IT Resume Makeover: When all else fails, break the rules

Marydawn Meeder’s academic credentials were top-notch: In addition to holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, a master’s in software engineering and an MBA, Meeder earned a professional engineer (PE) license – an elite credential analogous to a CPA or an MD. But aside from those, Meeder’s original resume could have described almost any seasoned IT professional.

‘Boring and ordinary’

“The overall impression of her resume was “boring and ordinary,” which didn’t capture her personality or package her achievements properly. Nothing jumped off the page at first glance. There wasn’t an answer to the question, ‘What does she do really well – and what does she do better than anybody else?'” says Donald Burns, executive resume writer, career consultant and coach with Executive Promotions, LLC.

[ Download original resume ]

Meeder’s best information was buried in long, unbroken paragraphs – sometimes 10 lines or more – and under dense verbiage that wasn’t just hard to find, it was hard to decipher. During his phone interviews with Meeder, Burns recognized that she has unusual clarity of mind and focus. The problem those qualities weren’t coming through in her resume.

“Marydawn’s original headline, “Experienced Information Technology Executive,” was a good start, but it, too, was too generic to open the door for interviews. And in the summary paragraph she explains what she does well, but the dense text hides her message,” Burns says.

Burns also had to reframe Meeder’s short-term consulting gigs and full-time employment to tell a cohesive story. It’s not unusual for IT professionals to mix consulting contracts with full-time positions, especially since the recession in 2009, but organization is key. Otherwise, the impression is one of job-hopping and instability.

Personality plus

First, Burns made the resume easier to read by presenting Meeder’s information in short, bite-sized text blocks. This approach makes it easier for readers to scan the resume and appreciate her talent for problem-solving.

Then, Burns added some personality. While the general rule in resume writing is to avoid writing in the first person, Burns made the conscious – and controversial – choice to do so, bringing Meeder’s personality to the forefront.

“The summary paragraph captures some of her personality and style, for example, ‘Among all the engineers you’ll ever meet, I am one of the few who can speak in complete sentences …’ That’s a true statement, and though it doesn’t work for every person, in this case it adds power, urgency and Marydawn’s personal brand to the document,” Burns says.

Meeder’s new resume also feels lighter and less dense. By delivering only the highlights of results she’s achieved, her value leaps off the page. And while Burns and Meeder experimented with condensing the resume to the conventional two-page format, Burns decided that a longer, three-page version worked even better.

“It’s still ‘heavy’ in the sense that it’s three full pages, but it’s easy to eyeball, which takes some of the ‘weight’ out of it. This was a second controversial choice, because the norm is two pages. This only works if you have first-rate material, solid content and very tight editing,” Burns says.

To make an omelet, you must break some eggs

He also replaced Meeder’s generic headline with the much more specific “IT Expert for Healthcare and Quality Management Systems,” followed by three subheadings that nail down what she does well and what she wants in her next role. Finally, Burns and Meeder worked to show the challenges, actions and results for every contract or consulting gig she worked on to quickly convey her value.

[ Download new resume ]

“As the adage says, ‘To make an omelet, you must break some eggs.’ Earlier versions of this resume were not working well for Marydawn. It was pulling in too many low-level or contract jobs. So, I decided to break some rules,” Burns says.

If you’re an IT professional with great material, proven skills and great credentials like Meeder, you can break from the established resume norms without affecting your ability to land a new position – in fact, doing so might be the best way to stand out, Burns says.

“I do not recommend rolling out the heavy artillery for every resume. Sometimes it’s overkill. But don’t be scared to try something different if you think your resume is holding you back,” he says.