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This guide will help you create a resume quickly and put in your New Yorker advantage.

Like any skill, resume writing improves with practice.
Here are some suggestions to help speed up your learning
curve.
Target the content. Many employers use computer programs
to determine how many times certain words or
phrases they’ve selected turn up on the resumes they
receive, flagging those resumes that have the most
matches for further consideration. How do you make
sure yours is one of those selected? By scanning the job
description of the position you’re applying for and using
the same terms — provided they actually describe your
experience, of course. For example, if you’re applying
for a position as a software engineer, the employer may
select Java as a keyword, particularly if that language is
included in the job posting.
Proofread. According to a Robert Half Technology survey,
when CIOs were asked which of the following areas their IT
staff could most improve in, 15 percent said verbal and written
communication skills: the third-highest response. Any
errors that show up on a resume reflect on your attention
to detail and professionalism — albeit poorly. In addition,
communication skills are becoming more important for IT
professionals to possess, as they interact with more people
from across the organization. They must be able to clearly
explain complex technical ideas to a variety of audiences.
Be specific. Hiring managers aren’t looking for a laundry list
of tasks you’ve performed in previous positions. Instead,
they seek information about your accomplishments, your
advancement within a company and ways that you’ve
changed or improved the positions you’ve held. Today, especially,
hiring managers want IT professionals who can use
technology to save the company money, improve efficiency
or guide business decisions. Illustrate examples where
you’ve benefited past employers in these ways. Quantifying
your achievements — perhaps you reduced software
licensing fees by $10,000 or cut call times in the help-desk
department by 20 percent, for instance — can make them
stand out even more to prospective employers.
Keep it short. Cut back on the heft of your resume by examining
your work history and removing items that do not relate to
the types of positions you’re seeking. For example, jobs you
held in college, especially those outside of IT, will probably
not be of great interest to hiring managers, unless you’re a
recent graduate. Of course, this doesn’t mean your resume
cannot exceed a certain length. According to a survey by
Robert Half Technology, 44 percent of executives polled
said that two pages is an acceptable length for staff-level
resumes. The point is to be selective about the information
you include, not to provide as much information as possible
in hopes that something catches a hiring manager’s eye.
Consider altering your format when appropriate. The
most commonly used resume format is chronological, in
which you list your work history in detail, placing your most
recent position first. But you may want to think about other
options. For instance, say you’ve been on maternity leave
for a few years and are looking to re-enter the workforce
as a software engineer. It’s likely that the programming
languages you were familiar with have been updated, if not
replaced, since then. In this situation, a hybrid resume may
be a better option. Job seekers who use this resume format
list their relevant skills and accomplishments near the top
of the document — you might have sections titled “Technical
Skills” and “Leadership Experience,” for instance. An
abbreviated work history, in reverse chronological order, is
placed after this initial content. By making your skills and
abilities, rather than your job titles and previous employers,
the main focus of the document, you may be able to overcome
any concerns about your gap in employment. Others
who may want to consider an alternate format are recent
graduates, those who have job-hopped quite a bit or those
making a significant career change.
Send a follow-up resume. Few people send hard-copy
resumes these days, given the ease of submitting electronic
applications. And that’s exactly why you should consider
sending a prospective employer a paper resume. By
following up an e-mailed resume with a hard copy, you give
yourself an extra opportunity to get the hiring manager’s
attention, and you may stand out from other applicants.