials. Learn more about Merit America HERE.