INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, IT and Software Engineering positions are at a much faster than average growth rate, which is 22%. With that said, there are currently 1,847,900 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 409,500 to 2,257,400 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the IT and Software Engineering jobs was $110,140 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $65,210, and the highest 10% more than $170,100.
Our conclusion? The IT and Software Engineering job market is facing competition due to decreasing demand.
Top Cobol developer sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a strong COBOL developer experience section
Cobol developer resume experience section: ultimate checklist
- Use no more than 4-6 bullet points per position;
- List relevant positions and situations that add value to your application;
- Describe situations, tasks, actions, and results (the S-T-A-R method);
- Remember to include numbers in whatever form you like (e.g. the number of projects you’ve finished);
- Begin each bullet point with an action verb.
Check out the examples below when building your experience section. They will help you stand out!
- Development of Banking application (Deposit,Loan,Cards, OLRR ,T ricklefeed).
- Worked in Agile / Scrum Methodology.
- Performed Unit Testing on developed modules.
- Worked on Resolution of Defects.
- Working closely with patch related activities.
- Designed and implemented a new database schema that reduced query time by 30%
- Led a team of 4 developers in the successful delivery of a major system upgrade
- Improved system reliability by identifying and resolving a critical performance bottleneck
- Implemented automated testing processes that reduced system downtime by 20%
- Created technical documentation and provided training to business users
- Improved application performance by optimizing SQL queries and data access
- Developed and maintained a messaging system based on IBM MQ that increased system reliability
- Implemented a code review process that improved code quality and reduced bugs by 15%
- Provided technical support to business users and resolved critical issues in a timely manner
- Contributed to the design and implementation of a new order processing system
- Designed and implemented a real-time transaction processing system that reduced response times by 25%
- Led a team of 3 developers in delivering a new web-based application for customer onboarding, resulting in a 40% increase in new account openings
- Identified and resolved performance issues in legacy COBOL code, resulting in a 20% reduction in CPU utilization
- Collaborated with business analysts and project managers to gather requirements and deliver solutions that met or exceeded customer expectations
- Participated in code reviews and contributed to the development of coding standards and best practices
- Designed and implemented a complex order processing and fulfillment system using COBOL and Java, resulting in a 30% reduction in order processing time and a 15% increase in on-time deliveries
- Led a team of 5 developers in implementing a new warehouse management system, resulting in a 20% improvement in inventory accuracy and a 10% increase in warehouse productivity
- Provided technical assessments for promotions to Software Development Engineer level 2 and 3
- Mentored junior developers and helped build a strong culture of technical excellence and collaboration
- Contributed to the development of coding standards and best practices
PRO TIP
Make sure to relate your experience to your job description, but never lie. That’s not tolerated and will show up in the face-to-face interview later on.
Action verbs for your COBOL developer resume
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Writing a strong skills section for your COBOL developer resume
Checklist for your COBOL developer skills section:
- Include all relevant skills from the job description to pass ATS;
- Focus on skills that show your expertise;
- List your technical skills in a clear and concise manner;
- Leave room for transferable skills related to teamwork, communication, negotiation, and conflict management.
Top skills for your COBOL developer resume
Python
Java
Javascript
GIT
SQL
HTML
Teamwork and communication
Creative problem solving
Analystical thinking
Owning up to errors
Self-learning
Time management
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
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Cobol developer resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your COBOL developer resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
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PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your COBOL Developer resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
The ideal summary for your COBOL developer resume
Mastering the summary section: checklist
- Mention the total years of experience you have in the field;
- Focus on 2 to 3 of your top achievements;
- Highlight the things that make you the best fit for the position;
- Go for short, easy-to-read sentences to keep the recruiter’s attention.
Resume Summary Formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a professional taster. Use it wisely. Effectively convey your professional profile and let the hiring manager know that if they hire you, they won’t be disappointed. Make sure to include keywords from the job description too! Elaborate on your abilities further in your experience section. Again, cater to the job description.
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Things to include in your COBOL developer resume Education section
Cobol developer resume education section checklist:
- Mention your highest education degree;
- Add the duration of your course and the institution you attended;
- List the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- Feature your certifications if they are relevant to the position;
- Entry-level positions: Share more about projects and classes.
Top certifications for your COBOL developer resume
Mainframe: The Complete COBOL Course From Beginner To Expert
Become an Expert on COBOL Programs by coding it. Run COBOL Programs with JCL. Basic TSO/ISPF operations are also covered
Mainframe - COBOL DB2 - Basic to Advance Level
Complete COBOL DB2 Training from Queries to Programming with Real Time Concepts explained in simple way
Mainframe: Code DB2 on COBOL Programs for Absolute Beginners
Master the DDL and DML operations on DB2. Code multiple COBOL DB2 Programs. Master the concept of Cursors on DB2
The Complete Mainframe Professional Course - 4 Courses in 1
The first step in learning about Mainframes. Covers COBOL, JCL, VSAM, TSO/ISPF, Unix System Services and CICS.
Mainframe : The Complete TSO/ISPF from Beginner to Expert
Best TSO/ISPF Course. TSO and ISPF commands are explained in detail. Simplified COBOL covered as bonus along with JCL.
Recommended reads.":
PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Formatting your COBOL developer resume
What’s worse than a .docx resume? A resume with a poorly chosen format.
In general, there are three basic resume formats we advise you to stick with:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Choosing between them is easy when you’re aware of your applicant profile – it depends on your years of experience, the position you’re applying for, and whether you’re looking for an industry change or not.
The reverse-chronological resume format is just that – all your relevant jobs in reverse-chronological order. It’s great for applicants with lots of experience, no career gaps, and little desire for creativity.
When working with less experienced applicants, we suggest the functional skills-based resume format. It’s great for recent graduates or people with large career gaps. Functional skills-based resumes focus on your personality, the skills you have, your interests, and your education. Ultimately, the idea is to show you’re the perfect fit without putting too much emphasis on your work experience (or lack thereof).
If you’re in the middle or are generally looking to make your resume feel more modern and personal, go for the combination or hybrid resume format. It offers the best of both worlds by combining sections focused on experience and work-related skills and at the same time keeping space for projects, awards, certifications, or even creative sections like ‘my typical day’ and ‘my words to live by’.
COBOL Developer Resume Formatting Checklist
- Choose the resume format based on your level of experience and the company you’re applying for
- Go for a traditional 10-12p font
- Stick to 1-inch page margins to ensure high readability
- Match the length of your resume to your experience, but don’t go for more than two pages!
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Test your draft COBOL Developer resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.
Additional sections for your COBOL developer resume
In some cases, especially when it comes to entry-level positions, adding more sections beyond the usual ‘experience’, ‘skills’, and ‘education’ works well in your favor. Such additional sections will help you paint a fuller picture of who you are in the recruiter’s head.
Here’s a list of fun yet informative additional sections for your resume:
Making your COBOL developer resume creative
We know too well that recruiters go through tons of resumes every day. The worse part is, they often need to hire people for different positions and teams. So how do you make yourself stand out in such cases?
By adding a dash of creativity to your COBOL Developer resume. It can be in the form of a colorful layout, a section describing your typical day, or even a picture of your favorite book – you decide!
Just make sure that the levels of creativity match the industry, company, and position you’re applying for.
What makes a great COBOL developer resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
