INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, IT Specialist positions are at a 13% growth rate, which is faster than average. With that said, there are currently 199,400 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 25,500 to 224,900 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the IT Specialist jobs was $77,200 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $40,750, and the highest 10% more than $146,430.
Our conclusion? The IT Specialist job market is wide open for candidates.
Top IT Specialist sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a memorable experience section: IT Specialist resume edition
Checklist: Ways to Make Your Experience Section Stand Out
- Find balance: use 4-6 bullet points per position;
- Include positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for;
- Use action verbs when describing your responsibilities and results;
- Highlight your achievements by adding numbers to them (e.g. instead of saying “achieved a steady increase in…”, say “achieved an X% increase in…”);
- Prove that you’re willing to work hard, both individually and in a team.
We’ve gathered the most impressive IT Specialist experience sections from real Enhancv resumes. Check them out for some additional inspiration!
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 IT Specialist Resume
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IT Specialist Resume: Crafting a Strong Skills Section
Do this if you want to make your skills section stand out:
- Check the job advert for keywords and add them to your skills section to pass ATS;
- List only skills that are relevant to the position to keep the hiring manager focused;
- Balance between hard, soft, and technical skills;
- Elaborate on some of your strongest skills in other sections of your IT Specialist resume, e.g. the experience section or your resume’s summary.
Top Skills for your IT Specialist resume
Programming Basics
Windows Server
Netowrking
Microsoft Exchange
DNS
DHCP
WSUS
GPO
PKI
Active Directory
Communication
Organisation
Analytical thinking
Creativity and innovation
Accountability
Flexibility
Eager to learn
Perseverance
Problem solving
Resourcefulness
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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IT Specialist Resume Header: Tips, Red Flags, and Best Practices
CHECKLIST For Your IT Specialist 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
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your IT Specialist 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.
How to Write an Inspiring IT Specialist Resume Summary
Checklist: Writing a resume summary that makes you stand out
- Keep it short and use well-structured sentences;
- Mention your total years of experience in the field and your #1 achievement;
- Highlight your strengths and relevant skills;
- Add keywords from the company’s website or the job description.
Resume Summary Formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a brief but informative introduction to your experience section. In this section you should go into more depth about what you have done, and how you did it.
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Making the Education Section of Your IT Specialist Resume Stand Out
Education section checklist for your IT Specialist resume:
- List your highest education degree: including your major, year of graduation, and the institution you attended;
- Highlight the extracurricular activities that have helped you gain additional expertise;
- Share more about the certifications you’ve got, especially if they are relevant to the job position;
- Entry-level applicants: Mention relevant courses and projects.
Top Certifications for your IT Specialist resume
Complete IT Support Specialist Course: IT Foundations
IT Support Foundations: Learn the skills equivalent to an associates in this series and qualify for an entry level job
The Complete Cyber Security Course : Hackers Exposed!
Volume 1 : Become a Cyber Security Specialist, Learn How to Stop Hackers, Prevent Hacking, Learn IT Security & INFOSEC
FMEA Training | FMEA Specialist Certification (Accredited)
What is FMEA & How it Works? FMEA Definition | FMEA Significance | FMEA Stages | PFMEA | FMEA Steps | FMEA Format | RPN
ServiceNow IT Service Management (CIS-ITSM) Tests: Rome 2022
Practice for the ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist - IT Service Management (CIS-ITSM) exam: Latest Release!
ServiceNow IT Service Management (CIS - ITSM) Practice Tests
Prepare for the ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist exam in IT Service Management (CIS-ITSM) - [Rome Release]
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PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
IT Specialist Resume: Formatting Tips & Tricks
Which came first: the hen or the egg? This question reminds us of the thing our resume experts hear most often in their job – which comes first: the content or the format? Well, we advise you to pick the format first and then go on with drafting your resume’s content.
And how do you choose a resume format? Well, based on your applicant profile. In general, there are three basic resume formats for you to choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Let’s look at each one of them in more detail:
The reverse-chronological resume format is quite straightforward. Here, you describe all your previous jobs in a reverse-chronological form, meaning your latest job comes first. This resume format is great for people with lots of experience and skills who don’t have any career gaps.
If you are a recent graduate or don’t really have much experience in the industry you’re applying for, go for the functional skills-based resume format. This format focuses on skills and character traits, rather than experience. It makes the hiring manager realize you’re the perfect fit for the role without putting too much emphasis on your work history.
And if you’re looking for something a bit more intriguing and exciting, check out the hybrid resume format. It’s a combination of the reverse-chronological and functional skills-based formats, which makes it great for all types of job-seekers. The hybrid resume allows you to showcase both your professional experience and your skills, education, and additional qualifications. If you’re feeling creative, add a separate section about your typical day or life philosophy.
Our top style and layout resume format tips:
- Go for a standard 12p resume font;
- Choose 1-inch resume margins for a professional and easy-to-read feel;
- ry your best to fit your resume in a one-page template. If you’re a professional with over 10 years of relevant experience, having a two-page resume is also fine;
- Make sure to save your resume as PDF – this will help you avoid unwanted editing and formatting issues.
Read this: How to make your resume stand out
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical IT Specialist resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
Other sections that’ll look good on your IT Specialist resume
Do you want to move beyond the traditional skills, education, and experience section? Easy-peasy!
Just choose one or two additional sections to help recruiters get a fuller picture of who you are, both as a person and as a professional:
Adding a Splash of Creativity to Your IT Specialist Resume
Boring resumes are no longer an option if you’re looking to impress recruiters.
And no matter whether you’re looking to give your old resume a new life or want to start building a new one from scratch, being at least moderately creative is always a good idea. Do this by adding a ‘favorite books’ section or even a pie chart of what your typical day looks like.
What Makes a Great IT Specialist 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.
